Holiday Gift Guide This season skip Macy's and Bloomingdale's, and go straight to the source--independent businesses with high-end specialty products.
By Maggie Overfelt

(FORTUNE Small Business) – JENNIFER KELLOGG JEWELRY Kellogg designed her first earrings (papier-mache) when she was 12. She's since studied at the Rhode Island School of Design and even gotten into the prestigious Smithsonian Craft Show. Her latest rings and bracelets were inspired by her 1999 elopement to Las Vegas. Expect to see them in fashion magazines this spring. jenniferkellogg.com $80-$400

CUSTOM-MADE COWBOY BOOTS Eight years ago Nevena Christi was a designer hunting for boots for a fashion show. She found Rocketbuster Boots in El Paso (and her current boyfriend, Marty Snortum, who runs the company). They've since made boots for Tom Cruise, Meg Ryan, CEOs, and even ranch hands. Create a pattern, trace your foot, and leave the rest to them. rocketbuster.com $600-$6,000

HANDMADE FRENCH LINENS American quilting en francais. Sheila Langer and Louise Sklower, two Americans living in Paris, use swatches of antique kelsch--a cottonlike material they find at Parisian flea markets--to create pillow shams, duvet covers, and other bedding. All items are hand-sewn by the pair and are one of a kind. familylinens.com $20-$1,500

PARATROOPER MOUNTAIN BIKE In 1997 the family-run Montague Corp. started designing foldup mountain bikes for the U.S. military, and today its bikes are used by Marine paratroopers and special-forces units worldwide (though not in combat). Now civilians can buy the at-home version, which requires no tools to assemble and folds to fit in the trunk of a car. militarybikes.com $645

JOHN BOOS CUTTING BOARD Since 1887, John Boos & Co. has made butcher blocks and cutting boards from northern hardrock maple. They're in the kitchens of chefs like Bobby Flay and Emeril Lagasse, and even in the White House. The new octagon board was co-designed by Food Network regular Ming Tsai--the pan lifts out so you can dump scraps. ming.com $200

TIVOLI MODEL ONE RADIO Legendary inventor Henry Kloss died last January at 72, after developing projection TV and the first cassette deck to use Dolby B (and launching several companies). But his final creation was the Model One, an AM/FM radio that uses cellphone technology for better reception. With a design inspired by Kloss's famed KLH radio of the 1960s, it's an instant classic. tivoliaudio.com $99