Are you choosing to participate in Small Business Saturday today? If so, here are some ways you can do so online and not just in person wherever you live. The idea is that everything I mention below, still directly supports a small business. In each case, unless noted, they are run by a creative or entrepreneur I personally know and can vouch for.
In not one of these cases do I receive anything for making these recommendations. Excepting the mention of my own store of course. My goal is simply to support my fellow small business owners and entrepreneurs. Like me, most of these individuals wear many hats and work tirelessly. Yet these authors, photographers and artists still in some way rely on a public willing to support the arts. Be part of that!
Small Business Saturday is just one day we can show our support by “shopping small” but I urge you to consider how you can do so every day. Not just once a year on Small Business Saturday.
Buy Prints from Independent Photographers
— Here’s my Print Shop (selfish plug! if there is an image you don’t see in the shop that you want, send me an email and we can make it happen)
— and my friend Bryan has some superb landscape images with a touch of the surreal
Buy Books from Authors
— Lindsey Tramuta authored ‘The New Paris‘ which is a must if you’re traveling there anytime soon in my opinion.
— Jason Cochran penned ‘Here Lies America‘. It is about “Buried Agendas and Family Secrets at the Tourist Sites Where Bad History Went Down“.
— Mike and Anne of Honeytrek published the penultimate guide to glamping entitled ‘Comfortably Wild‘.
— The Dining Traveler Guide to Puerto Rico from my friend Jessica is a must own if you want to better understand and be able to explore PR authentically. Jessica sells the book right from from her excellent blog about food and travel.
…and even though it doesn’t benefit authors as directly as purchasing from an Independent Bookseller, you can see the rest of my favorite books, mostly authored by friends and colleagues, via my Bookshop.
Buy Travel Merchandise from Small Shops
— Jodi of the Legal Nomads travel blog, sells tees and posters and is offering 15% off till Dec 8 with code HOLIDAYSALE19 at her online shop.
— my friends Aida and Kristen have these beautiful digital guides to three of my favorite cities in Italy.
— snag this travel kit for yogis on the go, beautifully designed from the team behind Kin Travel based here in Southern California. I went to Cape Cod with them earlier in 2019 to support IFAW.
Buy Fashion and Beauty from Independent Makers
— I met Cameron of 10 Degrees Cooler in person after we moved to LA. But I’ve been aware of the all natural line of beauty products, that he founded with his wife, for a while. I have the Luminous Face Oil and the Midnight in Corsica Oil. Both have made my skin look and feel better. Plus, the smell makes me feel like I’ve traveled to the tropics. They are constantly seeking to make their business even more environmentally friendly and I enjoy talking with Cameron about things like, “can we make an even more sustainable lid out of avocado pits?” This is a couple, and a brand, to watch.
— my friend Kasia and I partnered to design a line of bags whose proceeds help to save African Elephants. Kasia also has many other beautiful accessories designed in Paris, sourced and made ethically.
This is all great but what is Small Business Saturday?
This is all great but what is Small Business Saturday?Small Business Saturday was created for the purpose of encouraging holiday shoppers to patronize brick and mortar businesses that are small and local. Small Business Saturday occurs annually on the Saturday immediately following Thanksgiving in the USA. It is a registered trademark of American Express.
I think its important we buy from small businesses and yeah we missed having resource to reach them, thanks for sharing…
Thanks for the comment, John. Glad you feel the same.