On the first day of December, what will my Advent calendar bring me?

A locally made Advent calendar, featuring products made by Edmonton entrepreneurs, offers choices beyond traditional chocolate.

“We try to do everything from sweet and savory items to everyday pantry items to kitchen gadgets,” said Camilla Cuglietta, assistant buyer at the Italian Center of Edmonton.

The annual edition of the Italian Center Shop advent calendar sold out very quickly every year.

“We usually have lines outside our stores on days when we have the first sales day of the calendar and we sell the product on the same day,” Cuglietta said. “Online, we anticipate we will sell our products within minutes.”

A number of companies based in Edmonton and Alberta offer Advent calendars, ranging from chocolate to wine and everything in between.

“We are doing a box set that has a bubble…one rosé, three white wines, seven reds, all variations of styles,” said Juanita Roos, co-owner of Wine Color.

“They’re all unique, they’re all small productions, they’re all things we believe in here as a family.”

If wine isn’t for you, coffee or tea might be. There is a calendar for everyone.

“I’m trying to introduce as many local roasters to people who might not know about them,” said Richard Lobb, of Locally Roasted Calendars, of the company’s own business. advent calendar.

The shopping local movement has grown in recent years.

In 2022, the Edmonton Downtown Business Association launched a gift card that can be used at over 50 downtown stores, restaurants and hospitality businesses.

In October, Edmonton hosted a Shop Local campaign to support the city’s small business community.

Edmonton is home to more than 38,000 businesses, 95 percent of which are small businesses, according to the city.

For every $100 spent at a local small business, $66 stays in the local economy, the city says.

With files from Evan Kenny of CTV News Edmonton