14 Distinctively Seattle Things to Buy as Souvenirs

Seattle's status as an epicenter of the glass art world started in 1971 when glass blowing extraordinaire, artist Dale Chihuly, co-founded the Pilchuck Glass School in Stanwood, Washington. Today, Seattle has more glass shops than the illustrious island of Murano, Italy. Glass art, inspired by Chihuly, can be found all around Seattle; gifts as affordable as small globes, ornaments and figurines can be purchased from $20 to thousands of dollars in local galleries, shops and through some Pike Place Market artisans, like Driven Simple www.drivensimple.com who specialize in stunning custom pendant lighting for approximately $135.00.

Short of buying an authentic Chihuly, Made in Washington stores are another reliable source for quality gifts of glass made by local artists. If you’re a real glass enthusiast, visit the Seattle Glassblowing Studio where you can purchase hand-blown glass art and watch live glassblowing.

The Pacific Northwest is renowned for hand-crafted, one-of-a-kind jewelry created by Native American Indian, Pacific Coastal Indian and Intuit Artist. Examples of this exquisite designer jewelry include Silver Orca Ring (approximately $250) designed by Northwest artist Erich Glendale of the Kwakwaka’wakw Nation, representative of his collection of imaginative, engraved in silver, clan designs of orca, eagle, beaver, and killer whales of the Puget Sound. In addition to rings there are necklaces, talismans, broaches, bracelets and earrings by Erich and numerous other artists. Also, the Square Abalone Earrings (approximately $54) designed and hand-crafted by local artist Lorene Hanlon from the L`uknax.adi, Raven Coho Clan.

Lorene grew up in the heart of the Tlingit Nation and is a dedicated bearer of the richness of her ancestry through her jewelry, language, art, activism and dance. These unique one-of-a-kind Northwest Coast First Nations People jewelry designs can be found at the Steinbrueck Gallery in downtown Seattle.

Vintage flour sack towels & matching aprons are a popular Seattle gift item and are also frequently found in Northwest homes. These kitchen accessories are hand-silk-screened with original designs by Pacific Northwest artist Christine Vaughan. Christine borrowed the idea of putting images of vegetables and fruit on kitchen towels from her grandmother who used to embroider the flower sacks and make hand towels out of them. Christine is often found at her Pike Place Market booth on the main arcade of the market. The colorful silk-screens depict indigenous northwest animals, fruits, flowers and vegetables. The decorated Tea Towels and Aprons are made of soft 100% cotton from flour-sack cloth and are a long lasting and useful accent for any kitchen, and are a unique Seattle treasure to take home from your travels. These towels are perfect for drying dishes, and also can be used as a standard kitchen hand towel, or even as a colorful art piece or picnic napkin. Matching cotton poly blend aprons are also available and all are very absorbent and completely machine washable. Other colorful aprons and kitchen wares are available throughout the market as well.

Pacific Northwest healing soaps, medical salves, honeys and gift sets are a thoughtful present. Moon Valley Organics is a Pacific Northwest family-owned and operated business located in the foothills of the Cascade Mountain range. They use only the highest quality ingredients, incorporating sustainable farming & wild crafting techniques combined with established scientific study and traditional medicinal knowledge, including a Naturopathic (ND), Oriental Medicine (AOM, Lac) and Traditional Medical (MD) practitioner, and a Herbalist who specifically create their health and beauty products. Each of their botanical formulas integrates the concept of synergy, which means the interaction of pooled ingredients has greater effect than that of the ingredients individual effects. All of their products are petroleum-free and never tested on animals. Moon Valley Organics consciously grows, manufactures and distributes their products from ‘seed to sale’. These items are excellent gifts ranging in cost from individual balms at $3.00 on up to gift sets between $12.00 and $30.00.

Seattle’s Steinbrueck Gallery is dedicated to enhancing the cultural experience and understanding of the art and heritage of the Northwest Coast First Nations People. Items, like the Native Pacific Northwest Spirit Masks and wall hangings, are excellent representatives of this rich culture. Northwest Coast Native art has always had the ability to fascinate viewers, from the first explorers to the present-day collectors. These highly detailed and imaginative Northwest Indian designs are renowned for their sophistication and complexity, yet their simple traditional elements. Northwest Coast Indian art has become one of the most sought after modern-day art forms in the world.

