Shop Small Gift Guide: 2018

Hello lovers! I hope you had a fabulous Turkey Day, and are resting your stomachs with a little retail therapy. I’m back with another Shop Small Gift Guide! Last year’s was a grand success [read last year’s guide here] and I’m pumped to share these new (to me) small businesses with y’all. While I know the temptation of Black Friday sales at the big guys, I hope you’ll take a gander at some of these stellar small folks today. Remember, when you buy from a small business, a real person does a little happy dance.

Palate Polish in Nori. Photo courtesy of Palette Polish’s Instagram

Palate Polish is the brainchild of a dear friend of mine, Ms. Ainsley Fox. Palate Polish is a small batch, 5-free, and vegan nail polish line with food inspired names. 5-free means the formulas are without Toluene, Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP), Formaldehyde, or Camphor. These chemicals are bad news for your insides (inhaling Camphor can be toxic) and outsides (Formaldehyde can cause dermatitis). Palate Polish has also recently released a bio-cellulose kombucha sheet mask and soy nail polish remover (also 5-free). My personal favorite nail polish colors at the moment are Turmeric and Jawbreaker.

Photo courtesy of Midland Shop’s Instagram

I discovered Midland Shop on Instagram, and while I’ve never been there in person, I drool over their wares online on the daily. The Midland brick and mortar is located in Culver City, Los Angeles, with a new location in Silverlake (opening soon I think?) You’ll find a little something for everyone here—housewares, women’s, men’s, and kid’s clothing, even apothecary and books. Most, if not all, of the brands they carry are indie designers/makers and are sustainable/eco-friendly. My personal picks are the Navajo Baby Booties and Knotwork LA Snake Plates.

Photo courtesy of Kordal’s website

Kordal Studio a is Brooklyn-based women’s apparel line whose mission is to create garments in an ethical manner by paying their workers a fair wage, designing garments that are not trend focused, and using natural and organic textiles whenever possible. Look to Kordal for the gift you don’t mind splurging on—their price point is the highest of this bunch. I’ve been lusting over their Reversible Quilted Jacket for months.

Photo courtesy of The Outlier’s Instagram

The Outlier is a a lust-worthy jewelry collection of understated yet distinctive pieces that compliment any personality and style. They endeavor to be the portal for quintessential accessories, sourced for the modern day muse. While they focus mainly on jewelry, they do carry a few styles of handbags as well. I’m coveting the Matisse Earrings and the Staten Hoop.

Photo courtesy of Le Point’s Instagram

Le Point is a San Francisco based boutique focusing on contemporary and emerging labels. At Le Point you’ll find an expertly curated mix of clothing, accessories, home goods and beauty products. Le Point’s mission is to discover and support up-and-coming designers from all over the world who have a likeminded attitude: those who believe that fashion & style should enhance your life. My pick from Le Point is the Sutterheim x Band of Outsiders raincoat collab.

Photo courtesy of Mom’s Sweet Shop’s Instagram

Derik & Jessica (the husband and wife duo) of Mom’s Sweet Shop in North Carolina, and I have been Internet buds for awhile now, so I’m really pumped to include their shop. Their store is half retail boutique, and half actual sweet shop. On the retail side they carry streetwear-inspired contemporary brands for men & women alongside hand-selected vintage apparel & home goods, and on the sweet side they serve soft serve ice cream, milkshakes, and vegan smoothies & acai bowls. Talk about a dream job! My pick for your man: The Middle of Nowhere satin bomber.

Image courtesy of Dear Society’s Instagram.

If you’re a regular here, Dear Society needs no introduction. But if you’re new, you can find out more about them in this previous blog post. I fell in love with Dear Society via Instagram and finally got a chance to visit them IRL when we drove through Kansas City on our cross country road trip. My picks for you mom or BFF: the white stoneware carafe or the Dash cuff bracelet.

Image courtesy of Worthwhile Paper’s Instagram

Worthwhile Paper is “a collection of lively screen printed paper goods for lovers of nature, magic and meaningful design.” The designer/production duo (Kristen &  her husband Steve), design and print on earth-friendly recycled papers with water based inks in Ypsilanti, Michigan. My pick for your colleague or boss: the Inquire Within Card Deck.

Happy shopping my friends! Do you have a favorite small business you’d like to share with me? Please let me know in the comments!