The 2024 Slow Gift Guide
The best gifts aren’t always the most expensive or extravagant; they’re the ones made personally and deliberately, infused with intention, where heart, skill, and generational wisdom meet to create something truly enduring. In the bustle of the holiday season, it’s tempting to opt for the fastest option, but there’s a quieter allure in choosing gifts that require more patience to create and more effort to find.
This thoughtfully curated gift guide highlights North American artisans who embody the art of slow craft—makers of hand-carved canoes, heirloom-quality furniture, barrel-aged whiskey, hand-forged steel knives, collectively-woven Indigenous sweaters, hand-soldered jewelry, and limited-edition works of art. Each piece is a testament to the power of patience and precision, perfected over years or even decades, and tell a deeper story of provenance and heritage, each stamped with the grit, skill and even imperfections of the person behind it. Just as we at All Roads North embrace the philosophy of slow travel—immersing fully in the journey and savoring each moment—these artisans approach their craft with the same intentionality and care.
Mark Maggiori | Americana Paintings & Prints
Entering The Shrine (2022) + Heartbeats (2021) by Mark Maggiori | Photo courtesy of Mark Maggiori
Taos, New Mexico – Inspired to become an artist after a cross-country road trip he took as a kid, Mark Maggiori has made an explosive impact in the American art world with his striking images of the American West. His work speaks to the immense scale of the West, the quiet resilience of cowboy and Native American subjects who occupy these lands and the limitless sky that surrounds them.
Mark’s prints are very limited and can be hard to come by. His paintings are currently on display at the Couse-Sharp Historic Site in Taos and the Briscoe Museum in San Antonio, and his prints are only available to purchase twice a year for a very limited amount of time. His next print drop window will be December 7th 10:00am through December 8th, 10:00pm PST.
George Nakashima Woodworkers | Heirloom Furniture
George Nakashima in his Pennsylvania workshop | Photo courtesy of George Nakashima Woodworkers
New Hope, Pennsylvania – Born in Washington State to Japanese immigrants, George Nakashima left his successful architecture career to lead a simpler life as a woodworker in the hills of Pennsylvania. He slowly but deliberately worked on his plot of land, building workshop after workshop and creating furniture pieces that emphasized simplicity and functionality. George believed that through a woodworker’s hands, the material takes on a life of its own, and that products should retain marks of individuality of the craftsperson who brings it into being.
Today, George Nakashima Woodworkers is led by George’s children and made up of a collective of woodworkers, dedicated to Nakashima’s approach and philosophy. These pieces are not just furniture – they are heirlooms, imbued with the story of the hands that shaped them – imperfections and all. All are made to order and hand-crafted by members of the team. Lead times can range from a couple of months to years.
Learn More – George Nakashima Woodworkers
Parks | A Collection of Vintage Park Designs
Photo courtesy of Standards Manual
Brooklyn, New York – Parks is a book collection of over 300 United States national park maps, ephemera, and brochures spanning over 100 years collected and curated by photographer Brian Kelley. The book showcases nearly a century of art, cartography, and printed materials in a compelling visual history of America’s national parks and evolving graphic design styles.
This limited edition book – along with the recently launched second edition – is a favorite among collectors and tends to sell out often. Standards Manual, the independent Brooklyn publisher behind the project, uses high-quality production printing techniques alongside a modern storytelling ethos to make each edition enduring and timeless.
Knit | Native Cowichan Sweaters
Photos courtesy of Knit
Victoria, British Columbia – Many can identify the universal designs of Cowichan sweaters, but few have an authentic original, and even fewer know the story behind them. For generations, weaving has been a deeply-honed craft of the Coast Salish people. Through times of oppression and forced assimilation, the Cowichan tribes would weave and wear these intricate garments, which came to be known as Cowichan sweaters, as an act of rebellion and cultural preservation, by protecting the indigenous tradition of weaving and crafting designs that silently pass on ancestral stories and legends.
Each Cowichan sweater is authentically unique; hand-knit by native Cowichan knitters, often mothers, grandmothers, and great grandmothers, and can take over 40 hours to knit.
Meet The Cowichan Sweater Knitters
Offerman Woodshop | Handcrafted Canoes
Photos courtesy of Offerman Woodshop
Los Angeles, California – Like his character on the popular show “Parks and Recreation” Nick Offerman has had an interest in woodworking since a child, but many don’t know that his skill as a craftsman is just as sharp and seasoned as that of his acting. From his workshop in East Los Angeles, he and his team practice traditional old-world joinery tactics, hand-crafting live-edge and slab furniture utilizing salvaged and ethically sourced lumber from California and Oregon. “Woodworking teaches you to work with your hands and cherish the discipline of crafting something enduring and meaningful.”
Offerman’s pieces are each hand-made and thoughtfully designed, with many customized to the purchaser. The popularity of his products can not be understated and its best to plan far ahead when making a gift inquiry.
Learn More – Offerman Woodshop
Glenn’s Denim Jeans | Quintessential American Jeans
Photos courtesy of Glenn’s Denim Jeans
New York City, New York – Glenn’s Denim Jeans, a quintessential American denim heritage brand, was founded by Glenn Liburd, a master tailor with over 30 years of experience. His vision was inspired by vintage American workwear and cultural movements of the 1970s and 1980s. Each pair of jeans is custom-made in small batches, using rare, deadstock selvedge denim woven on historic shuttle looms, such as those from the iconic Cone Mills White Oak plant. Glenn’s jeans are not just garments but enduring works of art.
Each pair is meticulously drafted, designed, cut, sewn, measured and tailored by Glenn himself in his NYC workshop. Lead times can take between 6 – 8 weeks since every pair is made to order in limited production batches.
Learn More – Glenn’s Denim Jeans
Ataumbi Metals | Hand-Made Metal Jewelry
Photos courtesy of Ataumbi Metals
Santa Fe, New Mexico – Keri Ataumbi, a seasoned storyteller and skilled fine-art jeweler is the heart behind Ataumbi Metals. Based out of her shop in Santa Fe, New Mexico, Ataumbi creates thoughtfully striking pieces using both precious and found materials, such as the turquoise that unearths after rainstorms in the surrounding Cerrillos Hills by her home. Her work often carries storytelling and ceremonial elements, deeply rooted in her Kiowa identity, and showcases traditional Native American aesthetics through a contemporary design lens. Ataumbi’s work often pushes the boundaries of wearable art and many celebrities have been photographed wearing her pieces on the red carpet.
Ataumbi’s reputation as a meticulous artist and fierce cultural storyteller has made her pieces highly sought-after. Alongside her customized work, she drops limited edition jewelry collections 3 – 4 times per year. Her latest jewelry collection was dropped November 29th while the next drop date has yet to be released.
Vortic | Restored American Watches
Photos courtesy of Vortic Watch Company
Fort Collins, Colorado – Vortic Watch Company is a Colorado-based brand that has been resurrecting the dormant art of American watchmaking. Combining historical craftsmanship with modern engineering, the Vortic watchmaker team transforming vintage pocket watch movements into bespoke wristwatches by hand-assembling each piece combining modern materials with rare restored antique movements from rare historic watches.
Each special edition watch is inspired from and made with historic watches found by the Vortic team. The showcased Royal Pheon watch is a limited edition watch made from only 2,000 watches with the rare Broad Arrow marking on the front piece. As of now, there are only 10 of these restored Royal Pheon watches available for purchase.
Learn More – Vortic Watch Company
Ranchlands Mercantile | Hand-Made Leathercraft
Photos courtesy of Ranchlands
A family-run business built on the rugged landscapes of Wyoming and Texas, Ranchlands is dedicated to preserving the heritage of American ranching life. Inspired by owner and founder Duke Philips’s love of leatherwork and the tough nature of ranch life, the family behind Ranchlands turned an old woodshop on Chico Basin Ranch into a leather room, where Duke crafted leather bags for his three daughters. Today, the leather shop still stands and the leather goods showcased in the mercantile are all made by hand in-house.
One of the more unique products in the shop is the Wernerstrom Forge Pinon Knife and sheath. Inspired from the ubiquitous piñon trees that cover the American Southwest, this knife was crafted by Max Wernerstrom in collaboration with Duke Phillips IV during his June 2021 stay at the Chico Basin Ranch. Each blade is hand-forged from Hitachi White/410 stainless steel with handle choices ranging from water buffalo horn to cowbone. The leather sheath is natural veg-tanned leather with double-layered pancake construction, molded by hand to the body of the knife.