Support Small: The Ultimate Cheltenham Christmas Gift Guide

Published November 2020

The most magical time of the year is on its way – and 2020 has been a year where we could all use a little extra sparkle! Cheltenham boasts an enviable shopping scene at any time of year, with a variety of shopping districts to explore to suit your style, from big names on the High Street and Promenade – which has been ranked as one of the best shopping streets in the UK by Google – to independent boutique retailers where you can find something different in Montpellier, The Suffolks and Bath Road.

To help you get in the festive mood, we've created a Cheltenham Christmas gift guide showcasing just a few of the great products which are available from the town's small independent businesses, helping you not only choose the perfect present for the important men, women and kids in your life, but also to help support the local community.

Our small independent shops are a big part of what makes Cheltenham such a fantastic place to live and visit.  Shopping locally this Christmas, either in person before the national lock down commences or online,  is a great way to show your support after what's been a difficult year for many businesses. With a wide range of gifts, large and small – from jewellery to gin, coats to candles – you'll be spoilt for choice in Cheltenham this Christmas.

Gifts for men

Add a touch of style this winter at James of Montpellier, the perfect place to pick up a gift for the man who has everything. Co-owner Richard Dare says “you can be guaranteed you'll pick up something unique for the man in your life. Specialising in high-quality menswear and footwear, coupled with an incredibly high quality of customer service, it's the place in Cheltenham to shop for those men that enjoy the finer things in life.” Gifts on their Christmas list for this year include a soft wool geometric pattern scarf, a limited edition handcrafted suede Chelsea Boot and a warm and elegantly styled grey wool and cashmere town coat.

You can also find contemporary gifts for men at The Union Project. This independent store was founded in Cheltenham and now has two branches in the town, with a menswear store in Cambrary Place and a wonmen's wear, design, homewares and apothecary store in Montpellier. The Union Project focuses on well-designed, functional and durable products from modern international designers – pick up a smart weatherproof weekend bag from Scandinavian brand Rains, a recycled wool shirt from Nudie Jeans or a Malin + Goetz skincare kit, featuring seven of their top products in travel-sized containers.

Or if you're shopping for a winter sports fan who's hoping to head to the slopes this year – or just bracing themselves for a cold winter – Horace Barton & Son stock a range of winter sports wear alongside their formal menswear. As well as kit from top performance ski and snowboard brands, you'll also find the more unusual battery heated socks to stop any cold toes this winter!

Cheltenham has a long-established selection of jewellers and watchmakers if you're looking for something special to mark the festive season. Martin & Co was founded in 1806 and received a  royal warrant from Queen Victoria before moving to its present location on the Promenade. It's also been producing the annual Cheltenham Gold Cup trophy for over 80 years. You might not be able to get your hands on one of those, but you can find Christmas gifts including silver enamelled racing car cufflinks and a classic Swiss watch made by Tissot in the Jura Mountains.

You can also find famous-name watches at Beards Jewellers on the Promenade, one of the oldest family-run jewellers in Britain. Brands stocked include OMEGA, Breitling and Gucci – with new and pre-owned watches on sale as well as a luxurious range of gifts which includes Montblanc pens and GTO London Italian leather phone and iPad sleeves.

And finally, gin lovers can warm themselves up on a cold winter's night with a Winter Edition Gin from Cheltenham's Sibling Gin Distillery, infused with bittersweet cranberries and clementine peel. This family-owned distillery in Charlton Kings creates delicious gins by distilling their own spirits and infusing them with modern botanical flavours. As well as their signature Original Gin they offer a Negroni gin and range of seasonal gins using different flavours – if you can't pick just one, their Four Seasons Gift Set contains mini bottles of each of their four limited edition seasonal gins in a special gift box.

Gifts for women

Treat the ladies in your life to something beautiful this Christmas from one of Cheltenham's boutique womenswear stores. Founded in 1975, Keith Scarrott Shoes produces a range of bespoke leather goods, with a new collection of boots, shoes and handbags each season, designed in Gloucestershire and hand-finished in Europe. And they've cleverly adapted to the latest coronavirus restrictions by shooting their autumn/winter 2020 collection in-house, using the creative talents of their staff.

Now run by Keith's daughter Sophie Scarrott, the store's products mix up classic designs with contemporary trends and are renowned for their quality craftsmanship. On our Christmas wish list for 2020 are their glitzy Fano clutch bags, which come in a range of bright metallic colours, and their leopard-print Rialto Western-style ankle boots.

You'll find affordable boutique fashion that you won’t find in high-street retailers at Bodega Womenswear on Suffolk Parade. They stock quality brands like YAYA, Soya Concept, Gustav and Celtic and Co, with an array of pieces from special occasion outfits to casual everyday wear and great gifts including colourful silk scarves and a soft star-print cashmere jumper. Or go back in time at Monrose Boutique on Bennington Street, who produce vibrant, vintage-style dresses and accessories – from 1950s-inspired wiggle dresses to fascinators and hair flowers.

