As this year continues to be dry and relatively warm, the idea of walking and shopping around Carson City is more appealing than ever. So let’s take a tour of best places to park your car and walk and shop for local holiday gifts in the greater Carson City area.
Stop by The Purple Avocado on your Carson City shopping adventures. Photo: Facebook
South Carson
South Carson is home to the Carson Mall Shopping Center, which in itself is an excellent one-stop shop location. First up is a visit to Sportsman’s Warehouse, where there are no shortage of hiking, camping and hunting gift items for your outdoorsy family members. It’s without a doubt my go-to store for finding dad and brother gifts.
Right by Sportsman’s is a unique, locally owned crystal shop called Crimson Moon as well as Plato’s Closet, a trendy pre-loved clothing store. Both are sure to have an assortment of items for your offbeat and alternative family members. And right nearby is a Pilates studio, a facial and waxing spa and a few furniture stores — all of which sell gift cards for family members to support local stores while treating themselves.
On the other side of the mall is the inestimable Paul Schat’s Bakery, with its glittering array of sweets, breads, treats, coffees and teas. The Schat family has deep roots in the Carson Valley and the surrounding region, especially Mammoth Lakes. Now they have several stores throughout the region, each with its own unique character. The one in Carson City has a coffee and sandwich shop vibe to it, but it still carries a ton of carry-out food items for the sweets and bread lovers in your family.
Paul Schat’s Bakery in Carson City. Photo by Dan Bablinskas
Downtown Minden and Gardnerville
While dominated by the busy thoroughfare of Highway 395 that has not yet been rerouted as it has been for Carson City, Downtown Minden and Gardnerville have seen a massive growth in small, charming shops that sell perfect holiday gifts.
Cheshire Antiques is an enormous antique store that you can spend hours browsing through and still discover new surprises from all eras and parts of the world. Just down the road is Re-Style, a newer thrift store with an assortment of pre-loved clothing. Another fun place is the Wild Highland Boutique Country Store, a gift shop with great local items, many of which are also sold in Genoa. Speaking of which . . .
Old Town Genoa
There are few towns in America with as much picturesque mountain scenery and small-town charm as Genoa. Walking through Genoa is always beautiful, and while there aren’t many shops in town, there are quite a bit more than there used to be, with Genoa Gallery, Sugarplum Baker & Treats and Cusco Alpaca all being great stops within the same old building.
There’s also Dancing Deer, a gift shop that specializes in Native American jewelry but also carries a variety of gifts and home decor including homemade clocks and chimes.
Walking through Old Town Genoa. Photo by Dan Bablinskas
Downtown Carson City
If there’s one walk-and-shop location that takes the cake in the Carson Valley, it’s downtown Carson City. Starting north to south, you can head out on foot near The Purple Avocado, where you’ll find various and sundry gifts in a historic 1863 home. Work your way down to Nevada Gift Shop, which sells mugs, keychains and magnets all Nevada-themed, then stroll by Rocking and Rolling for some polished rocks and ornamental objects. Be sure to hit up High Desert Pine for a wide variety of clothing and apparel made by local artists, and stop in at the Due Sorella antique store that emphasizes high-class, quality items. End at Kaleidoscope, a home goods store with local foodstuffs and more antiques. This is all just within six city blocks of walking, by the way.
Photo: When you're out shopping in Downtown Carson City, be sure to stop by to see the Nevada State Capitol decked out for the holidays. Photo: Facebook
If you’ve lived here for some time, you can really see how well Carson City has been taking advantage of its unique position as the state capital with an enviable downtown feel to turn itself into a really special place. These small shops can’t survive if we don’t give them our business, so make a point of doing your holiday shopping downtown this year!
Check out our Shopping listings for even more places to shop this holiday season!
About the Author Dan Bablinskas
Dan Bablinskas is a relentlessly curious person with a passion for travel, foreign languages, affordable food and lodgings, well-fashioned cappuccinos and refreshing craft brews. After receiving his bachelor’s degree in creative writing, he traveled through Europe and South America while working as an English teacher and travel blogger. After trying a number of different careers, he settled into technical and content writing for his day job. In his spare time, he enjoys exploring the Reno-Tahoe area by foot, car, bike and ski. He lives in Reno with his wife and two kids. 
