This year especially, small businesses can use a little extra love, so I wanted to call out a few shops that I’ve had a great experience with, and items we use frequently as part of our daily lives. On top of making good gifts, most of these businesses are women and/or minority-owned!
ALSO SEE: FAVORITE ETSY JEWELRY SHOPS PT. 1 · PT 2.
Dough Digger filled cookies
A scrumptious and well-priced gift for almost anyone in your circle from a family-run bake shop in Houston. Their cookies come in unique flavors, including several with a gooey, delicious center (their red velvet with cheesecake filling…drool)! After receiving one from a thoughtful friend, their variety box has become a go-to gift for those on my list who don’t live nearby. Bonus: if you decide to indulge yourself, the individually wrapped cookies freeze well – simply defrost on your counter and enjoy, or warm them up in the air fryer!
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LouLou Lollipop
A family run business founded by 2 Canadian sisters. I always get questions on Nori’s sushi sheets & towel from here when they make an appearance on IG! Their adorable and good quality printed products have become one of my favorite gifts for new mama friends.
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Follain clean beauty
Follain is a little bigger, but still a small business with a small team, founded right here in my Boston neighborhood by a mama who is very passionate about non-toxic ingredients. Their sale is a great time to pick up some clean-focused brands like Indie Lee. I also swear by their lemongrass Everything Soap (if you get the good value refill size, pour it into a bottle at home or make a custom bottle from The Polished Jar). And for gifting, their 3pc mask duo and headband set (actually LOVE how well this band stays on for face washing and keeps all wispies out of my face)!
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Yay! Mats
Use code extrapetite10 for 10% Off
Founded by a mama who was having trouble finding an affordable and stylish play mat for her kids. They have lots of prints, though my favorite is their swan gray play mat which we’ve had since Nori was a baby and always get questions on. It’s still going strong after two years! I love how it’s modular and lightweight, easy to wipe clean, and quick to set up & pack up.
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Organic Bath Co.
$10 off orders over $50 using this link (referral).
OBC is a Black female-owned small business founded here in Boston. They may be best known for their body butters made of all organic ingredients, but my favorite has to be their exfoliating bar soap which we keep in our shower and use regularly. These have a delightfully refreshing scent and gritty textured ingredients inside for exfoliation – Nick and I both love Java Jolt and Zesty Morning, and can’t wait to try more!
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Princess Dream girls hair clips
10% off with code PrincessDream365
This sweet seller crafts beautiful quality, functional hair clips by hand in mini sizes for babies & regular sizes. The snap clips are light in weight and actually do a good job of staying put even on fine hair. They’re a little pricier, but you can tell they are meticulously made with love. Note that some listings are for individual clips while some are for sets. I shared more about my favorite styles for Nori in this post.
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Bookshop.org
If you can’t make it to your local bookstore, Bookshop supports small/independent book stores by allowing customers to shop online from the inventory of small shops across North America. I’ve shared a list of some of our favorite diverse children’s books in previous posts!
And if you’re looking for bilingual Chinese storybooks, Jojo Learning (run by 2 mamas) is worth checking out! We love the baby bear book set for toddlers (note: no there’s pinyin).
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The Cozy Warrior socks
This non-profit is a labor of love created by Anna, a friend of mine, as she and her husband looked to support others who were going through infertility. Proceeds from these cozy socks go towards gifting socks to women who are struggling to conceive to make them feel less alone, with a longer term goal of giving grants to those in need of fertility treatments. They just added compression socks – a must if you have swollen legs or feet during pregnancy or postpartum!
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Khatu’s Etsy Shop
Who says you can’t mask and be fashionable? My friend Khatu starting sewing masks for her family and local healthcare workers earlier this year, then began offering them on her Etsy shop. I’ve been purchasing these + the coordinating headbands over the last several months and always get socially distanced compliments. I love that size S is a great fit for smaller faces (and her current pattern includes adjustable ear straps).
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Eastern Ensembles
Leora, the owner, makes custom East meets West pieces by hand for little ones. Whether you’re looking for a Lunar new year piece or something special for family photos, she is incredible to work with. When I ordered Nori a dress for my grandparents’ anniversary celebration, she chatted me through multiple design options, sent photos from the fabric store, and then pics of various fabric, button and piping combos. It felt like such a customized experience, and the final dress was truly one of a kind (see photo below!).
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What a kind attention to those small businesses ! I am sure it will help them a lot and encourage everyone to do the same around them ✨ Love
Those cookies look so delicious! My kids would love the smores–but I am personally intrigued by the churro. Thanks for sharing.
such sweet ideas!
Briana
Was definitely looking for a playmat for my baby. Happily purchased one from yay mats based on your recc (rainbow print).
I peeked at the hair bow shop on Etsy and you’re so right, they look very well made! And the colors and patterns are adorable. A friend and coworker is expecting a baby girl in April so I will definately keep them in mind! And your friend Khatu is so talented. Have a great weekend! 😁