Vinegar Hill on the Promenade has an eclectic range of gifts that are beautifully stylish, perfectly practical and offer a little bit of luxury. This independent store was established over 20 years ago and offers a carefully curated selection of products chosen from around the world. Treat your mum, sister, friend or partner to a cosy but quirky pair of faux fur slippers with a gold and pink crystal lobster brooch for a bit of extra glamour. Add some celestial sparkle with a moon and star charm necklace, or warm up with possibly the longest hot water bottle around, guaranteed to get anyone through the coldest of nights.

You can also find plenty of ladies gifts at Monty Smith on Bennington Street, with everything from stocking filler headbands, socks and coin purses to showstopping designer shoes. Some of our festive favourites from their range include the Yoshi Bookworm leather pouches, which are perfect for book lovers, a Lotte & Moll cosy loose-knit jumper in festive red, and a diamanté beret to bling up anyone's winter wardrobe.

Gifts for kids

After theatres were hard hit by recent restrictions, the restarting of socially distanced performances is a chance to celebrate and support our local theatres. And a trip to the theatre makes a great present for kids of all ages. As well as its Christmas shows – Tweedy's Reduced Pantomime and A Christmas Carol – Cheltenham's much-loved Everyman Theatre is now taking bookings for two child-friendly theatre shows in 2021.

Perfect for the little ones, Peppa Pig's Best Day Ever sees Peppa heading out on a road-trip full of fun adventures in a brand-new show on stage from 21-22 February. Or older kids can sing-along to the Broadway smash-hit Shrek the Musical, performed by Cheltenham Operatic and Dramatic Society from 13–17 April. Or with more shows to be announced, why not treat the kids in your life to a theatre voucher so they can choose their own favourite show to see?

Vinegar Hill also has some great gift options for kids, whether they're an explorer in the making, an ambitious dreamer in the world of imaginative play or simply content cuddling up on the sofa with their favourite book and a cuddly friend. The hand-knitted lion puppet and Fuddlewuddle dino soft toy make fun gifts for younger children. Or for older kids, the Pirate Den Kit has everything they need to create their very own pirate hideaway.

And don't forget to stock up on all your festive favourites from the Ultimate Party Shop, a one-stop-shop for everything party-related. They have a range of dressing up costumes for kids – with everything from historical figures to superheroes, princesses to pirates – as well as wigs, hats and masks, as well as plenty of balloon decorations, tableware and personalised banners.

Gifts for the home

If you're looking to brighten up your home – or add a special touch to someone else's – the Park Gallery on Montpellier Avenue between Imperial and Montpellier Gardens has three floors of original paintings, studio glass, handmade ceramics and bronzes, all made in Britain. The gallery's Steve Connell explained how they're preparing for Christmas: “This year we've created a Christmas Gift Collection featuring over 100 gifts for under £100. This collection features our most popular pieces from many of our talented makers. And we're offering free UK delivery on every online purchase made before the end of November – just use the code FREE when you checkout.”

Park Gallery also stock some fabulous paintings which capture the beauty of Cheltenham. As well as a collection of paintings by local favourite Katharine Dove, this Christmas they also have a brand-new collection from Richard Briggs featuring local landmarks such as the Neptune Fountain, Cheltenham College and the Montpellier Arcade.

You can also support small businesses from across Gloucestershire at the Cotswold Galleria. This shop in the Regent Arcade stocks a changing range of art and handmade gifts from over 40 different producers, including beautiful artwork, photography, glass, ceramics, fabric, candles and jewellery. It's the ideal place to find something a bit different, with their artists and crafters currently stocking the shop with decorations and gifts ready for the festive season.

Finally, as we spend almost a third of our lives in bed, why not treat someone to a set of luxury bedding this Christmas so they can sleep in style? And So To Bed in Montpellier specialises in bespoke handmade beds and luxurious mattresses, but they also offer a range of high-quality bed linen, including the aptly named Rest collection with its soft Egyptian cotton percale fabric.

We hope you’ve found this Cheltenham Christmas shopping guide useful. We would love to have featured every one of Cheltenham’s fabulous independent stores but as you can imagine, it would be a very long guide! Check out our Independent Shops in Cheltenham  for more Christmas shopping inspiration and Cheltenham Shops Offering Online Services  which is a helpful during lockdown.

The video below by local personal stylist and image consultant, Kate Evans, showcases more of our independent and High Street favourite stores. Please note this video was taken before COVID-19 came into all of our lives. All of these stores of course now follow strict social distancing measures.