Hey friends! Hope your Thanksgivings were amazing. Mine was more of a friendsgiving and it was perfect. I’d been wanting to share a post on shopping small all week, but had a terrible cold that kept me from all my planned updates. So I’ll keep it short and sweet so you can get on with your shopping plans this weekend and celebrate the season! These are all our favorite ways to shop small—it’s not just about avoiding the mall :)
Craft Fairs
I think I have a holiday market lined up every weekend from now until Christmas. You’ll have to Google craft fairs in your local area to see which markets you might find gifts at this time of year. In Los Angeles there’s Renegade, Echo Park Craft Fair, Artisanal LA, Unique LA, and more. Try searching on Eventbrite if you have trouble locating fairs in your area.
Online Shops
Etsy is one of my favorite places to shop for gifts when I have an idea for something. If I’m just shooting in the dark though, it can be a little hard (especially when it comes to men). For that reason I have a huge running list of online shops I’ve bookmarked over the years and I refer to them when I have a gift to give. You can see 100+ of those shops in my blog post, but basically, you have to just be diligent about saving (or pinning) websites when you come across ones you want to support!
Farmers Markets
I used to only think of farmers markets as a place to get my produce, flowers, and honey, but lately I’ve noticed a lot of non-edible goods that are worth a second look. Some of the vendors at my local market sell candles, jewelry, and soaps. One tip I’d give is to branch out from the market closest to you. In my area, they’re in just about every neighborhood, and one with a different selection can be worth the travel.
Local Boutiques
When I was visiting Seattle last month, I made sure to peruse a few of my favorite neighborhoods just for shopping. Usually you can find little clusters of businesses in the same area, and it’s so nice just to spend a day exploring. Shopping small at local boutiques is something I love to do for travel. If I don’t end up with a gift for someone else, I’ll certainly end up with a small souvenir for myself!
Lately Instagram has been one of my favorite ways to shop small. A simple search for hashtags like #shopsmall, #etsyshop, #handmadeisbetter, #craftsposure and other ones on this list, will open an entirely new world of indie makers and sellers. I love to comb through these feeds every now and then not just when I want to shop, but to save for roundups and features on my blog. Such a good way to get unique, up and coming goods :)
And now a few notable sales!
-Lots of individual Etsy shops are having discounts (be sure to check announcements)
–Moorea Seal is having up to 70% site wide all weekend
–Rifle Paper Co. is offering 30% off
–Knot & Bow has up to 40% off in their Etsy shop
–Darling Magazine is offering 25% off subscriptions today
Vashti C. says
Thank you for this, I am going tomorrow to visit a local craft set up in downtown Houston! I can’t wait.