Just like how it seems like everyone is on the same page about getting their holiday shopping done earlier this year, it feels like everyone is also in agreement about the importance of shopping small to support the businesses we know and love. Before I get too deep into gift guides for the season, I wanted to be sure to share some of my favorite online small businesses with y’all.
When thinking about organizing this post, I quickly figured out that if I wrote a personal blurb about each of these businesses I love, then this post would likely become the length of a dissertation. Since I know that you’re more than likely to click through to the shops you’re interested in on your own and may not even read all I have to say, I decided to streamline things. I included a brief overview provided on each company’s website, as well as a link to my favorite item they sell that is currently available. This way you’re able to get a feel for each business without me overusing the words love, high-quality, small business, etc. I’ve included an item from each in the image below, but I will say these items are just scratching the surface of all these businesses have to offer, so let’s get into it before I lose you to all the pretty things they have to offer.
Abbi Curtis Art
About: Abbi Custis creates unique abstracts that draw the eye and dominate a room. But as vibrant as her paintings may be, each evokes a serenity not often found amid the noise and distraction of life. Using everyday moments as her inspiration, Abbi defies traditional applications, often using power tools instead of paintbrushes and infusing epoxy resin with her paint, all to create one-of-a-kind pieces that are unapologetically alive.
Product Pick: Plate Set
Addison Bay
About: Addison Bay ® launched in 2018 with the mission of being the premier multi-brand destination for active fashion. With a focus on approachable style and function, Addison Bay ® curates the most fashion-forward and high-performance women’s activewear from across the globe – and along the way, is redefining the way the modern woman shops for activewear.
Product Pick: Pattison Leggings (I'd size up in Addison Bay leggings since I feel like they run a bit small)
A'mano Gifts
About: What would it look like to be surrounded by meaningful things that bring joy, relentless curiosity, and a continuous celebration of stories and the people who make them? That’s what A'mano is all about. Located in the heart of mountain brook village since 1998, a’mano is a lifestyle gallery that focuses on creating a welcoming and truly unique shopping experience. Everything in a’mano must fit one of the following criteria: it must be handmade, one-of-a-kind, or exhibit great design.
Product Pick: Acrylic Mexican Train Dominoes
Barrington Gifts
About: For twenty-five years, Barrington Gifts has been dedicated to the art of giving. We understand that at the intersection of what a gift means and how it makes the recipient feel is just a little bit of magic. Gifts are often at the center of the most important relationships in our lives. Combining our craftsmanship, luxury materials, innovative design, and personalization on every product, Barrington customers can make a significant impact for a reasonable price.
Product Pick: Captain's Bag
Bauble Stocking
About: A Bauble Stocking contains, or has a clue to, the final present of Christmas, a grand finale to the holiday. Growing up, my mom always received the last gift of Christmas as a thank you for all she'd done that year, and it, or a clue to it, was always in her needlepoint stocking that hung on our tree. My dad called it her "Bauble Stocking" because on a good year it was a bauble, a piece of jewelry. Each stocking is 100% hand-stitched and finished. In 2018, we moved our production to a community of single moms in Haiti.
Product Pick: Gumdrop Dreams
Breck & Grier
About: Breck and Grier, two sisters from Riverside, CT who have been on a seemingly never-ending hunt for the perfect beach bag. Taking matters into our own hands, we worked tirelessly to perfect the ideal tote and finally launched a collection of our very own! Alongside each bag’s authentic Moroccan craftsmanship, we designed a personalized tote that is individualized to your specific needs.
Product Pick: Brecky Tote
Camilla Moss
About: I love creating from scratch and working with clients to develop custom artwork that speaks to them and compliments their design and style goals. My art career began with watercolor, although I enjoy exploring other mediums, including acrylics. My works include custom paintings of watercolor monograms, to architecture and nature. Regardless of the medium, my end goal is always the same: to create classic, custom art that will forever be a part of a family’s home and heart.
Product Pick: Garland VI Ornament
Caroline Boykin
About: Caroline’s work centers around emotional balance within a moment. Elements of architecture and nature combine in multiple mediums to create tension in weight of color and delicacy of the subject.
Product Pick:
Chappy Wrap
About: Around here, we have one simple mission: provide comfort to everyone, everywhere with the best blankets in the world. Calming, warm, and a breeze to care for, your ChappyWrap is sure to become an essential part of your everyday life! With a ChappyWrap, no matter where you are—you’re home.
Product Pick: Captain's Classic Blanket in Light Blue
Coley Home
About: After several years of studying, designing, and eventually developing her own textiles, Coley decided it was finally time to bring her vision to life. Coley Home brings a specially crafted collection of bedroom furnishings, gifts, and textiles inspired by design and function.
Product Pick: Porter Side Table
Crosby by Mollie Burch
About: CROSBY by Mollie Burch is a women’s contemporary clothing line distinguished by custom prints, vibrant color, and whimsical design. Founded on the desire to fight social injustice, CROSBY uses bright designs to support organizations that aid victims of sex trafficking. Our slogan, #ShineYourBright, aims to empower women to be their boldest, brightest selves.
