By Ashley Mackin | SDUN Editor

For those who want to shop locally this holiday season, the Hillcrest Business Association (HBA) is hosting its third annual Taste ‘N’ Tinis, an opportunity to explore Hillcrest shops and sample dishes from local restaurants and enjoy holiday martinis. This self-guided tour will take place on Dec.15 from 5 – 9 p.m., and feature over 30 local restaurants and 13 boutiques.

Each boutique will offer a surprise holiday-inspired martini and samples from local restaurants such as Ami Sushi, Babycakes, Fig Tree Cafe Hillcrest, The Wine Lover and Osteria Origano, among others. The boutiques will also offer complimentary gift-wrapping for gifts purchased at their location. The participating boutiques are: Beauty Lounge, Buffalo Exchange, Cohabitat, Cathedral, Flashbacks, Green Fresh Florals, House Boi, Mankind, Pretty Please, Pure Boutique, The Village Hat Shop, Twirl and Urban Outfitters.

Amy Henderson, manager of Flashbacks in Hillcrest said the store participates in Taste ‘N’ Tinis every year because, “it brings the community together.” She added, “A lot of people that wouldn’t necessarily come out to Hillcrest do come out here, so that’s always nice…. It shows that we have a lot of stores and we do have a lot of cool boutiques and restaurants for them to come and explore.”

Tickets for this event are $20 in advance and $25 on the day of the event, and are available at House Boi and Urban Outfitters, as well as Baja Betty’s, The Range Kitchen & Cocktails, Wine Steals, and online at tastentinis.com.

Some of the cocktails from last year included Candy Cane Cosmopolitans, creamy eggnog and Scroogedrivers. Each participating boutique will have its own bartender creating cocktails in the store.

Participants in the cocktail portion of this event must be 21 years or older and have a valid ID.

Julie Elliott, manager of Buffalo Exchange in Hillcrest, said they enjoy and participate in the Taste ‘N’ Tinis because it gives them an opportunity to involve themselves in the community.

“It’s really great for our business. We get a lot of new customers that have never shopped in here and don’t really know what we’re about,” she said.

In keeping with the theme of shopping locally, the HBA is also hosting Shop Hillcrest for holiday shopping needs.

For the Shop Hillcrest promotion, retail shops and restaurants will be offering raffle tickets to customers who purchase items in their establishments throughout the holiday season. If participants fill out the free raffle tickets with the required information, they go into a drawing at the end of the holiday season. The winner will receive a “Fabulous Hillcrest” shopping spree including over $2,500 in Hillcrest gift cards and services.

Over 25 shops and restaurants will participate in the event, and the list is growing daily. This year the Hillcrest Farmers Market will also be participating. Posters around the Hillcrest neighborhood will indicate participating locations.

For more information on both these events, visit fabuloushillcrest.com.