Where to Snag No-Frills Local Gifts for the Hard-to-Please

From board games and curated spices to boxing lessons at a local gym, these presents will satisfy even the toughest-to-buy for.
753

It’s a universal truth that it’s tough to buy for men. Or maybe that’s less “truth” and more “agreed upon generalization” or “total cliché, but we all sorta think it sometimes.”

These are some of our favorite ideas to find treats for the men in your life – and for the people who prefer their gifts on the masculine side. Or androgenous side. All we mean is, consider this your No Frills Gift Guide.

Rockin’ Rooster Comics & Games

For those in your life who live for gaming and comics, Rockin’ Rooster Comics & Games has got your back. The store boasts the latest issues and more than 100 boxes of back issues. Board games and card games. Role playing games and miniature games. Don’t see what you need? They take special orders, too. 5000 Glenway Ave., West Price Hill

Colonel De Gourmet Herbs & Spices

The idea behind the collection of gourmet spices at Colonel De was birthed, of all places, on television. Founder De Stewart once had a show on a northern Kentucky cable channel to show how spices and herbs change the flavor of food. Viewers were desperate to know where they could find the ingredients they saw on the show, and by 2005, Stewart was setting up at farmers markets: the impetus of Colonel De. Today, the shop offers herbs and spices, samplers, salts, chiles, oils, and more. Findlay Market, 1801 Race St., Over-the-Rhine

Photograph courtesy Colonel De Gourmet Herbs & Spices

The Best of Cincinnati

The baskets at The Best of Cincinnati beg to be gifted, with a range of themes and items to appeal to the masses. Consider the Bengals Celebration 2022, which includes Montgomery Inn Barbecue Sauce, Skyline Chili, Graeter’s chocolates, a Busken cookie, Cincinnati craft beers, a soft pretzel and a bottle of Bengals Who Dey Hot Sauce. Or the Westsider: a collection of beer from West Side Brewery, a soft pretzel, LaRosa’s Pizza sauce, Skyline Chili, and Graeter’s chocolate. You can also find home gifts (ornaments, playing cards … and we love that Cincinnati throw) and Cincinnati-themed glassware. 484 Northland Blvd., Forest Park

Lessons for …

We love gifting experiences, and we love learning new things. Title Boxing Club (710 Sycamore St., East End) will let you take a free boxing class to make sure you’re into it before signing up. Cincinnati Music Academy (7420 Montgomery Rd., Silverton) offers lessons in instruments including drums, guitar, woodwinds, and piano. Eudora Brewing Co. (3022 Wilmington Pke., Dayton) will teach you to brew your own beer.

Facebook Comments