Holiday Shopping Treat in Truckee, California
Add a Festive Touch to Gift Buying in Historic Town
Nov 4, 2009
Holiday shopping can be fun instead of frantic. Especially for people who are lucky enough to be in Truckee, California for a day or weekend. About a half hour’s drive west of Reno, the town was a rowdy place in its early days, with opium dens, a red-light district, gun fights and an occasional tar and feathering. Today the buildings along its historic main street – Donner Pass Road – have been gussied up and contain some of the best specialty shops east of San Francisco.
Shoppers' Truckee Holiday Shopping Tips
While window shopping along the street is a delight any time of the year, there’s a further incentive for merchants to deck their windows in the form of a prize for the best decorated. While store hours can vary during the different seasons, the shops along Donner Pass Road are open until 9 p.m. on Friday nights during December. Santa’s in town – and sometimes carolers are, too – on these Fridays. Before spending any money, bargain hunters should check out the discount passports" available at the Truckee Visitor Center at 10065 Donner Pass Road.
Specialties Include Native American and Southwest Art
Truckee stores are especially exciting for shoppers who have people who have everything on their lists. For example, White Buffalo focuses on one-of-a-kind jewelry, art and home décor created by Southwestern/Native American artists and artisans. Bob Robert’s Jewelers features Robert’s own designs.. Frank Rossbach’s Glasforms (10072 Donner Pass Road) showcases the work of Rossbach, who has been blowing glass for more than 25 years (his family has been in glassblowing business for about 300 years).
Fine Regional Art and Eco-Groovy Gifts
Fine art and hand made crafts by area artisans are on display at Carmel Gallery. At Feather's Edge Finery the emphasis is on items such as jewelry, wall hangings and eco-groovy gifts for kids crafted from recycled goods. . Next door, Fair & Green offers fair trade gift items from around the world. The people at Gratitudes produce custom gift baskets filled with Sierra Nevada specialties
As a bonus, shoppers who get their gift buying done early will have time left for other diversions. Restaurants such as the hip Moody’s Bistro, cozy Pacific Crest Grill and Truckee’s newest -- Jax at the Tracks -- provide the perfect ambience for leisurely lunches. Shoppers who live to ski know that some of the best skiing in North America awaits them just a few miles away. Truckee’s not far from the Village at Northstar’s ice skating rink either. History buffs, though, will probably want to grab a historic tour brochure from the Chamber of Commerce office in the old depot and spend the rest of their Truckee time poking into the little city’s past.
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