Black Friday arrives next week, and while the world prepares for the frenzy of doorbusters and countdown timers, we wanted to take a quieter approach. Around here, the season feels richer when you step into the small shops, the ones where the lights are warm, the owners know your name, and each purchase actually helps someone close to home.
This edition of The Field Guide highlights a handful of local places we love. Businesses run by our neighbors. Spaces that make Fredericksburg and the surrounding communities feel like somewhere worth staying awhile.
Where We’re Shopping This Season
Stafford, VA
6 Bears & a Goat has become one of the region’s most reliable gathering spots - equal parts brewery, community hangout, and comfort-food staple. During the holidays, it’s the kind of place where you can take a breather from the rush, settle in with a seasonal brew, and let the noise of the year fade for a moment. Whether you’re grabbing a gift card, meeting friends after work, or stopping in after a long day of errands, it always hits the right note.
Our go to Order - Try the "Eagle Aye" with an order of the herb-dusted fries.
Fredericksburg, VA
Stepping into Riverby Books feels like entering a different era—one where finding a book was an adventure, not a transaction. It’s warm, it’s intimate, and it holds decades of stories in every corner. Their shelves offer everything from first editions to well-loved paperbacks to rare finds. This is the type of place where gifts become personal: a vintage novel, a book on local history, a children’s classic that sparks nostalgia. Riverby is one of Fredericksburg’s cultural anchors.
We never leave without checking their cooking section - there is always something interesting tucked away.
Bowling Green, VA
Sundry is one of those places that instantly feels like “you’ve found something.” Tucked along Main Street in Bowling Green, it’s a creative marketplace filled with vintage fabrics, handmade goods, gifty pieces, and work from local makers. Shelves shift with the seasons - textiles, small-batch items, and thoughtfully selected accessories that feel more discovered than purchased. It’s the kind of shop where you come in for one thing, stay to browse every corner, and leave with a mix of practical supplies and little delights you didn’t know you needed.
The two owners are so passionate about their shop and town - they both have such a good eye.
Fredericksburg, VA
Curio is one of those spaces that instantly slows your pace. Thoughtful wine, soft lighting, cozy seating, and a curated collection that feels personal rather than overwhelming. It’s ideal for gifting, bottles for Thanksgiving hosts, something new to try during the holidays, or simply grabbing a pour and staying awhile. Curio fills a gap in Fredericksburg: a wine bar that feels elevated but still inviting.
Their seasonal staff-pick bottles - easy to gift, and always spot-on.
Fredericksburg, VA
LibertyTown is a creative heartbeat for Fredericksburg. Dozens of local artists work, teach, and share their craft here, filling the space with pottery, jewelry, paintings, textiles, and handmade gifts you simply can’t find anywhere else. It’s the perfect antidote to mass-produced holiday shopping. Every purchase supports a real artist, and every piece carries the story of its maker. If you want your gifting to feel intentional, this is where to start.
Check out their pottery studio and pottery classes - a great family activity. or date night.
When you choose local, you’re investing in your own community. You’re helping small businesses stay open, supporting local jobs, and keeping our neighborhoods interesting and diverse. These businesses create the kind of town we’re proud to build homes in.
Make a little room for the places that make your area special, whereever you are. Wander into the bookstore. Try the new seasonal brew. Pick up a handmade ornament. Grab a bottle from the local wine shop for your Thanksgiving table.
Shopping small won’t change the world, but it does change our corner of it.
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