Northwest Coast native art makes use of local cedar for masks, monumental art, wood carving, bentwood boxes and baskets. Colorful masks, totem poles and house posts have become symbolic of the Northwest Coast and tell stories of a rich, ancient native culture. There are a great number of small, packable items and gifts in the gallery – all made by Seattle First Nations People. Artworks include items ranging from hand-woven Yupik Grass baskets to stone sculptures and Native Pacific Spirit Masks varying in cost from $5 to $10,000 and up. Larger items can be shipped anywhere in the world.

No trip to Seattle is complete without sampling fine wines from the local wineries, such as the world renowned Chateau Ste. Michelle. And if you’re a connoisseur, Woodinville Wine Country has more to offer. Plan a day to tour Woodinville (30 minutes east of Seattle) and attend wine tastings at over 80 boutique and world class wineries where they often have festivities, like great live music and local art along with wine tasting. Purchase bottled wine or the winery logo-wear and glassware right there on site or have it shipped. Prices vary greatly. Wine tasting charges range from $5 for the purchase of a glass of wine and up.

However, if touring the countryside isn’t in your schedule, then stay in one place for a wine expedition at The Tasting Room Seattle. This wine lovers paradise is conveniently located in the heart of Pike Place Market in Post Alley. There you can taste and purchase rare older vintages, current releases, or specialty bottles that aren’t always available. Meet the winemakers who create these gems and explore Washington wines at the copper-topped tasting bar or outside at a table on famed Post Alley. Taste or purchase bottled wine from as low as $15.00 (US) and up, or have it shipped.

Nothing goes better with wine than cheese. Across from Pike Place Market is a must-do-see-eat experience, formally known as Beecher’s Handmade Cheese. Watch them make cheese, while you taste cheese, buy cheese, books, recipes, acquire ‘cheese education’, learn about cheese wine pairings, what seasonal cheeses are popular and so much more in this Seattle specialty cheese factory. A Seattle favorite is their "World's Best Mac & Cheese Kit” which lets you make your own scrumptious batch of award-winning macaroni and cheese. Beecher’s Mac-n-Cheese has been on Oprah’s favorite things. What a great gift! The kit sells for $55.00 (US) and can be easily packed or shipped, as can most anything else in this store.

Join their monthly cheese club (price ranges from approximately $70 to $280), watch the cheese-makers at work – Beecher’s is one of the few cheese factories still practicing the centuries-old craft of open vat cheese making – order Pacific Northwest cheese from the cheese counter, and enjoy a cheesy wonderful, affordable lunch at their café, where you can order cheesy soups and breads, Panini’s and salads, or try that fabulous Mac-n-Cheese for yourself.

If Micro Brew is your thing, then Beer Enthusiast you’ve come to the right place. The Northwest is hoppin’ for beer. If names like Dragonstooth Stout, the Immortal IPA, Zephyrus Pilsner, Perseus Porter and Night Owl Pumpkin Ale get your attention, then Elysian Brewing just might be your place to shop, taste, learn and explore.

As much as Seattleites love their coffee, they also have a love affair with chocolate. Theo’s Chocolates is one of Seattle’s chocolaty darlings. Their delicious, award winning chocolate is matched by their commitment to changing the way the cocoa industry conducts business. Seattleites embrace eco-consciousness even in their chocolate. At Theo, they believe that the products that benefit us today shouldn’t jeopardize future generations. When you taste their chocolate; light, dark or flavored, you will experience their passion and integrity in every delicious bite. At Theo, there is something for everyone, from an adventurous foodie, to those seeking the simple comfort of a mouth-watering, creamy milk chocolate bar. With the hip and creative logo and packaging, Theo Chocolates are a trendy chocolate gift that is fast becoming a must-have item. Purchase single chocolate bars from $2.00 and up, or beautiful gift packs that range from $8.00 and up.

Theo Chocolates can be found in nearly every grocery store or specialty shop in Seattle. Other local favorite chocolates are Fran’s, Seattle Chocolate, and Dilettante to name a few.

Let’s face it, Seattle is synonymous with coffee – all kinds of coffee, from small local roasters to major chains, like Starbucks and Tully’s. There is a dazzling array of coffee shops scattered about the Emerald City, each offering their gift items and special blends of Seattle coffee. Coffee-related gift items are popular world round - items like bags of coffee, coffee mugs, glass or tumbler, t-shirts, specialty candies & cookies that represent the brand.