Product Pick: Rose Dress
Day Designer
About: Day Designer products combine beautiful designs, helpful content, and easy-to-use planning pages that inspire and guide users to find balance, focus, and productivity.
Product Pick: 2022 Daily Planner in Artisan Motif
Dogwood Hill
About: Dogwood Hill is a purveyor of semi-custom stationery and wedding paper for discerning clients with a taste for luxurious, artfully driven paper without the lengthy design time or high price point.
Product Pick: Bauble and Tinsel Gift Tags
Dudley Stephens
About: Pieces that are thoughtfully designed by and for modern women, and made with innovative, recycled fabrics. Pieces that are timelessly stylish, versatile, and durable to love—and last—wear upon wear. That’s Dudley Stephens. We make outfit-making staples for instant comfort and style, hand-in-hand, in colors and sizes to make you look and feel your best—wherever your days take you. As a female-founded, family-owned retailer, we take pride in manufacturing and retailing responsibly. Our pieces are made in the US, sold direct-to-consumer and through select retail storefronts.
Product Pick: Cobble Hill in Navy/White
Evelyn Henson
About: Led by the mantra “painting is a celebration of life,” I seek to create stylish art that colorfully celebrates the everyday. I look at places and things, but most of my paintings begin when I think about others and what I can paint to brighten their day.
Product Pick: Petal to the Metal Print
Goldbug Collection
About: Goldbug Collection is Charleston-based costume jewelry and gift brand. Designed by 4th generation sisters at Croghan’s Jewel Box, Mini Mariana Hay and Kathleen Hay Haygood. They are the 4th generation at their family jewelry store, Croghan’s Jewel Box in Charleston, South Carolina. Together with their team, they send bug love all over the country!
Product Pick: Hydrangea Blue Enamel Bug Cuff
Heidi Carey
About: I founded Heidi Carey in 2016 with a simple goal: To create beautiful, timeless accessories for my friends and their friends. I understood who they were at their core, and what types of things we all were looking for as we all moved along in our lives. It’s why my pieces are conceived for the woman who values both elegance and understatement; versatility and superb value.
Product Pick: Blue French Terry Robe
Hibiscus House
About: Native to the tropical regions and blooming in a rainbow of colors, the Hibiscus flower represents femininity, hospitality, and happiness; all things Hibiscus House founder, Elizabeth, envisioned for her brand. Hibiscus House has a passion for bringing new life to great pieces of the past while specializing in custom lacquer. We offer a variety of Floridian-style home furnishings and décor that are sure to make a statement in any space!
Product Pick: White Furniture Credenza
J. Lowery
About: Our philosophy is simple—Create meaningful accessories for the people who inspire and influence us each day. We aspire to design beautiful, quality pieces that fit seamlessly into your lifestyle and personal aesthetic. Distinctive handbags that are understated, effortless, and confident—Much like the women who carry them.
Product Pick: Max Bucket Bag
Joy Creative Shop
About: We firmly believe that the simplest things inspire the greatest joy. You’ll see that our designs are simple on purpose. We dream in color and our goal as a brand is to help you find unique ways to express gratitude throughout your day. Everything we do is approached through a lens of ease: Would this make it easier to tell someone you’re thinking of them? Could we ease someone into the practice of gratitude if we offered this type of product? Would this make it easier to get kids to write thank-you notes?
Product Pick: Task Notepad
Lucy Grymes
About: Lucy Grymes is a paper and lifestyle brand that strives to create paper goods that are beautiful and easy to use. Our hope is that these products will inspire your creativity while putting the ease and enjoyment back into entertaining. As we continue to grow, we hope to expand the breadth and depth of our product line.
Product Pick: Skiing Scalloped Paper Placemat
Kate Scialabba
About: Kate creates fluid, yet structured pieces by combining organic shapes and brushstrokes with geometry and pattern. She composes each piece by deconstructing and reconstructing images from her travels, growing up on the coast, and life in the city.
Product Pick: Tablescape IV
Katie Kime
About: Launched in Austin, Texas in 2013, Katie Kime is a bold, print-based lifestyle brand inspired by Katie’s own spirited approach to dressing both herself and her home. Her singular style - think preppy chic goes globe-trotting - is noted for southern sensibility with global influences. Traditional wares meet colorful, modern prints. Optimistic, bright, and often unexpected.
Product Pick: Playtime Ice Bucket
Maxwell and Geraldine
About: We are identical twin sisters living on opposite coasts of the U.S. who talk every day and love a good dress. A few years ago, we started dreaming about making chic, beautiful dresses that were missing from our closets. Do you know those hard-to-find, easy-to-wear styles that add instant polish? When you find one, it’s like winning the wardrobe lottery. You hold on to it for years and reach for it again and again. We wanted more of them, and we thought you might too.
Product Pick: The Brooke in Blue
Mi Golondrina
About: Inspired by my mother’s Mexican heritage and love of Mexican art, I wanted to continue telling the story of Mexican art by preserving the traditions of hand-embroidery and empowering artisans throughout Mexico. Every Mi Golondrina garment is born in the small villages of Mexico, hand-stitched by skilled artisans who have been using these methods for over 200 years.
