On the 9th day of Christmas...downtown

Hopefully you have already hit the holiday market at the pavilion end of the downtown mall. We last minute shoppers took advantage of all the great handmade crafts there today, the last day of the market. (I just bought my mom some cool earrings made from recycled wrapping paper!)

The good news: You can still shop the Innisfree store. This store is a project of Innisfree Village , a non-profit community assisting adults with mental disabilities. All proceeds from the store benefit Innisfree Village. Their weavery, woodshop, and bakery, and other self-help crafts are made here (in Crozet) as well as from other low-income villages around the globe.

Also, O'Susannah, on the west end of the downtown mall, has a nice selection of groovy, cool eco-friendly products. I have a cool calendar made from recycled paper and soy ink from a company out of San Francisco on my wish list. They also sell a line of cards from Waste Not Paper - a company who uses excess scraps of paper from mills. For my girlfriend in Asheville, I bought a unique bamboo postcard here .

Also, if you head east on Preston Ave you can stop by the Blue Ridge Eco-shop at Preston Plaza. This shop specializes in all things green. One of my favorites is their "plant-a-note" cards. Gift giving times two: after enjoying your hearfelt message, your receiver can then plant this card in soil, give it sunshine and water, and voila -- wildflowers begin to grow! Don't miss their recycled paper wrapping and their soy pinecone candles.

Enjoy!
T