However, if you’re in search of a unique Seattle coffee gift, there are some hidden coffee jewels in like Fonté Café, located on First Avenue across the street from the Seattle Art Museum and steps from the Pike Place Market. Fonté Café is befitting their local roasters reputation as “the best micro-coffee roaster in the Northwest” by Northwest Palate Magazine. They have attracted a prominent, global clientele of luxury hotels, including Seattle’s Olympic Four Seasons and Wynn Las Vegas. You can buy their luscious coffee at the café – prices range from $15-$25.00 a pound – or gift items that range from $8.00 and up.

Fonté Café is a coffee roaster, coffee bar, wine bar and bistro. They serve European bistro style foods, breakfast, lunch and dinner. Buy coffee at the café or visit fontecoffee.com to purchase fresh roasted coffee online, join their coffee club - the Coffee Vault, and have it delivered to your door.

This spicy tea has been sold for over 100 years as the official Pike Place Market tea and is available in Seattle’s Pike Place Market. Visit the store where you can explore the many gift ideas for the tea connoisseurs and cooks in your life. Products range from specialty tea and spice selections, candles, creamed honeys and tea cookies to tea and spice accessories and some specialty food items. Gifts range from $5.00 upwards. Worldwide shipping available! This popular gift item is a Seattle Christmas stocking staple or placed under the tree with the Aplets & Cotlets.

Around the world, bees are struggling, but not here in Seattle, thanks to the award winning bee keepers at Seattle’s Ballard Bee Company. The discreet yet sophisticated black and white packaging alone is reason enough to give a bottle of this unfiltered raw honey. But there's more to this nectar than a stylish jar: Corky Luster, Ballard Bee Company owner and head bee keeper, uses assorted plants from the Ballard Washington area to create honey that's golden, translucent, and far more fluid than the preponderance of other raw honeys available. Talk about nectar from the gods! This treat is an excellent addition to any dessert or as a gift for any occasion. And if you or someone you know wants to start your own beehive, then consider this: Ballard Bee Company provides one-on-one consultation for any step along the way. Cost begins at 1 hour minimum $65.00/hr plus travel and expense. What a gift for a bee enthusiast!

Wild Salmon is a Pacific Northwest staple and one of the healthiest foods in the world. Specialty gift salmon items are an extremely affordable item, as well as a century’s old, much revered gift. Alaska Smokehouse Salmon wooden gift boxes are a treasure from Seattle of WILD salmon delicacies that are sustainably caught off the coast of Alaska and then carefully hand-filleted, marinated in a special brine and slow-smoked over real alder wood fires to ensure no flavor is lost. The fillets are then sealed in their own juices for up to five years. The Smoked Salmon does not need refrigeration, has a five-year shelf life and can be shipped anywhere within the United States! And don’t overlook the extras; seafood spreads, salmon jerky, salmon stix and caviar - these are also delicious gift items.

The classic cedar gift boxes that are adorned with hand-printed traditional Northwest Native American designs or Pacific Northwest Salmon, Crab and other Pacific Ocean creatures, make attractive alder wood keepsakes.

Speaking of Aplets & Cotlets! These fruity treats are known as "America’s favorite fruit & nut candies", made by Liberty Orchards in Cashmere Washington and grown to be a genuine Northwest tradition. Since the 1940s, Washington State people have sent boxes of Aplets & Cotlets to their faraway friends as a unique offering from Washington State. Gift boxes range from $8.00 to $30.00.

Whether you’re looking for tangy Washington State apple candies, chocolate, apricot, Turkish Delights, or their 1920s inspired Nostalgia Collection containing their two original candies, Aplets & Cotlets, plus the Pineapple Upside-Down Cake, Pink Lemonade, Root Beer Float, and Butterscotch Kiss, Liberty Orchards has it all. The $11.95 Nostalgia Collection makes a great gift and comes packed in an Art Deco gift box, featuring historic photos from the company’s past days. If you’re in Cashmere, you can visit their candy factory, taste candy and shop their huge selection of candy goods.

The Liberty Orchards Candy Factory is located east of Seattle, approximately 113 miles. Aplets & Cotlets can also be found at Made in Washington stores http://www.madeinwashington.com, some Seattle grocery and specialty stores and/or ordered on line at http://www.libertyorchards.com/