Product Pick: Multicolor Embroidered Blouse
Packed Party
About: We're on a mission to get the world partying because we believe in celebrating the little things. People won't remember what you say, but they'll always remember the way you make 'em feel so we strive to design products that spark conversation, celebration, or just a smile. After all, isn't that what life's all about?
Product Pick: Jolly Jingle and Mingle Cup Stack
Paper Eliza
About: Paper Eliza was a happy accident. I didn’t dream about opening a custom stationery shop as a little girl. Confession, I dreaded the ritual of writing thank you notes post birthdays and Christmas. In high school, I was yearbook editor and dreamed of working in publishing. I dabbled in the Adobe Creative Cloud suite, fine-tuning my InDesign, PhotoShop, and Illustrator skills and loved to paint in my free time. Freshman year of college, I missed the creative outlet yearbook provided and found myself accepting a marketing internship with a graphic designer who specialized in helping small businesses grow through social media. She shared an office with a beautiful wedding stationery-er and I worked for them both - exporting documents, handling printer relations, and packing collections. I loved it and learned what it took to run a successful small business from two incredible girl bosses. A handful of friends were familiar with my creative side and commissioned me to make them custom stationery sets for their summers abroad. I sketched the illustrations, saved the documents, called the printing company that I was familiar with, and placed the order. To open an account with the printers and print the cards, they asked the name of my paper business. Thrown off guard and in a moment of panic, I answered “Paper Eliza” and the rest is history.
Product Pick: 2021-2022 Planner
Pomegranate Inc
About: Worry about who's gathered in the chairs; we've got your table covered with exclusive hand-blocked linens & accessories.
Product Pick: Jewel Blossom Napkins
Red Clay
About: While out for dinner a few years ago, Molly Fienning encountered one of Charleston’s culinary urban legends: a hot sauce that patrons were stealing right off the restaurant table. She was amused by the sauce’s lore and added a few dashes to her meal. The Fresno-based sauce was full of flavor, subtle heat and complemented every bite. Suddenly, Molly had become a hot sauce person. The newly converted hot sauce fanatic begged the chef to visit her table and they traded stories about food, flavor, and family. Having never been a big fan of hot sauce, she was enamored by the literally life-changing sauce Chef Geoff Rhyne had created. Within the year, they partnered to bring Geoff’s sauce to tables across the country – no subversive dinner thievery required.
Product Pick: The Whole Shebang Set
Room 422
About: Room 422 currently serves as a one-stop shop for all the necessities you need to deck out your room. My hope is that with a variety of patterns and colors, each customer can mix and match to create their personal home away from home.
Product Pick: Ruth Spa Headboard
Sant and Abel
About: Whether you’re caught running to the corner store at the crack of dawn for milk, inadvertently locking yourself out of the hotel room as you grab the morning paper, or mowing your front lawns, Sant and Abel is the brand you will want to be caught wearing, day and night.
Product Pick: Christmas Tree Pajama Set
Sea Marie Designs
About: Sea Marie Designs is a curated collection of affordable & beautiful year-round Coastal style accessories. I started this shop as a creative outlet once my youngest daughter started school a few days a week in April 2019. With a degree & background in Interior Design as well as Showroom Buying & Speciality Retail, I knew E-Commerce would be the perfect marriage to allow the flexibility of a stay-at-home mom, and a passion for customer service and design.
Product Pick: Block Print Cosmetic Bags
Smith & Co. Jewel Design
About: A graduate from The University of Alabama, Smith Hinton Dickens started her career in the textile business working under the most established designers in the interior industry. She gained creative perspective and inspiration while working alongside some of the most innovative designers across the country. Through her experience and true love for fashion, she launched Smith and Co. Jewel Design in 2020, focusing on creating unique accessories inspired by the classics. Smith now lives in Wilmington, NC with her husband, Skip.
Product Pick: City Girl Hoops
Susan Gordon
About: Susan Gordon is truly a creator at heart. She is dedicated to bringing timeless beauty into everyday life, and her love of clay and commitment to lifelong pieces set the tone for her journey with ceramics. Keeping classic taste at the core of her design, what began as handmade pottery and jewelry have become so much more.
Product Pick: Framed Intaglio
Sprinkled with Pink
About: Sprinkled with Pink is a Dallas-based, female-founded brand that brings a pop of fun to all of life's happiest celebrations. Our personalized accessories add the perfect touch for bachelorette parties.
Product Pick: Vegan Leather Phone Case
Vivian Drew
About: Hayley Drinkard's inspiration for Vivian Drew is rooted in her two daughters, Vivi and Drew. After deciding to stay home when she was pregnant with her youngest daughter, Drew, Hayley found herself praying feverishly about how she could contribute to her family income. Soon thereafter she decided to treat herself to a nice piece of jewelry, because as she said, no one wants to buy clothes right after having a baby. While searching for the perfect necklace, God opened her eyes to the possibility of creating her own jewelry line. She shared this revelation with her husband, and of course, he was very supportive. The rest is history… Vivian Drew history.
Product Pick: Pearl Bouquet Studs
I hope y'all enjoyed reading about some of these small businesses and found great items worth gifting too!
