With the holidays quickly approaching, it can be easy to want the simple fix of shopping for all of your gifts on Amazon. However, at this point, I don’t think I need to go into all of the reasons why you shouldn’t support them. Here are a few ways to support small businesses and avoid Amazon this December (and all year long)!
1. Bookshop.org
Bookshop.org is an online bookseller that donates part of its profits to small, indie bookshops! Almost 10,000,000 dollars have been raised for local bookstores on this website! You can find a local bookstore to support or choose one from anywhere in the country to support black, women, or queer-owned stores. Like Amazon, this website also allows you to create a wishlist that you can send to others so they know exactly what to get you! If they don’t have a wishlist, you aren’t sure what they would like or don’t know what’s already on their shelf, you can always grab a gift card and feel good knowing both of you are supporting indie bookstores.
2. Etsy
A majority of my Christmas shopping was done on Etsy this year. You can find the perfect gift for everyone on your list and support a small business while doing so! I’ve found everything from clothing, to bath items, wall art, jewelry and so much more! A few shops I’ve been loving on Etsy recently are wetpulp, pennysclay, RockPaperWords and bibliostylesco. Still stumped on what to get them? Etsy has gift cards as well!
Related: Starting a Small Business During COVID-19 with Curious Crafts by Emily
3. Other online shops
Many times, as small businesses grow, they move from Etsy to their own website. This can help them avoid some of the fees Etsy adds on to sellers but it can also make it difficult to find them if you didn’t know about them beforehand. I’ve personally found social media to be a great way to connect me with these businesses! Check out any small businesses your friends are sharing in their stories or posting items from, give them a follow and check out their work! One of my long-time favorites is XTRA by Stacey, a small, woman-owned business that specializes in GORGEOUS earrings and recently moved to her own website! Another small business that I love (and discovered through Instagram) is Whateva Lola, another woman-owned business with fun and colorful apparel and accessories!
4. Shop locally
Check to see if your favorite local business has a website you can order from and see if they offer curbside pickup. If you feel comfortable, you can also shop in person, just make sure to bring your mask and hand sanitizer!
Related: Socially Responsible Holiday Gifts
5. All done shopping but still want to support small businesses?
There are plenty of ways you can support small businesses without spending any money. Follow them on social media- like their photos, leave a comment and share their posts! If you’ve shopped with them before, leave a review so others can see how much you love their items! Show off and talk about their products with your friends and family and encourage them to support small businesses!
Happy holidays, collegiettes!