Receiving a gift card to your fave shop is like hitting the gift-getting jackpot. Picking up that cashmere sweater you've been admiring all season for what seems like Monopoly money is a retail high every girl deserves to experience. The only thing that could ruin this shopping dream? If the gift card is not so much for that little boutique that is "so you," but for some big-box store of tacky clothing, or worse, Red Lobster.
Enter Giftbar, a digital marketplace that curates the best gift cards from some of the Chicago's top merchants and boutiques, such as Sofia, Lori's Shoes, the Dailey Method, and Haberdash. You can choose a general GC good for all of the merchants on the site, or shop by neighborhood, personality, or occasion. And because plastic is well, boring, you can get your card customized with digital wrappings and photos. In a time crunch this year? Along with snail mail, Giftbar cards can be sent via email or mobile if you're in need of something stat.
Photo: Courtesy of Luhrs Heldrich