About a week ago on Instagram, I posted that I had started shopping small for Christmas, and you all requested a blog post with ideas on where to shop! Here's the thing, I know that shopping small is not always as convenient, easy, or cheap as shopping from big-box and more well-known companies. I don't expect you to purchase every gift you give this season from a small business; however, I encourage you to at least look and see if a small business offers what you're looking for!
I've compiled a list of some of my favorite small and "smaller" businesses, and hope they give you a little inspo for gift giving this holiday season!
Home Goods & Stationary
Rachel has the cutest items with hand-drawn designs, including cups, mugs, wall art, calendars, and even some apparel!
Antique Candle Co. is based in Lafayette, IN (love that they're both small and local!), and I love their candles. I'm not a candle person usually; however, I enjoy having their scent "Warm Caramel Crumble" around all year- especially in the fall and winter! This year they have their traditional candles in jars, and Christmas candles in some different and fun containers that you will want to check out!
Simply Jessica Marie is a super fun online shop with a variety of unique home goods and stationary products! I highly recommend checking out Jessica's shop- especially if you, or someone you need a gift for, love blue, watercolor, or ballet!
I'm only in college, and these are already about the only towels I use! You've likely seen influencers post about these towels, and they're seriously great! SO may pattern options, thin (fit great in your drawers), and super absorbent.
Planners
I splurged this school year and purchased a Golden Coil planner, and I love it! I'm a big check-list person, and love that you can choose your layout. I chose to add financial pages to my planner, but there are also meal planning, gift giving, and other add-on pages! If you plan on gifting a Golden Coil planner, I would recommend giving a gift card so they can customize their planner to best fit their needs!
Think bright, yet classy. Emily's planners are great if you want a non-customizable option! I love their fun designs, and the simplicity of the inside has worked great for me in the past.
Women's Clothing & Accessories
Another small business located in Lafayette is Liv Collective! Liv Collective is one storefront, featuring multiple small businesses inside. They don't have a website, but post often on Instagram so you can see the kinds of items they have! They currently have women's and children's clothing, accessories, home goods, and stationary. I highly recommend stopping in!
Dottie Couture is another Indiana small business, and is a women's boutique. You can shop in store (Indianapolis) or online! Unfortunately, their website is currently down, so for now I have linked their Instagram.
Made by Mary has the cutest simple jewelry! A lot of their jewelry is custom or semi-custom. Think birth stones, birth flowers, initials, etc.
Luna and Jade is an Indiana handmade jewelry store. My favorite pieces from their collection are their handwriting discs and bars!
I love good quality leather, and these bags (and other leather goods) are great! They have items that could be for men too, so I highly recommend checking out their website! Zelaki Leather Co, is located in Indiana, but uses Ethiopian leather and donates a portion of all sales to https://www.kibirconsultants.org/.
Fitness Plans & Equipment
I highly recommend the Doc Lyss Fitness training guides and The Lyss Method training program. Dr. Alyssa Olenick has a Ph.D. in Exercise Physiology and creates the guides and program.
Madeline has created several plans to cater to your fitness needs! These are geared towards women, but could work for men too. Highly recommend for anyone looking to be more active and/or more consistent!
Resistance bands give you the ability to train "heavier" at home, while not spending a ton of money! Hope Fitness Gear has amazing customer service, and donates a portion of all sales to children they sponsor in the United States to help with medical expenses.
For Men
To be honest, I really struggled to come up with small businesses for men. Thanks to my brother, and a little help from Instagram, I came up with a few small/"smaller" companies to shop this Christmas season!
Nomatic bags are the epitome of classy, especially the Original collection; however, they are on the pricy side. They also have luggage, camera bags, and other useful accessories. Great customer service, and products that can be used in many scenarios (business, school, travel, etc.)!
Ties, bow ties, ties for the younger boys, bows for the girls... all in the cutest (most handsome?) colors and patterns. They are also affordable and perfect for many events/occasions!
Andar is a one-stop shop for leather goods with wallets, technology cases (phone, iPad, airpod, laptop), bags, watch bands, etc. They also have some cute options for women, but figured this would work well under the "For Men" category:)
Stocking Stuffers
Many of the companies listed above have great stocking stuffer items, but I thought I would add a few more small businesses with smaller gift ideas!
Gift Card to a Local Coffee Shop, Restaurant, Boutique, etc.
No links here since it varies by area. Some think gift cards aren't super thoughtful; however in my opinion you can never go wrong gifting a gift card to a local business!
Written by Maria
A cute online shop with key chains, car charms, stickers, decals, ornaments, and even some apparel!
Natural face masks, foot soaks, and bar soaps, made with Ethiopian ingredients. The owners have partnered with Ethiopian entrepreneurs and and have a mission of empowering the people of Ethiopia. On their last trip to the country, they were able to deliver food and rent money for two months to two families.
Don't see a product you were hoping to purchase from a small business?
Friend, Etsy is always a great place to start if you are shopping for a specific item. Every purchase from a small business means more to the owner than you know. I am so grateful for all of my amazing clients and others who are following along on my small business journey, and hope to support others' businesses in the process!
Shop small, shop local, and have fun in the process! You'll bring joy to the people you decide to purchase from, that's for sure!