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.
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!
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?
3 comments:
Okay, I was planning doing this prompt and totally forgot. Ugh. I'll have to do it later.
I love that "It's fine, I'm fine, Everything is fine" mug. Oh my word! Hahaha!!!
And I really need to find some locally made clothes. I tend to buy clothes from chain stores and I should stop doing that.
I've checked out Grace and Lace and need to purchase. I have given myself a goal to shop local or with my favorite boutiques on facebook to help out some of my favorite consultants. I've gotten pampered chef stuff, scentsy, one of my good friends owns Emerald Oak Boutique and she's on IG and just the sweetest..I get a lot of stuff from her. During COVID I have really tried to support my friends who have their own business. (you may also be getting something in the mail soon..ha!)
This is really neat and it's an inspiration for me to start shopping small. I honestly don't shop small locally; I'm more likely to do it on vacation (especially at the lake house), but I'm going to incorporate that into my 2021 resolutions somehow.
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