Christmas is a time for giving and with the festive season officially upon us, it’s time to do the rounds and buy something special for our loved ones.

There’s no better time to choose local than the lead up to Christmas, and with Adelaide’s premier shopping precinct launching its festive decorations last week, Rundle Mall is set to sparkle.

So give back to SA this Christmas by supporting local businesses in Rundle Mall when embarking on your Christmas gift hunt. When you choose SA you’re supporting local families, jobs and the future of our small businesses.

Here are 12 ways to choose SA in Rundle Mall before the big man in red visits at Christmas.

1. Go nuts at Charlesworth

This long-standing family business has been around in SA since 1934. The fresh nuts are cooked on site and a number of nut, dried fruit, chocolate and confectionery gift baskets, boxes and platters are sure to be a winner around the table on Christmas Day. Charlesworth also have bake-at-home packs of Christmas cake, muffins, pudding and continental panforté.

2. Indulge at Haigh’s

Australia’s oldest family-owned chocolate company is a must-visit every year, because what is Christmas without something a little special? Located on the historic Beehive Corner, Haigh’s Chocolates has an extensive Christmas collection of boxed and loose choccies and truffles, advent calendars, gift tins, chocolate filled stockings, bon bons and hampers. Editor’s note: one can’t go by the devilishly moreish berrychocs and the dark ginger chocolate bars.

3. Buy something you won’t find elsewhere

Regent Arcade gift shop Have you met Charlie is full of wares made by independent artists and makers from around the world, with many of them from SA. You’ll find gifts by local makers Ettie Ink, Kindred Self, One Seed, Tea 4 Two and more. While many of the wares will delight the ladies, you’ll also find gifts for blokes, babies and the home.

4. Visit Australia’s largest speciality hat shop

Adelaide Hatters has been around for more than 25 years and is the largest hat shop in the country, spread across two floors in Adelaide Arcade. The store stocks a number of classic hat brands as well as hard-to-find speciality items. Whether it’s a funky sunhat, stunning headpiece, or a stylish cap – there’s a hat for every occasion, as they say.

5. Discover ‘every bear that ever there was’

Located in Regent Arcade, The Teddy Bear Shop has been home to Australia’s largest range of bears for almost 30 years. You’ll find rare collector bears and popular classics that make a memorable gift for little ones of friends or family members. Discover your inner child while browsing the bears big and small.

6. Check out the local produce window display

Take a wander along the mall and you’ll notice a dozen different window displays scattered throughout, each one individually crafted with a different theme. Behind one of the windows is a beautiful festival table setting featuring SA produce such as Haigh’s, Woodside Cheese Wrights, Riverland citrus fruit and Charlesworth Nuts. We won’t give the secret away on the other 11 displays, check them out for yourself!

7. Get party season ready at BNKR

Find a knock-out party dress at BNKR, home to labels produced by Adelaide-based Australian Fashion Labels, including C/MEO Collective, Finders Keepers, Keepsake and The Fifth Label. You’ll find stand out and versatile pieces that are on-trend, but most importantly, designed here in Adelaide.

8. Choose chocolates almost too good to eat

Just Bliss Chocolates are hand-painted, delicate creations boxed up beautifully and will make a perfect gift for the luxurious chocolate lover. The store stocks chocolate pralines, truffles, rocky road, chocolate blocks and chocolate spoons, as well as complete gift boxes. Flavours include gin and tonic, Barossa shiraz, whiskey caramel, espresso martini!

9. Buy bath bombs so delicious you’ll wanna eat ’em

Oh Deer Sugar in Regent Arcade is the non-edible bakery handcrafting food for the skin. Launched by “two vegan girls” Sharni and Nikki, these bath products replicate our favourite desserts, waffles, chocolate blocks, and Turkish delights in the form of bath bombs and body scrubs. The Christmas range is inspired Christmas favourites including gingerbread men, candy canes, and even The Grinch! All products are vegan, ingredients ethically source and packaging recyclable.

10. Brew a tea from T BAR

Know someone mad about tea? We bet that at T BAR, you’ll find them a tea they’ve never tried. T BAR stocks 120 blends and varieties sourced from all over the world including loose leaf black teas, beautiful green teas, herbal teas and white teas. T BAR was co-founded by Peggy Veloudos in 1991 and was Adelaide’s first tea salon.

11. Find your beauty fix 

Hebe & Co in Regent Arcade is a skin care store with a range of cruelty free and vegan products, many of them SA and Australian made. You’ll find organic body wash with scents of mandarin, patchouli, geranium and cedarwood, bright liquid to matte lipsticks, breathable nail polishes, natural perfumes and makeup palettes.

Editor’s note: one must treat the hands to Yard Skincare’s hand cream (a favourite is the mandarin and kunzea with maracuja oil) stocked at Hebe & Co. It’s made in the Adelaide Hills from a concentrated blend of antioxidants and plant actives and will satisfy the fussiest of hand cream obsessors!

12. Fill up at Soonta

Kill off the hunger pangs by choosing a local food vendor in the mall, Soonta being a good choice. This year marks the 10th anniversary for the Vietnamese eatery which does a mean banh mi, crunchy salad bowls, delicious noodle and rice bowls and smaller eats such as cold rolls and spring rolls.

Visit I Choose SA to meet the people building business and industry in SA, and to find out how your choices make a difference to our state.

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