Like most people, I found myself with a lot of extra time on my hands due to COVID. As someone who loves to usually spend her weekends finding cool stores to shop in throughout the city, I was bummed I couldn’t physically go into stores anymore and found myself drawn to online shopping. As soon as I would go onto any social media, I was immediately bombarded with ads for free shipping and sales from big name brands taking advantage of people spending even more time on their computers. As tempting as it was to buy 3 shirts for $25, I decided to scroll wisely and shop at smaller shops.
Sneakers from Depop
I have been obsessed with a specific style of Nikes for about 3 years but could never bring myself to actually buy them. Every time I went on Depop I would look for the pair I wanted but the price was never right, or the color wasn’t what I wanted. Until I found them! Finally, after months of hunting, I found a pair of new Nike Blazers for about $40 less than their retail price. They are now my favorite shoes and it was totally worth the wait.
Original art from one of my favorite artists
I absolutely love art prints and having so much time to be on Instagram and Pinterest gave me even more time to find cool artists to support. I was in between a few prints that I liked but I finally decided to buy from an artist named Tess Armstrong. Her work is so beautiful and cool, I got a print of a funky space gal!
A book from an independent book seller
I love to read and was looking for books about things out of my usual comfort zone. I found a book titled “Letters to the future, Black Women, radical writing”. It was a complication of letters, poems, and art by women of color who had powerful, strong voices. I loved so many of the passages and was really excited to buy it from an independent bookstore.
Jewelry from a sustainable company
I wanted to buy my friend a pair of earrings that were cute, sustainable, and wouldn’t tarnish easily. After looking through a few Instagram profiles and researching on my favorite blogs, I found the company 31 Bits. They are a powerful, woman owned, sustainable jewelry company that partners with artisans around the world to create their products! I loved their jewelry and their story and found a really unique pair of hoops for my friend!
Cute sticky notes from a woman-owned company
I think having cute office supplies can make doing work so much more fun so I love finding cute pens and stationery that will motivate me when I feel bogged down with work. The company Get Bullish has so many fun trinkets that have witty and silly quotes on them. I was on their site for hours just looking through all their stuff and finally decided on some sticky notes, I also bookmarked some items because I knew they would be great gifts in the future!