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Shop Charleston Foodie Gifts and Artisan Goods for the Holidays

A Lowcountry bounty found across the city
Clare Sweeney

// By

By
Charleston Local Expert

 
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    Local Bounty Found at Charleston's Farmers Market, City Market and More

    Charleston's local farmers, food makers and artists make up a large part of the unique culture and personality of the "Holy City." When shopping for holiday gifts in Charleston, consider buying from these local artisans. The items we recommend represent the delicious, coastal and detailed tastes of the Charleston community. Happy holidays!

    Photo courtesy of Clare Sweeney

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    Rewined Candles

    Handcrafted in Charleston, Rewined Candles was a food industry worker's creative idea for wasted wine bottles! These gorgeous gifts come in delicious scents such as Riesling, Chardonnay and Merlot. Purchase Rewined Candles online on their website, at the Charleston Farmers Market or at Haute Hanger for $28 each.

    Photo courtesy of Clare Sweeney

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    Holy Smoke Olive Oil

    Olive oil that tastes like bacon? How do they do it? Visit the Holy Smoke Olive Oil booth at the Charleston Farmers Market to sample this vegan olive oil, cold-smoked locally in the Holy City! Holy Smoke Olive Oil is priced at $15 per 8.5-ounce bottle, and you can also purchase it online.

    Photo courtesy of Clare Sweeney

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    Botany Bay Sea Salt

    Botany Bay Sea Salt is the ideal gift for the creative cook on your list! Locally harvested in Botany Bay, this artisan sea salt is available in several different smokey flavors, in both flakes and coarse crystals. Purchase it at the Charleston Farmers Market for $12 per gift jar.

    Photo courtesy of Clare Sweeney

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    High Wire Distilling Co. Spirits

    High Wire Distilling Co. small batch spirits are handcrafted in Charleston, with the Hat Trick Extraordinarily Fine Botanical Gin and Sorghum Whiskey well known as area bestsellers. Prices vary by spirit, from $19.99 to $45.99. Purchase online through Cordial or at High Wire Distillery's shop on King Street.

    Photo courtesy of High Wire Distilling Co.

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    Jack Rudy Cocktail Co. Small Batch Tonic

    These beautifully bottled Small Batch Tonics – alongside sister products Elderflower Tonic and Aromatic Bitters – are an ideal gift for the cocktail enthusiast on your list. This pairs perfectly with our High Wire Botanical Gin recommendation! Small Batch Tonic costs $16 per 17-ounce bottle or $180 per case of 12. They're available online at JackRudyCocktailCo.com.

    Photo courtesy of Jack Rudy Cocktail Co.

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    Sweetgrass Baskets

    There's no doubt that Lowcountry sweetgrass baskets, each handwoven in the painstaking tradition passed down from artist to artist through generations of local families, are a sight to behold. Find these beautiful pieces in all shapes and sizes for sale at the Charleston City Market. Prices vary by piece.

    Photo courtesy of Clare Sweeney

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    Buttermilk Biscuits from Callie's Hot Little Biscuit

    You may know Callie's Hot Little Biscuit via their small hotspot on Upper King Street, where you can buy her biscuits by the pair, trio or baker's dozen. Why not send a batch of biscuits as a gift? Long distance ordering is available online. Two dozen buttermilk biscuits go for $39.95.

    Photo courtesy of Jason Stemple / Callie's Hot Little Biscuit

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    American Classic Tea from Charleston Tea Plantation

    Grown and harvested from America's only tea plantation on Wadmalaw Island, American Classic Tea is refreshing no matter the flavor! This Charleston Tea Plantation tea is available at the source, Caviar & Bananas, Bull Street Gourmet and other local retailers. A box of 12 pyramid tea bags costs $6.95, and a box of loose tea costs $9.95.

    Photo courtesy of Clare Sweeney

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    Geechie Boy Grits

    Made from corn grown on the Geechie Boy Mill Farm of Edisto Island, Geechie Boy grits are milled by Greg Johnsman and his family using a refurbished machine from the 1940s. White and yellow grits are sold for $6.75 per two-pound bag on their website and at their farm market!

    Photo courtesy of Geechie Boy Mill

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    Charleston Rice Beads

    Sterling silver or pearl rice beads are a jewelry tradition in Charleston, representing the rice crop's influence on the Lowcountry, which goes back centuries. Find these delicate necklaces and bracelets sold by several vendors at the Charleston City Market, or online from Candy Shop Vintage! Prices vary by vendor.

    Photo courtesy of Clare Sweeney

Charleston, S.C., is a city well known for its unique qualities: its welcoming nature, coastal flavors and a dedication to delicious food and drink. Visitors to Charleston during the Thanksgiving and winter holiday season will be delighted to find that this Southern city is abuzz with travelers, joyful events and festive decorations, even if the holidays here are much warmer than they're used to!

Holiday shopping in Charleston is a memorable experience, perhaps most notably for the high level of quality you'll find among locally made goods and gifts, as well as the friendly atmosphere encountered in every festival, market and shop in town.

What's more, Charleston is a very walkable city, allowing for shoppers to stroll between various shopping districts, restaurants, hotels and neighborhoods without the need for a car or taxi.

Visitors and locals alike flood the Charleston Farmers Market each Saturday from April to DecemberVisitors and locals alike flood the Charleston Farmers Market each Saturday from April to December — Photo courtesy of Clare Sweeney

Charleston's shopping boroughs are spread all across the peninsula and beyond, with a variety of shops expanding over the bridges to West Ashley and Mount Pleasant. The Holy City's shopping focal points, however, are centered around central King Street (Charleston doesn't have a Main Street downtown!) and Market Street, with several hotspots forming off the beaten tourist path on Spring Street and other residential avenues.

For a true taste of Charleston's best handmade, locally grown offerings, head to the Charleston City Market, open 364 days a year from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (It's only closed on Christmas.), and the Charleston Farmers Market, operating Saturdays each week from April to December, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The Charleston City Market bustles with shoppers in early FallThe Charleston City Market bustles with shoppers in early Fall — Photo courtesy of Clare Sweeney

Each of these markets provides a massive variety of foodie gifts made from Lowcountry ingredients, jewelry reflective of Charleston's storied history and setting, local photography and paintings, sweetgrass baskets and much, much more.

You don't have to visit a shop or market to bring home local Charleston gifts! Head to High Wire Distilling Co. for tours, tastings and to pick up some of their popular Hat Trick Extraordinarily Fine Botanical Gin or other spirits.

Just a few blocks away, Callie's Hot Little Biscuit beckons you in for a warm and buttery breakfast of made-from-scratch biscuits. You'll become an instant fan and wish to share the wealth with others. Thankfully, Callie's biscuits and accompaniments can be shipped to any beloved foodie on your shopping list.

Clare Sweeney

About Clare Sweeney

Clare Sweeney approves this message: Buy local gifts! If you love Charleston, support her farmers, artists, jewelers and cocktail mixers.

Read more about Clare Sweeney here.