Shopping with Quynh Trinh

We Suki Suki’s owner and lover of all things ATL on how to holiday shop like a locavore

To say We Suki Suki’s Quynh Trinh, aka Q, loves Christmas is an understatement. The energetic East Atlanta sandwich shop owner is obsessed with the holiday. For Trinh, one of EAV’s most enthusiastic cheerleaders, Christmas is all about food and family. Exchanging thoughtful tokens while supporting her favorite local businesses is the icing on the Christmas cake.

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Christmas is about coming home. I have six brothers and one sister. And that’s what it signifies to me, that no matter where we are in the world, we try to make it home for Christmas. ... My mom loves Christmas. She has three trees and she decorates each one differently. She’s got so many Santas it’s hilarious. I think we counted 35.

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I remember when we were little, I had like five bucks and I gift-wrapped Bubble Yum, because that’s all I could afford to give my brothers. But at least it was a token, a gesture of giving. Gifts have to mean something in our family.

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I love all these little places in East Atlanta Village. There’s a smartphone screen-fixing place, ScreenFixing.com (1267 Glenwood Ave. S.E., 404-969-6349). That’s one of the things I put on my list, like a gift certificate. I like to give trivial things, but I also like to buy things you wouldn’t get for yourself that you need.

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Kaboodle (485 Flat Shoals Ave. S.E., Suite B, 404-522-3006, www.facebook.com/kaboodleHome) is one of my favorite places to get anything from local artwork to little tchotchkes. They do upcycling and showcase local artists and have lots of refurbished furniture. Also, this year Sock Fancy (493 Flat Shoals Ave., Suite A, 470-823-3916, www.sockfancy.com) opened. A sock boutique! Socks mean home. Each of us having different socks that speak to our personalities meant a lot to me.

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My other favorite place to get gifts from is probably the Beehive (1250 Caroline St. N.E., Suite C120, 404-581-9261, www.thebeehiveatl.com). I love what they stand for. They have beautiful nut rings, rings that are made from nuts from Brazil, from wherever they source responsibly from. I love those custom printed T-shirts they do with the street signs. I have a lot of friends who are very proud of their neighborhoods in Atlanta. I like to get the ones that say Flat Shoals and Glenwood, because that’s very EAV. C

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— As told to Stephanie Dazey