It’s officially “gray” season, but the snow is beautiful! We wouldn’t blame you if you didn’t go out on the weekends and instead took part in one of these hibernation season staples. These suggestions help keep the support of small business rolling in this Happy hibernating!
Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden February Events
Clouds and cold get you down? The Botanical Garden is low key such a dopamine kick. It’s warm and the light is beautiful.
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Virtual Cooking Classes + Cooking Classes “To-Go”
You don’t need an excuse to make dinner at home extra fancy and fun – especially if it involves Chef Katie from The Wallace Centers of Iowa. Take a live 2-hour cooking class with Chef Katie for only $30 per screen, not per person. Katie will email you recipes, a grocery and equipment list, and a Zoom link. Gather all the ingredients and tools in your own kitchen, then watch while Katie demonstrates right alongside as you work. There’s a class about once a month.
Schedule not work with Chef Katie’s classes? Try purchasing a “cooking class to go” from Chef Alessandra, the ever-popular owner behind “Cooking with Alessandra” in the East Village. Her in-person classes book up FAST so if you can’t get in this winter, try taking home an authentic Italian recipe with Alessandra’s at home kits. You can choose from Biscotti, Focaccia or Tomato Sauce.
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Puzzles. All of the puzzles.
Blame it on the pandemic. We’re hooked on puzzles. We’re not even mad about it. Our favorite Des Moines puzzles come from Bozz Prints. They’re beautiful and at 500 pieces they don’t require a marathon of effort. Light a candle, listen to some good music, and enjoy some time away from screens.
If you’re an expert and 500 piece puzzles are too easy for you, kudos. Check out any of the gift shops in our small business gift shop guide to find 750 and 1,000 piece puzzles!
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Virtual Book Club at Des Moines Public Library
Book clubs are becoming trendy again, no? There are a few fun book clubs around town including at The Slow Down Coffee Co. and Storyhouse Bookpub to check out, but if you’re hoping for fully virtual, you don’t need to look any further than Des Moines Public Library.
DMPL’s 2022 Reading Challenge is underway. All you have to do is read a book from 12 of the 18 selected genre categories over 12 months. You can read books in any order, and they’ll even offer expert librarian reading suggestions. In addition to monthly prizes and a grand prize at the end of the year, anyone who completes the challenge will receive a special button when they do so! Check out all the rules at the link below.
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Bake Bread
There’s nothing more cozy than the smell of fresh baked bread. If you’re into baking, or want to dip your toes into baking after the sourdough craze of 2020, start by giving Bread by Chelsa B a follow. Chelsa began her microbakery during the pandemic and has blown up in popularity, for good reason. Her sourdough bakes are truly the best we’ve ever had. She loves to give tips and answer bread baking questions in her stories!
You can buy your ingredients locally too! DSM Mercantile has bread making supplies like proving baskets, towels, and cook books in stock from Breadtopia, based in Fairfield, IA, as well as sourdough starter and flour. All Chelsa approved.
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Wine and Cheese Night
Sometimes the best winter dinner is just red wine and cheese. Even if it’s just for yourself, kicking off a fun evening of self care. You can’t go wrong in planning your wine and cheese night at either The Cheese Shop or The Purveyor.
The Purveyor, in the East Village, still feels like a hidden gem, but has been open since 2019. The Purveyor is a modern, European-style market that curates the best local charcuterie, exclusive tap to bottle wines, and luxury baked goods by Doré Bakery. You can browse and sip as you shop, or just pick up a charcuterie board to go!
The Cheese Shop, located in the shops at Roosevelt (not to be confused with The Cheese Bar on Ingersoll, which is also great), offers a “cheese club” if you’re keen on making this a monthly habit. Sign up at the link below for two 1/2lb. of monger-selected seasonal cheeses with cheese information and food pairing suggestions. Shipping and in-store pick up is available.
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Become a House Plant Person
There’s a lot you can learn about houseplants and winter can be the perfect time to dig into this new hobby. The local plant experts at Art Terrarium release helpful articles about plant parenting and plant care that you can check out here covering everything from how to pick the perfect pot to what plants will thrive in your bathroom.
Last year we slide into Art Terrarium’s DMs to ask all the plant questions. Luckily, they see education as the best part of their jobs at Art Terrarium. One of the house plant shop’s core values is that “houseplants are for everyone.” No matter your skill level or space available, they make sure their customers leave feeling knowledgeable and confident in caring for their new plant babes. Frankly, it’s completely true. Check out the article below!
Board Game Subscription Program
Have you heard of The Dealt Hand? They do fun game night pop-ups around town, but also have a great subscription and delivery program! Twice a month on Mondays, they drive around the metro dropping off games – bringing you great selections from their large game collection (200+ games) automatically. Options start at $15 a month.
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Virtual Fitness Classes
You can still support local fitness studios while hibernating with virtual options. No, not all fitness classes are conducive to virtual exercise, but classes like pilates, sculpt, and yoga can be wonderful with some basic home fitness equipment. Plus, often times the class costs less than in person! Check in with your favorite local fitness studio to inquire about a virtual or live stream option.
One of our favorites with live stream options is Rooted Yoga + Fitness in Beaverdale. Here, owner Hannah, takes you through a quick and easy stretch to get back into your body that you can do any time from home. Read more about Hannah’s story and Rooted Yoga here.
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