As a downtown resident, I’m lucky enough to live surrounded by amazing boutiques and shops just a quick car ride away to some our of most popular neighborhoods. If you’ve never hit up Ohio City or Tremont, you are missing out at some great stores like Blackbird Fly Boutique and Banyan Tree to find a few gifts or even finds to treat yo self. Through my frequent shopping trips to these boutiques and the lovely Cleveland Flea, I have found approximately three favorite new local designers that if you haven’t heard of, you should add to your consideration list for gifts this season.

I’m sucker for great packaging and even better scented candles. Meet 1820 house candles which come in truly unique scents that I can’t get enough of in my apartment. Right now, I can’t get enough of the tanned leather + tobacco, thistle + milk and blackberry + arugula from the Rust Belt Collective, costing you about $20 per candle.

Way back when, a friend invited a few bloggers to check out a new boutique in Chagrin Falls. That new boutique was Haven Style House – we were treated to makeup touch ups and see their brand new store. There in that lovely little city, I met the clutch I have been coveting since over a year – the PAK. It’s beautiful, hand crafted and was added to my closet in a bright emerald in the spring in the form of the PAK mini. The PAK is like her bigger and sexier sister who wears slightly higher heels with a shorter skirt. It is THE clutch to carry all the damn time and that Blair Ritchey knows it!

I fell in love with the classic bellfield petite tote as I perused the Cleveland Flea this past summer. Fount’s set up can not be missed at the Flea with these beautifully crafted leather totes hanging so perfectly. These bags were basically calling out to me to buy, come over and sniff in the scent of the leather bags. After feeling these bags up like your 7th grade crush did, I instantly added this bag to that ever growing shopping list of handbags to buy in 2015 on my phone. Well, friends, THIS has moved up to the top of my list now that my Phillip Lim satchel has been purchased.

I know I have missed many local designers. What are your favorite finds coming out of Cleveland?