I like checking out GirlXOXO's #AMonthofFaves prompts at the end of the year. I don't follow all of them but I really like to do a few of them, and the one I'm doing today really caught my eye. The prompt was 'Favorite Products/Small Shops'.
I had a goal this year to do a lot more local shopping for Christmas, and thanks to COVID, that didn't happen as much as I wanted. I ended up relying a lot on Amazon and Walmart for gifts to limit the stores I went into and risk of exposure.
BUT there were a few stores I was able to shop at OR ones I show love to throughout the year I wanted to share. All are women owned and 2 are women of color - let's support our ladies who are killing it out there!
First, I love the shop in the next town over from us called The Wildflower Republic. The shop is co-owned by women and a lot of the items in the shop are handmade by other women! They sell my beloved pocket tees and headbands, unique/custom wood signs, homemade candles, handmade earrings and jewelry, natural bath products, so much great stuff! Kelly and I went in on my most recent DiTL day, and I got bath bombs for the girls {they LOVE them and I hate buying them the chemical filled ones at regular stores, a pocket sweatshirt for myself, a necklace for my sister and sister-in-law and some presents for B {can't spoil it since he reads my blog!}. Lots of variety for anyone you need to shop for.
Pocket tee love!
Combining a pocket tee AND Christmas? Yes, please!
I can't stop buying these headbands!
A sign I had made for my in-laws!
Now, let's talk about a few bookstores, shall we? Y'all know I am a library girl at heart. But I love giving gifts as presents! #booknerdforever I used to buy books from Amazon but have learned they don't treat authors well, so I've been branching out to do a better job of supporting authors and our community. I have 2 local-ish places I love to frequent. Lark & Owl Booksellers is in our cute little town and is owned by a collective of women. Pre-COVID they also had a lot of activities - a book club, trivia events, children's activities, lots of great stuff. They also have a little cafe inside that SERVES alcohol! Who doesn't love alcohol with their books?!? The second, Black Pearl Books, which is owned by a Black woman, is newer to Austin and started with an online presence that has grown to a storefront! I have bought books online from there and hope to visit in-person soon. [As a reminder, bookshop.org is an alternative to Amazon that gives a percentage of its sales to independent bookstores, so you can also check them out to see if a bookstore in you community is listed.]
For clothes, I am OBSESSED with Grace & Lace, which was founded in Austin [still headquartered here], started by a woman, and was featured on Shark Tank. Melissa's story is so amazing. I buy a lot of clothes there and have found the quality to be really top notch and their customer service has always been excellent if I've ever needed to return/exchange. They ship all over the US, so check them out! Right now the whole site is on mega-sale!
My newest purchases
Super soft 'burnout' tank
I love this top!
Lastly, I discovered the cutest shop, This is Tisa, at a local A Christmas Affair last year. Tisa {a Black woman} makes adorable office supplies {clipboards, notebooks, stationary} as well as all sorts of other things - t-shirts, key chains, mugs, cups. Everything is bright and colorful with a positive message. I've bought gifts for both girls and my mom and have enjoyed everything from there!
And those are some of my favorite local places - I didn't intend to only talk about women-owned businesses when I started thinking about this post, but that ended up being a really nice little bonus, didn't it? Where do you love to shop?
