Shop Small This Holiday Season!
- Eva
- Oct 27
- 5 min read
Welcome to "A Fleeting Thought" where I post relatively short and to the point book reviews and share my bookish thoughts!
We're heading into the holiday season frenzy. While the holidays don't always mean material gifts, I wanted to talk about the impacts of shopping small and consciously! And remember, shopping local doesn't have to be limited to just the holidays! The following thoughts and principles help all year long.
Plus, I've included a list of places I like to support!
Why should I care where I shop?
There's power in where you place your dollar. Often times, these big box stores have snazzy ads and great deals that seem hard to resist-- I get it. But, shopping small has so much more of a positive impact.
When you shop small, you're helping individuals and their families as well as local economies.
Small businesses created over 70 percent of net new jobs since 2019! (Article Here)
You get a personalized gift!
Every item from a small/handcrafted business is guaranteed to be personalized in a way that largely manufactured items just can't do!
Small business helps foster community!
Where is there an Amazon cafe? There's not (thank the gods). You can walk into your local bookstore and find a community posting for a writers club, your local small gym might have the class perfect for you, or the mom and pop restaurant treats you like family instead of a number! In this day and age of us all staring at screens, community spaces where we can still interact with others is so important!
"But the sales and prices are just too good to pass up!"
I totally get that, and sometimes you just have to go for it! If it's what fits your budget or need, absolutely do what you're comfortable with. On the other hand, that's what these stores do. They undercut and undermine the prices of small businesses because we can't compete. Then, once they've taken us out of business, they steal our novelty ideas and raise their prices.
Small business offers diversity, ensuring you get a one of a kind item! My suggestion? Less is more. A few meaningful gifts from handcrafted/small businesses offers a much more special experience than 30 mass produced toys or shirts that everyone else will also have.
What small businesses do I like?
I like to shop small or eco-friendly where I can. (There's also a list of places I like to avoid in order to shop as ethically as possible.) Below are some of the places that I like to shop. There's power in where your dollar goes, and supporting your local community is just the cherry on top! 🍒
Local to Cheyenne
Naturally, I have to mention The Willow Branch Books! I'm a small business (just me, a foul mouth and a dream!) focused on indie authors, women and BIPOC authors, as well as self care! Whether you want a specific title, a blind date with a book, or some self care items, I've got you!
BPWC is my favorite place to go for everything natural. If you're trying to get right with your New Year resolutions, this is where you should start. They do smoothies, facials, red light therapy, salt float pod, and my favorite is their nutritional herbalism and kinesiology-- just to name a few things! The natural herbalism service with Brenda helped regulate my menstrual cycle after over 10 years of pain. Now I barely notice Aunt Flo.
Location: 2808 Warren Ave, Cheyenne, WY 82001
If you're needing your wine fix, I 100% recommend these guys! Amazing Wyoming made wine with great prices, better vibes, and even better people. It's easy to become a regular and feel like family here.
Location: 1909 Warren Ave, Cheyenne, WY 82001
This is where you need to be if you love great coffee with a specialized menu! I don't even really care for coffee, but I make it a point to pep my grumpy ass up with one of their lattes! Follow them around town to cool events or visit them at their home location at the Cheyenne Stitch!
Location: It rotates out, so be sure to check their Instagram for their location updates!
A place to go if you want all things Wyoming! This business focuses on local artists and makers from Wyoming! From candles to mugs to sweatshirts to games, you can find some really neat things here.
Location: 1601 Capitol Ave, Cheyenne, WY 82001
My favorite for jewelry! Danica (pronounced duh-knee-ka) gives new life to animal bones. After meticulously cleaning and curing the bones, she makes gorgeous art with them. I have a pair of snake vertebrae earrings that make me feel badass. They are stunning and also a great talking piece!
Site: Tiny Bones and Things; she also does pop up/vendor events!
Some more small businesses!
Mountain Tulip Designs is the best place to go for laser engraved and personalized key chains, ornaments, night lights and more.
Dazzle and Dominate Jersey Co. for all of your ornamental jersey needs! Hockey, NBA, NFL jerseys and more.
Kendra Kelsch is your gal for hair care! Funny, kind, and she listens to what you want!
Game Masters is a great place for current and vintage games/gaming units. They also host ladies nights on the first Thursday of the month in addition to their tournaments for a variety of games. A great place for community building!
Places I like to eat!
Yeah, sure, you can go to Chipotle or Five Guys all the time, but the food from the following restaurants is so much better and they do a great job of making you feel at home!
L'Osteria Mondello for the best Italian in town and the closest thing to a New York slice this Brooklyn babe can get. The staff makes you feel so welcome and at home.
HiSushi for friendly service (Kyle is the best) and delicious sushi at a fair price.
Hokkaido for fuckin amazing ramen and great vibes!
Durbar for deli iousIndian/Nepalese food. I can eat it every day with some of the kindest people working there!
Websites I like:
For some of the things I can't find locally, these are other businesses I like to support!
Good on You is a site/app where you can find size inclusive and affordable fashion and beauty brands.
Package Free Shop/ Zero Waste Store has been my go to for years when it comes to shopping for reusable household items. Remember, when you're switching to a more sustainable or package free space, you don't need to do it all at once! You can buy things one at a time and slowly replace your single use items.
The Earthly Alternative has saved my life. If there's one thing I am it's that I'm a stinky pit girl lol. I have tried EVERYTHING and products from TEA is all that has been able to help me. I found her on TikTok and took a chance. I haven't been a stank bitch since.
Qobuz is not small or local, but it is more ethical. I switched to them after using Spotify for TEN YEARS. Spotify doesn't pay their artists, has invested about 600 million into AI (which I vehemently hate) and have started using targeted political ads that I personally didn't appreciate. If you're looking for a more ethical place to listen to your music, give these guys a shot. They pay their artists, have prices comparable to the major services, they offer a higher quality of listening, and you can use soundiiz.com to help you transfer your music over.
I appreciate this article and I'm bookmarking it! I hope you will continue to update it and provide more local places to explore 😃