Welcome to the first edition of my Shop Small Gift Guide! This blog post has been my favorite thing to put together. I've compiled a list of 14 small businesses that I have met or connected with this past year and I admire all of them so much! Please let me know if you love having a collection of small businesses to discover and shop from.
Did you know that approximately 67 cents per dollar stays local when you shop small. This means that every dollar spent on a small local business, 67 cents is going back into that community to benefit families, schools, libraries, parks and more! Shop small this year.
Look no further for gifts for kids, wives, husbands, grandchildren, parents, teachers, and neighbors. Gorgeous hand towels, a pastry cookbook, children's sweaters, comfy headbands, knit hats, children's sensory boxes, candles, gold jewelry, wooden earrings, wooden butcher blocks, hand-lettered mugs, quilted coasters, cute tees, and handmade soaps.
Lauren Makowski (Instagram | Website)
Lauren Makowski creates one of a kind decorative hand towels that feature hand painted watercolor patterns designed to bring joy to your home. Each pattern is carefully crafted and printed on ultra soft microfiber material, making these towels the perfect gift for any occasion or a great addition to your home decor.
Pictured Below: Decorate your kitchen or bathroom for the holidays with this fun and festive candy cane decorative hand towel! The super soft fabric is perfect for every day use. The design features a festive hand painted watercolor candy cane pattern to add a unique touch to your kitchen or bathroom linens. This would also be a fantastic Christmas present for mom, a friend, and more!
Molly J Wilk Pastry (Instagram | Website)
A small business out of Versailles run by an American! Her goal is to make French pastry easy and accessible.
Pictured Below: Unleash your inner pastry chef with Molly Wilkinson’s approachable recipes for all of your French favorites. Trained at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, Molly takes the most essential techniques and makes them easy for home bakers, resulting in a collection of simple, key recipes that open up the world of pastry. With friendly, detailed directions and brilliant shortcuts, you can skip the pastry shop and enjoy delicious homemade creations.
Roman + Riley (Instagram | Website)
Roman + Riley is a thoughtfully curated baby boutique carrying sizes newborn to 5t.
Pictured Below: Chunky knit sweaters with an oversized fit. Gorgeous neutral colors and simple sweater making it easy to pair with leggings, tights or a pair of jeans.
Michigan Threads Headbands (Instagram | Website)
Accessories made for women on the move. Everything is handmade in the US for extreme comfort and quality. You'll seriously love these headbands!
Pictured Below: Twisted front headbands. Twisted headbands are always in style, and these ones take the cake! They come with a twist so you can wear them as either flat or on top of your hair.
b.e.happe (Instagram | Website)
Handcrafted knit pom and crochet slouch hats that give back to children’s hospitals. Midwest mama of three running the brand as our family travels the U.S. in an Rv.
Pictured Below: Handcrafted knit heart hat with charcoal hat body and hand-dyed rainbow yarn. Rainbow pompom sewn onto hat to make this the perfect holiday gift for all ages!
Play Makers and Co (Instagram | Website)
I specialize in purposeful play kits that inspire little hands. Teacher mom created, tiny boy crew approved. From non-toxic Play-Dough to Colored Rice, leave the DIY mess to me, sit back and watch independent play unfold.
Pictured Below: Buy your Christmas or Hanukkah boxes here, includes 3 colors of dough and all the themed loose parts you need for hours of creative, independent play!
Light and Glow Candle Co (Instagram | Website)
Light + Glow Candle Company is a handcrafted line of natural, non-toxic, vegan and sustainable candles for the conscious home. Inspired by nature, design and beauty, our products are created to be good for both you and for Mother Earth. We utilize nature’s purest ingredients to create eco-friendly and refillable, reusable items for your home and we use a coconut wax blend and FSC Certified crackling wooden wicks in our full line.
Pictured Below: Our signature line includes 8 candles in 2 sizes - a tall 8oz pour with lid and a 5oz travel candle. We offer seasonal scents and currently have two favorites back for the holidays.
Sarah Cornwell Jewelry (Instagram | Website)
Simple design and inspired by neutrals. Handcrafted jewelry.
Pictured Below: A symbol for empowerment and womanhood, the "Perry" necklace will make a beautiful statement when being worn. It is as bright and beautiful as the woman wearing it!
Ginger Pickle (Instagram | Website)
Home to original laser cut wooden jewellery, accessories and illustrated prints, all designed to make you smile! Founded by fine art graduate, Jade McGowan, in 2012, Ginger Pickle is home to a quirky array of intricate laser cut jewellery and accessories made from eco-friendly, FSC Certified wood. All of our jewellery and accessories are designed in my North East Scotland home studio, and hand-finished to order to make an original gift for yourself or a loved one.
Pictured Below: These Wooden Owl Earrings are the best birthday gift for those that are owl obsessed! Laser cut from FSC certified 3mm birch plywood they are glued securely to hypoallergenic surgical steel (nickel free) earring posts which are safe for sensitive ears and do not tarnish.
Colors of the Wood (Instagram | Website)
Colors of the Wood is a husband and wife woodworking business that makes handmade wooden kitchen and home decor! We have a storefront Downtown Northville, MI and an online presence through our website, Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube. We can ship anywhere in the US. Our shop involves artistic handcrafted woodwork including but not limited to cutting boards, coasters, bottle openers, serving trays, charcuterie boards, ornaments, keychains, gift tags, hearts, home decor signs, and cutting board treatment. We experiment with over 30 different types of wood to create a unique look in every item and can personalized gifts as well with our laser engraver.
Pictured Below: This featured item is a handmade end grain butcher block that measures approx. 12”X16”X1.25 in size and has over 20 different unique species of wood in it. It is a practical art piece that also has very high functionality and durability for every day chopping. Limited quantities available.
Made for Mama Shop (Instagram | Website)
Made For Mama Shop is a woman-owned small business with the mission to make moms feel cozy and special as soon as they wake up, even amidst the chaos that motherhood can bring. We do this through handlettering inspirational and fun sayings on cute and colorful coffee mugs!
Pictured Below: It Really Is A Wonderful Life Campfire Coffee Mug
This beautiful, cozy, forest green campfire mug is the perfect way to wake up with a happy heart during the holidays this year. Imagine brewing a delicious, flavorful gourmet coffee...the smell, the warmth...pouring it slowly into this mug, watching the steam and feeling the warmth on your hands....remembering the reason for the season and all of the beauty that's surrounding you in this life.
One Stitch Back (Instagram | Website)
We are a mother-daughter business based in Northern Vermont. Working with our hands helps us connect with our family history. We take pride in sourcing our materials locally (whenever possible), assembling our products with care, and creating as little waste as possible.
Pictured Below: These quilted coasters are made with custom-printed fabric, designed by Kat Salemno. The design features Spanish figs and is inspired by a trip to Las Alpujarras in Southern Spain. Quilted coasters are durable, machine-washable, and dryer-friendly!
Mel's Crafty Corner (Instagram | Website)
Mel's Crafty Corner is a safe space for healthcare professionals to feel heard and appreciated. Empowering you to look and feel good on and off the floor. Everything is handmade by a Pediatric Nurse just for you to enjoy. We offer a wide array of designs, customization and seasonal gear. Shop trendy tees, cozy crewnecks, stickers, drinkware, accessories and so much more.
Soaps by a Chemist (Instagram | Website)
