Shopping in Charlotte and Hinesburg with Chea

By Chea Waters Evans

My takeaway from the past few weeks is this: buying-local options are plentiful and fun not only now, but throughout the year. I also learned a lot about how much impulse shopping a girl can do without driving more than a few miles. Here are my last few picks for this holiday season:

Vermont Chiropractic & Sports Therapy

Wrench your back shoveling snow? Slouch when you’re at your desk? Just turned forty and having a mid-life crisis and worry that your body is disintegrating and you want preventative care before you’re hunched over like a troll staring at your feet all day (or is that just me)? Doctors Travis and Sarah Hart are there for you. Sarah said they are “an all-encompassing clinic for spine, extremities, sports, and soft tissue care,” and that they offer “chiropractic, manual and adjunctive therapies, rehabilitation, sports performance care, nutritional wellness, and massage therapy.” They take all kinds of insurance, offer gift certificates in any amount, and, she said their “massage fees are the most reasonable around.” Contact them at (802) 482-4476 or www.vtchirosports.com for more information and to purchase a certificate or make an appointment.

A fourth-generation Vermonter, Travis’s family has owned a business in Hinesburg for well over half a century, and they both call their time here the “most rewarding and gratifying years of our lives!”

Artists Karin Small and Katie Carleton

Like superheroes, these paraeducators at CCS have secret identities…teachers by day, artists by night. The two teamed up for a show last weekend, and have some pieces still available to purchase. Small paints pretty, bright images of horses, hummingbirds, butterflies, and more on reclaimed pieces of barnboard; they’re covered in a clear acrylic gloss so they can be hung inside and out. I could see one on a front porch or beside a barn door. They’re a very reasonable $35 to $45. Small can be reached at msmonstergirl@hotmail.com. She also has an Etsy shop called Totally Special.

Carleton’s whimsical designs are as fun as the lady herself. She makes fairie babies, which are nestled in a shell with moss, feathers, and other items that a fairy would, of course, want to lie down in. I can think of a few little girls who would love these. She also hand-paints these sweet little ladies on magnets, and framed tiles—each one seems to have a personality of her own. They’re available for $5 to $15. Order through snobug@gmail.com.

Your favorite nonprofit

I just heard a story on NPR about how money can buy happiness—I thought it would be in the form of a handbag, but funnily enough, it only works when the money is spent on others. Donate to a nonprofit in someone’s name; there are some wonderful local organizations that really need our help.

The CCS PTO

The school budget doesn’t always provide for everyday classroom life; more than once, I’ve witnessed teachers using their own money for supplies and activities. A donation to the Annual Fund offsets little extras and helps pay for bigger items like computers and science lab equipment.

The Hineburg Artist Series

Give the gift of music! This group supports music education, holds four regular concerts per year, and sponsors additional presentations of musicians and singers from near and far. Advertise in their printed concert programs, or make a cash donation.

Charlotte or Hinesburg Food Shelf

No family should worry about food; not around here. These two organizations, which are part of the Vermont Food Bank, alleviate for hundreds of people the stress of worrying about food during the holidays and throughout the year. A monetary or non-perishable food donation will fill bellies and fill up your heart, too.

Carpenter Case Library and Charlotte Library

Concerts, film screenings, book clubs, knitting nights, blood pressure screenings, political and historical discussions, tons of kids’ programs, computer access…not to mention all those books! These are free for us, but the library still has to pay for them. A donation will keep these invaluable community resources going, and alleviate your guilt at not returning your books for six months and still not being charged late fees.