Why Should I Shop Small Business?
Are you in the market for some new home décor? What about a unique piece of jewelry for your bridesmaids? Where are you going to look first? Sure Target has some adorable stuff for a reasonable (depending on who you ask) price, but I am 99% sure the Target CEO does not do a little dance when you buy that piece of wall art from him. You know who does do a real happy dance? That small business owner you found on Instagram. In fact, she not only dances, but she smiles about it for WEEKS. If that fact alone doesn’t sell you on buying small, hopefully the rest of this post will.
EACH PRODUCT HAS THE CREATORS HEART IN IT
A lot of the time, when you are buying from a small business you are buying something handmade.
We take pride in each piece we make, whether we’re crafting jewelry, pillows, bath bombs, whatever! We work meticulously to make sure what we are sending out to you is the very best you will ever find. Each item has a little piece of us in it.
YES, WE REALLY DO A HAPPY DANCE
I remember the first time I was notified that one of my paintings had sold. I was EXSTATIC! And ya know what, I still get that feeling anytime my phone dings with a website notification! That feeling never gets old to a small business owner, and that is why (going back to my first point) we put so much effort into what we send you. We want you to feel our excitement too!
YOU’RE SUPPORTING SOMEONES DREAM
None of us do this because we hate it! We’re doing this because we’ve dreamed of it since we were little! Some of us dressed up as carpenters, some made cakes out of mud, and others made Barbie dresses out of duct tape and balloons. And now we’re fortunate enough to actually get to live out our dreams!? The thing is, most of us are not independently wealthy, so we only get to keep our dreams going if we have support from people like you.
Have I sold you on the idea yet? If you’re ready to start shopping small, click on any of the pictures to follow the link to some of my favorite small businesses. If you'd like to find even more small businesses, start your search at one of these places:
ETSY
Of course we all know Etsy by now. There are thousands of small shops on Etsy now, you can find almost anything you dream of!
There are so many small shops on Instagram! You can find what youre looking for by searching hashtags like #shopsmall #localartist or #supportthehandmade. These hashtags will take you deeper and deeper into the handmade community and I guarantee you will find several shops to show love.
LOCAL BRICK AND MORTER
You can find these guys on Instagram too! Normally just search for whatever city you’re in (for example: #louisvilleshopping) and you’ll find results for tons of local boutiques, coffee shops, bakeries and more! These places often showcase local talent in so many different ways!
KICKSTARTER
Many people use Kickstarter to make the next big thing. You can go on and browse thousands of project that are in need of support, and get rewarded with something unique for backing them! (Find the link to my Kickstarter here)
So whatever it is your in the market for, from fresh macaroons to a large piece of fine art for your living room, just remember where you buy from can make a huge difference to a REAL person. When you shop small, you will not only receive the wonderful handcrafted item you paid for, but you will also get the satisfaction of knowing that you're helping someone to continue living their dream.