Subscription boxes make thoughtful gifts and are so exciting to receive each month. As we near the holidays, it’s easy to check off a few people on your list by surprising them with a personal, straight-to-their-door surprise that will keep arriving well beyond the holidays. Why not gift a loved one (or yourself) a uniquely Southern box that supports small businesses and artisan makers along the way? We’ve found a bunch for you across many categories!
CULINARY
Charleston Epicurean — Gourmet Goods from the Lowcountry
Monthly: $35; 3 months: $99; 6 months; $199; 1 year: $399
Each month, the Charleston Epicurean team searches the Holy City and the Lowcountry for the best local artisanal gourmet goods and delivers a new collection to subscribers’ doorsteps. Each box has four to six full-size products — from edible and sippable delicacies to feel-good spa luxuries and kitchen items. In the past, they’ve sent things like wooden spatulas, artisan marshmallows, Carolina gold rice, artisan soaps, and Charleston sea salt. In addition to subscription gift boxes, they also provide special occasion boxes (holidays, weddings, mom and baby, seasonal boxes, etc.) “Our charter is to help Lowcountry companies expand their market and be as successful as possible. We take seriously our tagline – Lowcountry Loyal!” says owner Allen Minster.
Home Place Pastures Monthly Box — Fresh beef and pork from a Mississippi Farm
Millenial Box (5 lbs): $65 a month; Individual Box (8 lbs): $90 a month; Family Box (12 lbs): $125 a month; Big Hoss Box (15 lbs): $199 a month
Knowing the farm and even the farmer you got your meat from is the best way to eat it. Home Place Pastures’ monthly box is a convenient, fun, and cost-effective way to purchase fresh, all-natural beef and pork straight from a sustainable farm. The box’s contents will vary from month to month, so you will get the amount and type of meats you like without getting bored of the same ol’ cuts!
Goldbelly’s New Orleans Subscription Box — Iconic Foods from The Big Easy
$79 a month with a 3- or 6-month commitment
The capital of Cajun and Creole cuisine, The Big Easy’s iconic foods — from gumbo to po’boys — are as famous as the city itself. Goldbelly’s New Orleans Subscription sends a taste of NOLA to your door every month, and it helps the city’s still-recovering restaurants and small-shop food makers. Some will be sweet, some will be savory, and each box will contain enough food to serve four people.
Tea Huntress Seasonal Membership — Artisanal Tea & Tea Accoutrements
Paid quarterly: $150 for 3 months; Paid annually: $560 a year
Slow down, reconnect, and join Nashville-based Tea Huntress’s monthly seasonal ritual and tea membership. Members will learn all things tea while tasting the rarest varieties. A beautifully presented package arrives quarterly, plus you get early access to limited tea varietals, new pieces of teaware, and experiences.
STATE PRIDE
Bama in a Box — Alabama-Made Delicacies and Products
Monthly: $39.95; 3 months: $104
There are more than 500 consumer goods made in Alabama, and Bama in a Box is a convenient and exciting way to try new ones each month without ever receiving a repeat item! Each box is packed full of Alabama-made goods and contains a mixture of four to six edible things and nifty items like household goods, jewelry, and more. They also have one-time specialty boxes like a grilling kit, breakfast in a box, coffee sampler, bath in a box, and holiday-specific boxes.
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My Texas Market — Tastes and Trinkets of Texas
1 quarter, billed quarterly: $49.99; 4 quarters, billed annually: $189.99
Taste and experience the best artisan goods from farmers’ markets and local Texas businesses, carefully curated and delivered to your door each season. Some examples of what was recently sent in their autumn box are five-pepper jelly, a mahogany wood candle, local salsa, cheddar popcorn, and body mist!
Georgia Crafted
Monthly: $35; 3 months: $108; 6 months: $225
One of the South’s best-known boxes, Georgia Crafted searches for the best new Georgia-made products — whether it’s food, home goods, bath and body products, and more — and ships them right to your door. They want you to think of them as a “Georgia Discovery Box.” They also have themed boxes, the option to build your own from more than 200 Georgia-made products, and an incredible corporate gifting program.
