Shop Cheap

How is your seasonal shopping coming along? I haven’t made much of a dent in my Christmas shopping, but that will change this weekend. There will be some nice opportunities to shop local and spend less. Here are just a few.

Walkabout Tremont’s Light Up Your Holidays is tonight from 5 to 10. Regular businesses will stay open later and pop-up shops throughout the neighborhood will do what they do. Come hungry and thirsty. Restaurants and bars will have holiday food and drink specials.

Nearby on Saturday you can attend Holiday Hops & Shops at Forest City Brewery on Columbus Road. From 1 to 7 p.m., you can enjoy craft brews and buy holiday gifts from local makers. 

Also Saturday is the Ohio City Holiday Hop. Seasonal gifts and deals on everything from beer to yoga will abound at neighborhood businesses from noon to 5 p.m.

Cleveland Bazaar Holiday takes place Saturday and Sunday at 78th Street Studios. Local vendors and the shoppers who support them will fill the cavernous space with handmade goods and the holiday spirit. Hours are 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday.

Sunday in Lakewood, it’s Ugly Christmas Sweater Sunday Funday at Home for the Holidays, a pop-up shop on Detroit Avenue. Come wearing your worst and enjoy discounts on unique gifts, plus cocktails and mocktails, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. 

On the other side of town (as Carrie Bradshaw often said), the Coventry Village Holiday Festival starts at 11 a.m. Saturday. There will be visits from Santa (including free photos) and adoptable animals, plus face painting, live music, craft workshops, deals and discounts, a free showing of the movie “Elf” and more. Also – and this is big – parking is free. The event concludes with an Ugly Sweater Bar Crawl from 8 to 10 p.m. 

And we can’t leave our pets off our shopping lists. There will be a Holiday Pop-Up Party geared for them Sunday in Slavic Village. Boss K9 is hosting the event from 3 to 8 p.m. at 5606 Fleet Ave. Pet toys, treats and supplies will be for sale and visitors can order paintings and stuffed-animal versions of their pets. Admission is free, but donations of dog and cat food and pet supplies are requested on behalf of Neighborhood Pets, an organization whose mission is to keep pets in their homes. Boss K9 will match each donation.