A Pittsburgh gift guide for people who want to do good with good gifts

Here are 10 ideas that’ll help make the city better.

Call it the holiday shopper’s conundrum: How do you indulge in the season of giving but stay true to its meaning? How can we give with greater purpose, and how can we give while also giving back?

Dec. 14, 2018, 7:15 a.m.

Call it the holiday shopper’s conundrum: How do you indulge in the season of giving but stay true to its meaning? How can we give with greater purpose, and how can we give while also giving back?

I, too, have felt the existential pangs that come with standing in line at Target, the legs of my cart bowing under a shipping container’s worth of well-intentioned but ultimately expendable offerings.

And I’ve told myself repeatedly that this is simply what the modern holiday era looks like. But it doesn’t have to.

For proof, look no further than the following gift guide for Pittsburghers who want to give good gifts that also do good things. These gift suggestions — and this is by no means a definitive list — include those that directly contribute to worthy causes and those that allow you to contribute to worthy causes in the course of your regularly scheduled seasonal shopping.

It’s the best of both worlds, a holiday and spiritual win-win-win or what Charles Dickens writing for BuzzFeed might call “a dope AF life hack to make your holidays actually merry and bright.”

Shop

National Council of Jewish Women Pittsburgh’s Thriftique

Why: All store proceeds benefit the National Council of Jewish Women Pittsburgh.

What: Clothing, accessories and home furnishings

Where: 125 51st Street (Lawrenceville)

When: Monday – Friday: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Saturday: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Sunday: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Ten Thousand Villages

Why: The store operates with fair trade and fair wage practices for artists in developing countries in mind. Proceeds from the goods sold in the store go to support a living wage for the artists and artisans behind those products.

What: Home decor, jewelry, toys and musical instruments

Where: 5820 Forbes Ave. (Squirrel Hill)

When: Monday – Thursday: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Friday and Saturday: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Sunday: Noon to 4 p.m.

Ujamma Collective boutique

Why: This artisan boutique helps support the work of the Ujamma Collective, a nonprofit that supports black women entrepreneurs and the overall health and wellbeing of the Hill District community.

What: Jewelry, clothing and fabric, home decor and fine art

Where: 1901 Center Ave. (Hill District)

When: Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Thursday: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Saturday: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Three wine glasses will fit atop these 130 year-old terra cotta tiles from the roof of Pittsburgh’s historic Allegheny County Courthouse.

Courtesy of Allegheny County

Wendell August Forge, Allegheny County Courthouse Collection

Why: Proceeds benefit the Allegheny County Parks Foundation.

What: Wendell August Forge transformed original tiles from the Allegheny County Courthouse, removed as part of a restoration effort, and made them into calendars, beer flight carriers, candle holders, wine trays and wall hangings.

Where: Online

When: Anytime