With the holiday season fast approaching, it’s important to keep the local community in mind when shopping for gifts or searching for experiences. Retailers in Downtown Downers Grove are in search of support and are eager to provide the best presents, food, events, and more. Here are some of the ways you can support the DG community this season:

Small Businesses 

Downtown Downers Grove is full of new or already well-established businesses that are in need of support after losing business from a lack of indoor dining and an increase of online shopping from popular brands like Amazon or Target.

To name a few, 221 Creations makes ornaments and housewarming gifts and specializes in presents for newlyweds, newborns and new house owners. For pet owners and enthusiasts, Happy Dog Barkery makes a variety of treats crafted specifically for furry friends, and even makes customizable cakes that can correlate with any holiday. Finally, Heritage House Florist makes beautiful holiday-themed bouquets that can be gifted to any person for any event.

Looking for something else? Here is a Holiday Gift Guide provided by the Downtown Downers Grove Management Corporation’s website.

Local Restaurants

As a result of the recent indoor dining ban and an increase of carry out orders from popular takeout apps like UberEats or Grubhub, restaurants are in need more than ever of receiving orders and having people go to dine outdoors. With the weather getting colder, a majority of revenue will be coming from online orders, so ordering out a meal or two can help ensure that the restaurants of Downtown Downers Grove stay open and thriving.

New to Downtown DG this year is The Foxtail, a bar and dine-in restaurant which serves items from za’atar flatbread to filet mignon and even featured a special Thanksgiving menu this past week. Tuning in to the holidays, there is a Family Meals menu that can add a meal to the table this season.

Among more well-known downtown restaurants lie hidden gems that serve up a variety of different food options. Some other eateries in the area with carry out or online ordering include:

 Guac N Tacos, a Mexican style joint with items from lengua to flan, Cadence Kitchen & Co., a buzzing center-of-downtown spot with “good beats and great eats” and Super Crown Wings, delicious cuisine that features phillies and fillets.

For more information and options, check out this list of restaurants from the Downtown Downers Grove Management Corporation’s website.

Holiday Experiences

Though many events have gone virtual, there are a select few experiences that will still go on and be celebrated safely. A Gingerbread Man Hunt will be coming soon and Merry Madness will be Dec. 10, which has been known to include raffles, Christmas cookies, sparkling cider, store discounts and other fun activities in previous years.

To find more events, see the December calendar on the Downtown Downers Grove Management Corporation’s website.   

Little Efforts Go a Long Way

Although it’s tempting to go for name brands and chain restaurants, giving back to the community and nearby business owners never fails to be a fulfilling activity that gives back. To incentivize this, one can participate in the Gingerbucks Reward Card and receive a stamp for each $10 they spend at participating businesses. Once ten stamps are collected, the card can be turned in to be entered into a weekly drawing for $100 in Downtown DG gift cards.

Though the holidays may look a little different this year, showing support to the local community is always a beneficial way to give back. Keep these stores and restaurants in mind when going about your shopping in the coming months.