HOME
White Home Woods HomeBox — Seasonal Home Décor
Billed quarterly: $69.95; Billed annually: $265
Based in Virginia, White Home Woods is now focusing solely on its monthly HomeBox. Each box includes various high-quality products from the best designers and suppliers in the United States, like wall décor, decorative trays, throw pillows, soy candles, mugs, and more! You start by answering a few questions about your decor taste, so certain items in your box are tailored to you.
BloomsyBox — Fresh Flowers from Local Farms
Original (22-24 stems): $44.95 a month; Deluxe (25-27 stems): $49.99 a month; Premium (27-32 stems): $55.95 a month
We all love to be surrounded by beautiful blooms year-round, and you can receive a new farm-fresh bouquet delivered monthly, weekly, or bi-weekly through Florida-based BloomsyBox. Depending on your plan, each box has 22 to 32 stems of unique floral varieties sourced from the best farms. Create one or multiple arrangements from your delivery, and learn how to best maintain your blooms along the way. They also have pet-safe subscriptions, rose subscriptions, and plant subscriptions.
Wickbox — Curated Luxury Candles
Medium: Month-to-month: $29.95; 3 months pre-pay: $28.95 a month; 6 months pre-pay: $27.95 a month; 12 months pre-pay: $26.95 a month
Large: Month-to-month: $39.95; 3 months pre-pay: $38.95 a month; 6 months pre-pay: $37.95 a month; 12 months pre-pay: $36.95 a month
Wickbox is an Asheville-based monthly candle subscription designed and tailored to make you and your space feel peaceful and cozy. They deliver a carefully curated and prettily packaged luxury candle to you (or to someone you love!) each month based on your unique personal scent preferences. Available in medium and large, a fresh new candle is the perfect luxury for rainy days and cozy nights. Talk about a fabulous gift idea!
FASHION
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Southern Scholar — Fashionable AND Comfy Dress Socks
Men are so tough to shop for, but Southern Scholar has your back (and feet)! Southern Scholar has reengineered the classic dress socks with a stylish, silk-like fabric that stays up all day and doesn’t sacrifice comfort for fashion. This Dallas-based brand offers a monthly subscription that will keep your man’s sock drawer refreshed year-round. The results speak for themselves: They were voted #1 Best Men’s Sock Subscription in the 2021 Subscription Box Awards, and they have more than 97% five-star ratings across 1,800 reviews.
BOOKISH
Shelf Subs — Curated Book Boxes For All Ages
Shelf: starts at $35 a month
Kids and YA: starts at $25 a month
Treat Yo’ Shelf: starts at $60 a month
1-, 3-, 6-, or 12-month subscriptions available
The Bookshelf in Thomasville, GA, offers a cool, indie book-a-month club featuring newly released titles chosen by their book-savvy staff. Shelf Subscriptions are perfect for readers who want to broaden their literary horizons, or for book lovers who want to eliminate “decision fatigue.” They also have four options specifically for younger readers: Picture Book (for preschool and early elementary readers), Children’s Chapter (for 7- to 9-year-olds), Middle Grade (for 10- to 13-year-olds), and Young Adult (for 14 and up).
YOUNG AND YOUNG-AT-HEART
Young + Wild & Friedman — Sensory Dough Kits
Young + Wild & Friedman creates fun, safe, and simple kits that keep your children’s days full of adventure and joy. Their colorful, safe sensory dough kits are designed to stimulate young brains and effectively entertain them for hours. Subscribers receive a new kit theme every month. They lock subscriptions on the last day of each month, so if you want the November kit, sign up by October 31. The monthly theme lineup includes Tea Party, Pizza Parlor, Flamingo Pool Party, Picnic, Halloween, Fall, and Decorate a Tree.
There’s a subscription box for almost anything out there, but we are partial to these great options from businesses in our backyards. Here’s to early and easy gift ideas this year!
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