When it comes to holiday purchases, there’s no mall like the National Capital Mall

By KATHY KIELY and MARK E. HECKATHORN
Observer Staff

Feeling a little bah humbug as December gets under way?

Maybe it’s the dread of the inevitable trips in a too-close-packed-for-sardines subway or the searches for a space in the overcrowded mall parking lot hanging over you like a sense of impending doom. Maybe it’s the knowledge of what awaits you when you reach your final destination: hours of

groping through mobbed chain stores in search of the requisite number of cookie cutter gifts that almost certainly were made in China and may contain lead.

The season of giving doesn’t have to be this way.

Observer photo by KATHY KIELY
Nativity scene at the Indian Craft Shop.

With the right spirit (we’re sure you have it in you) and a little knowledge (which you’ll get if you keep reading), shopping in Washington can be an adventure, not a chore.

From the handmade soaps and carefully cultivated orchids on sale at the Dupont Circle farmers’ market, to the Jackie O sunglasses and Hope diamond pendant knockoffs available at the Smithsonian museum shops, to the exotic chocolates and the purse made out of recycled Heineken beer wrappers in Adams Morgan boutiques, there’s something for every shopping list and budget in the city’s outdoor markets and boutiques.

You’ll never have to go to the mall — unless, of course, you count the National Capital Mall.

If you get tired in the midst of your errands, there will always be a great local restaurant nearby for refreshments. Or maybe even a museum exhibit to feed your head. And if, after you’ve made all your purchases, you feel you’ve spent more than you planned, you’ll at least be able to console yourself with the thought that your money is supporting individual creativity, not mega-corporations.

The alternative holiday shopping season begins in earnest this week, when the National Museum of Women in the Arts opens its fifth annual holiday gift market, a two-day show featuring the work of mostly local women.

Lynda Marks, an American University alumna who runs the museum’s gift shop, said the market this year will feature 32 women artists, selling everything from jewelry to home accents to stationery. The market will be open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday in the museum’s Great Hall located at 1250 New York Ave. NW, just a few blocks from the Metro Center subway stop.

Museum members get a 20 percent discount and you can join on the spot for $40. Hungry? The museum has an upstairs café. Shop-fatigued? Head upstairs to check out the exhibit on art and the feminist revolution.

On Friday, the Washington’s downtown business district will kick off an outdoor holiday market on F Street between 7th and 8th streets NW. Operating from noon to 8 p.m. every day through Dec. 23, the market will feature local vendors such as Ann Benefield, a local property manager who, with several friends, makes one-of-a-kind hand-sewn purses and totes from unusual fabrics. It’s in the heart of Washington’s gallery and restaurant district, so there are plenty of other things to do when the shopping spirit begins to flag.

Other possibilities for creative shopping: