The Rustic Root is a fantastic place to share great food/tea/desserts and build great memories with…read morefriends and family. It's antique decor and exceptional service make you feel at home. Our server was Nikita and she did an awesome job. She was Very helpful by explaining our options, offering suggestions and very friendly. This was the 2nd time I have ħad her as a server and will be requesting her when I come back.

I was looking for something special to do with my granddaughters, and this was just the thing. My…read morebest friend met up with us for a princess tea time lunch, and everyone thoroughly enjoyed the entire experience. Everything down to the finest details about our lunch was so wonderful, that it's hard to narrow down for brevity. The setting, the decor, the exceptional service, the food and the tea and their presentation...perfect. So lovely. A few of us have food allergies, and they were easily accommodated for. They have a nice selection of gluten free options, and what we sampled was delicious. The girls were all so tickled with their Princess Tea lunch. They received crowns, and we couldn't help but notice that each girl received a color that matched their outfit. Having a selection of finger sandwiches and little sweet treats thrilled them just as much as having pots of tea to sample from their pretty little teacups. Even the smallest details were tended to. We enjoyed it so much, we quickly agreed to making this a regular girl date spot.

This small shop supports more than 100 small businesses. If you're trying to do better about…read morespending your money where you live or you just like quality goods, this is the place for you! Or if you just want a quick snack or drink while walking around Foubtain Square, pop on in. Everything I have bought from Rooftop Fruit has been a new favorite. From the Hey Champ miso candy bars, to lip makeup, to CBD icy hot, and wrapping paper everything has been of great quality. I go here often for stocking stuffers or birthday gifts. It's nice to be able to get people something I know that they will love while also supporting a local business and so many small businesses. Recently I went in to get some wrapping paper to wrap books for a book swap and I was so pleased with the quality of the wrapping paper for the price. I was nervous that it would be see through, but it was not see through in the slightest. I got so many compliments on the wrapping paper at the book swap! Once I run out of hand soap I really want to try their waste free options! The staff are amazing and so helpful! They're quick to show you options and help come up with ideas (or let you know when they have more inventory in the back if you like to stock up on Hey Champ bars like me).

This is one of my all time favorite shops to pop into in Fountain Square. There are always such…read moreunique items here from candles, to cards + stylish sun glasses and food products. They often hold pop ups here as well and feature other businesses. They've got sustainable products here as well and the vibe in here is immaculate. Always treated with a smile and if you're into a photo opp, they've got a + setup for it!

I had been to the og location in fountain square, and when I saw the signage for salt and ash in…read morethe factory arts district, I was happy and surprised! It's a very cute space; and there is something for everyone here! I ended up with 2 bracelets; and cute match box and a great sticker for my water bottle! Love this store and can't wait to get back!

I have just really come to love to check out what's new at Salt and Ash! They never disappoint and…read morehow fun that the item i had been eyeballing was on sale!! Yay! I am beyond grateful to.have scored my find for 50% today! They have new inventory as well so its always fun to find something new! They are always keeping the store fresh and fun! The staff are always so pleasant of course too! Thanks for agreat afternoon stop! An amazing deal on my super comfy outfit!! Can't wait to wear it! I

Ok, I had to stop and get fresh cookies for breakfast. Please & Thank You is an award winning…read morecookie/coffee shop with locations in Indianapolis and Louisville. This was my first visit to their Mass Ave shop. The clerks were welcoming and attentive. There were cake plates and cases filled with fresh cookies and bars. Guests sipped coffee and visited in three small booths on the side. The shop is cute inside. We selected a bourbon blondie bar and a chocolate coconut meringue cookie. The bourbon bar was really good, but I couldn't really taste the bourbon. The chocolate bottom on the coconut cookie was a perfect touch. There is metered street parking early in the day, but spaces grow sparse during noon time. P&TY is a good stop on Mass Ave.

Please, Please and Thank You: Add some designated parking spaces in front of your store. Thank you!…read moreIt's taken me years to visit you, because parking on Mass Ave can be a mess, and I'm not paying for parking just to buy a cookie. I happened to be in the Bottleworks District today, and I was already paying for parking anyway, so I thought it was the perfect day to finally visit Please and Thank You. Upon consideration after tasting the cookies, it might be worth it to pay for parking just to get cookies! The cookies are that good. I guess there's a reason why they are considered the best cookies by USA TODAY 10Best Readers' Choice Awards for the state of Kentucky. Kentucky is where the original Please and Thank You shop is from. We got a few different cookies: a peanut butter sandwich cookie, a chocolate chip cookie, a frosted sugar cookie and a macaroon. All of our cookies were great, but the chocolate chip cookie is transcendent! That might be why they sell tubs of their chocolate chip cookie dough to take home and bake yourself. The cookie that I chose was a macaroon, which I haven't had in years, but it looked so tasty with its chocolate bottom and toasted coconut. It tasted almost marshmallowy because of the toastedness, but it was chewy and moist in the middle. I always forget what wonderful things macaroons are. There are a few other treats besides cookies: a blondie bar, a brownie (gluten-free and regular), a Rice Krispie treat and slices of quick bread. Mostly, though, this is a cookie shop. It's also a coffee shop, but if you're a black-coffee drinker, I would not recommend the house drip coffee. It's very bitter tasted burnt! Not good. There are a few seats inside this small shop, but mostly, this is a to-go cookie joint. Get your goodies, and then GTFO.

I had not been in for awhile, but I was glad I was able to stop in to check them out, I got some…read morenice items on sale, and it was cool to see the different local/small artists products, check them out for fun things for a friend, or for yourself! Friendly staff as well.

Pumpkinfish is a fun place to find an unique gift or souvenir of Indiana. The shop is located in…read moreThe Garage Food Hall, part of the Bottleworks complex off Mass Ave. They carry a wide range of merchandise including dog related mugs, local popcorn and chocolate, fudge, cards, jewelry, home accessories and more. I found some of the Indianapolis-themed items most interesting. Some of the merchandise is a bit risqué (adult oriented) making ideal gifts for a bachelor/bachelorette party. They even carry an interesting assortment of gift cards. The clerk was super friendly and welcoming during my visit. Prices range from reasonable to high for quirky stuff you just can't find anywhere else. There is a parking lot behind the complex or metered street parking along Mass Ave.

I can't stay out of this shop! There is so much good stuff to take in and check out, I can wander…read morearound for well over an hour. It smells so devine and the vibe is so calming, that it feels more like a healing/centering moment, rather than shopping. The staff really put the cherry on top. My first trip in, the sweetest gal approached me and made some spot on suggestions, based on what she saw me checking out. What really took me aback was when she just seemed to intuitively know my birth sign. I've always had insightful and genuine conversations with at least one staff member, if not more, when I visit. Never feel like I'm being "sold" on anything, but gifted with knowledge and genuine guidance. Inner Path has a little bit of everything you'd expect to find in a metaphysical store, and then some. I was surprised to also find a decent amount of items that reference God and things I would affiliate with Christianity, nestled amongst Tarot cards and Witch's Brew coffee cups. This is the perfect store for thoughtful or unique gifts.

I was so elated to find this store. I waited an hour for them to open at 11am. I walked in and the…read moremanager or the employee at the front counter didn't speak or acknowledge me. I was so hurt because I REFUSE to spend money where there isn't a welcome. The store was EVERYTHING that I was looking for but I didn't spend a dime. I even walked around to see if they would speak to others as they entered and lo and behold they welcomed them with such kindness. I will not return! Lesson learned

Easily one of the best spots to find a gift! I could spend hours here. The staff is incredibly…read moreknowledgeable and always helpful with any questions. If you love silver jewelry, this place is a candy store, but you'll also find fun games, unique cards, glassware, candles, books, Indy swag, and more. There is also a location in Carmel. And, they just celebrated 25 years (amazing!), so if you haven't checked it out yet, it's definitely worth a visit!

Looooooove SITC! Fantastic business run by good people with an incredibly fun retail selection…read more White elephant, sentimental, unique, Indy-based gifts at your fingertips. Incredible jewelry (some made by awesome local artists). All items range in cost, which makes it easy to find what you want. This store is a staple for the city and a must visit.

Nostalgia is a heck of a drug. It clouds your judgement. And when it comes to food, it makes you…read moreattach feelings and memories to that food, and makes you think that whack food is actually dope. Like, for instance, a cannoli filled with frosting. That's not acceptable, full stop. But it might be acceptable to you if you've been eating whack cannoli all of your life. (More like CAN'Tnoli, am I right? Thank you -- I actually stole that piece of comedy gold.) If you've been eating whack cannoli for decades because that's what grandma's been buying and bringing to get-togethers, and you love grandma, then you associate grandma-things with love, and they taste good to you. Again, nostalgia is a heck of a drug, and much like other drugs, it makes food taste way better in our minds than it actually does in real life. I feel like that is what is in play here at Hart Bakery & Gifts. Hart Bakery has been around a long time. It's the third oldest bakery in Indianapolis! So, people have been buying baked goods from this place for generations. People have their favorites, obviously, and have their memories. But I have no such allegiance to Hart Bakery. I've only lived in Indiana for 10 years, and I only recently heard about this place, so I went in with a clean slate. Grandma be danged. I visited to get some donuts. Most of the donuts were gone by the time I arrived (11 o'clock-ish), but I did snag a glazed twist and two sprinkle cake donuts. Because I wanted to taste a little bit of everything, I also got a peanut butter cup cookie and a cannoli. The women behind the counter also offered samples of their cinnamon-sugar donut holes, and their most popular pecan thumbprint cookies. So I feel like I got to taste the rainbow, so to speak. The pecan thumbprint cookies were indeed the best things I tasted. They are tiny little things: maybe the size of a quarter, and filled with white frosting. I could have done without the frosting, but you have to know that this bakery is very old-fashioned, so of course there's royal icing on an already sweet-enough cookie. My second favorite thing from this bakery was the peanut butter cup cookie. Actually, all of the cookies looked really good, and I think a cookie is a good bet here. My cookie was quite large and was more than enough to satisfy two people. The cinnamon-sugar donut holes came in third. The donut holes at Hart are not yeasted donuts like you'd find in other places. They're cake donut holes, so they are denser and more chewy. They were good, but one was more than enough for me. The other donuts that I got were just OK. I am a glazed twist lover, and I love them because they are light, but the glazed twist here were very dense. I brought home cake donuts for my kids, and they didn't finish them, which is not a good sign! My children always finish donuts. The cannoli was my least favorite. In this case, I think you'd need to take the gun and leave the cannoli, if I'm being honest. No mascarpone was injured in the making of these cannoli, and they really did taste like they were filled with white frosting. (Not even vanilla, but white frosting.) I dunno, man. If you're not going to make a cannoli with mascarpone, then you just need to not even offer it, is my feeling. If you're in the market for Precious Moments figurines, then Hart Bakery & Gifts is your place. Because the "& Gifts" part of the name means two walls full of Precious Moments porcelain collectibles, plus other kinds of knickknacks, signs and displays for the home. Not my home, but someone's home. I'm glad that I visited Hart Bakery, but I'm not sure I'll be returning. (Or, if I did, it would be for a bag of those little pecan cookies. Them's the shiz.)

Hart Bakery made one of the most adorable and delicious cakes I've ever had! I sent an inspiration…read morepicture and it turned out fabulous. I'm convinced they can do it all. ;-)

What a cute store! It has a bit of everything! I enjoyed looking around at all of the options! I…read morecould have spent a lot of money, but it's good to practice self control! I ended up purchasing a cute fork and knife book mark and some fun stickers for my water bottle! Check this place out for gifts! Or just treat yourself! I know I'll be back! :)

This is my one of my go-to places for locally-made gifts and quirky gifts that are perfect for my…read morefriends/family. I always find something here, often times for myself. This was one of many stops we made on small business Saturday and it did not disappoint.