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Business & Tech

Buy Local Gifts This Year At Holiday Vendor Markets and Events

With an abundance of community events and businesses selling local crafts and hand-made gifts, you could save money and give right back to your hometown by shopping smart at one of these spots below.

The Monmouth Museum’s Nilson Gallery will be transformed into a Holiday Gift Gallery again this December, offering an even wider variety of amazing hand-crafted and eco-friendly gifts created by local artists. One-of-a-kind gifts include jewelry, scarves, ceramics, books, decorative home and garden items, fashions and more. Photographic prints and notecards from the Dorn’s Classic Images collection will also be featured. Gift Gallery Shopping Hours: Open through January 13. Tuesday - Saturday 10a.m. to 5p.m.; Fridays 10a.m. to 9p.m.; Sundays 1 to 5p.m. The museum is located at 765 Newman Springs Rd, Lincroft.

Support local firefighters and buy your Christmas tree at Silverton Fire Company, located at 15 Kettle Creek Road, Toms River. The fire house is holding its annual sale with 6' to 10' trees priced to sell. Now through December 24 (or until sold out), the fire company will be selling fresh cut trees in order to raise funds for the upkeep of their fire house and lifesaving equipment. Sale hours are 5:30 to 9:00p.m. Monday through Friday, and 10:00a.m. to 9:00p.m. on weekends. As an added bonus, and at no additional cost, customers can have their trees delivered to their home by Santa Claus himself.

Books are a great gift at Christmas so head over to Wall Library's Holiday Book Sale (2700 Allaire Rd, Wall). The famous quarterly book sale gives you the opportunity to get great deals on used books, audios, videos, DVD’s, music and more. Book Sale is open during regular library hours. Call 732-449-8877 for more info.

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Shop local in Point Pleasant Beach! Most of the downtown merchants in Point Beach will be open until 8 p.m. every Friday through Dec. 23. Enjoy discounts, giveaways, music and art.  Look for the red balloons. The participating merchants are collecting non-perishable food items for St. Gregory's Pantry and also relevant items for the local Animal Welfare Committee.

Santa Claus has been making stops all over, but his workshop and elves have moved their home from at the North Pole to the InfoAge Science History Learning Center and Museum in Wall. Located at 2201 Marconi Road, Clause and Company have joined forces with the Holiday Spectacular and Craft Market now running on Dec. 17 and 18. Crafters have set up a market where holiday shopping is possible for those that want to combine a little business with pleasure. Admission is just $10 per child. Each child that brings an adult gets them in for free! The Spectacular runs Saturdays from noon to 8 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 6 p.m. For more information, visit holiday.infoage.org.

Holiday Bazaar at Healing Arts NJ, 511 Dover Road, Toms River. From noon to 6 p.m. on Dec. 18 you can shop from a great selection of gifts and vendors. Plus there will be card readings, chair massages, reflexology, and ear candling. For more info call 888-642-2360 or email info@headlingartsnj.com


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