small businesses by location
Hey friends, always wanted to shop small but have no idea where to start?! NOW more than ever it's important for us to show our love and support to small businesses owners- But I get it, it's not always easy to find amazing creators and sometimes you've gotta look hard! That's why i've done the hard part for you and made it easy-peasy for you by compiling some great brands (and humans!!!) based on locations around the world. I've divided them up into the good 'ol USA, Europe, Kansas and Freiburg! Several of these creators have INCREDIBLE stories and powerful initiatives behind the work- I can't wait for you to learn all about them and hope you see the passion these brands have behind their creations! Disclaimer: none of this is paid/sponsored, I just wanted to get the good news about supporting small businesses and these amazing initatives into the world!
Enjoy!
Johanna
1 Jen Zeano Designs
south texas
Latina inspired deisgns, baby! Jen has got tshirts, hoodies, keychains, and all the goods all influenced by latina magic!
2 plant and pattern
portland, orgeon
If you like sun inspired art, Plant and Pattern has got some of the most beautiful creations. I especially love her ceramic hand incense holders!
3 christy miha
new york
Christy's work caught my eye with her fun fruity earrings- lemons, dragon fruit, mango, kiwi- the list goes on! I LOVE unique earrings and have never seen ones quite like these before!
4 oh little rabbit
oregon
Important messages meet art! Oh Little Rabbit has flags, pouches, tshirts and so much more. What I love is not only are these things everyone needs- but she's dazzled them up with the most important messages like "love thy neighbor" "speak your truth", and "stand up!"
5 walker family goods
idaho
Oh gosh, where do I even begin? I've been following along this family's adventures since Lex and Loren first got engaged. Follow them for the ultimate feel good account- including but not limited to pizza rankings, their 3 precious little ones, and fun on the road! They inspire families to travel simple and have created an amazing collection of travel necessities, t-shirts, and more! They put so much heart into each of their collections and it really shows- their new video for their Valley Collection brought me to tears!
6 we're not really strangers
nevada
I am a sucker for a good conversation, and am a deep believer in "the quality of your life depends on the quality of the questions you ask." This is a card game inspired to create connection- Just take a look at the video on their website, where they get strangers to play the game with one another. It's truly the best.
7 the traveling bee shop
missouri
Sustainability just got a heck of a lot easier! The Traveing Bee shop makes the cutest beeswax wraps with the happiest patterns. It's a great way to swap out single-use plastic ziploc bags and cling wrap!
1 giulia pezzali jewelry
parma, italy
Giulia Pezzali is a silversmith living in Parma, Italy who i'm lucky to call a friend of mine! She has a heart of gold and has such an incredible eye for combining pieces of nature with her jewelry. She creates nature-inspired rings, necklaces, earrings, and bracelets with stunning crystals incorporated in her work!
2 lucy and yak
england & india
These guys are the REAL DEAL. Fun overalls, powerful initiatives, and a set of values that will pave the way for many brands to follow! As they say on their website, "....our goal is to prove that you can do all of this without someone in the chain not receiving their fair share. We believe it doesn’t have to be at the expense of someone like many capitalists will have you believe. We think the system doesn’t have to be “winners and losers”. The system is whatever we all decide to make it, so let’s make a system where everyone wins." *does a happy dance* YESSS!!
3 OLD ENGLISH CO.
stamford, lincolnshire england
What a cute shop! I especially love the pins they've got online, but they've got all sorts of stationary and fun little gifts!
4 FOTINI TIKKOU ILLUSTRATION
greece
I definitely recommend giving her postcards a look (along with all the other fun things she's got available on her website!) I looooove her illustrations and there's not much I love more than knowing the postcards are designed and bought from an independent artist!
5 saye brand
designed in spain, made in portugal
Saye brand crafts shoes with an amazing initiative behind their work! They make sure each person involved with the making of these shoes is paid fairly, ensure there is transparency in the behind-the-scenes work of what they do, and even plant two trees each time you purchase a pair of sneakers! Not to mention, these are the coolest retro sneaks' for everyday.
6 FRENCISCAN
from italy - based in switzerland
Francesca is a WONDERFUL artist i've admired for years as well as an acclaimed author and illustrator of children's books! Check out her books The Journey, Me and My Fear, and her newest book My Friend Earth!
7 andrea espier
paris, france
Beautiful prints from Parisan artist Andrea Espier for you or your favorite bookworm!
1 bee greener shop
Here's another fun sustainability swap for you! I wonder how many times i've had to create waste with those wasteful styrofoam single-use boxes?! Answer: TOO MANY TIMES! This is suuuch an easy sustainability swap you can use whether you're packing your lunch or you want to keep an extra container close in case you've got leftovers you want to bring home with you!
3 the cano shoe
düsseldorf & mexico
Cano a brand which inspires immensely with their powerful initiave! Get this: Cano donated one month of education EVERY time they sold a pair of shoes for Black Friday, they help preserve mexican traditional shoemaking, and make sure all the workers are paid a fair living wage! This is a brand after my own heart, as half of my family is still living in Mexico today! *happy dance!*
4 peppy gloom
cologne
Since moving to Germany I have seen reusable bags like i've never seen them before- I wish it's something the whole world would catch on with! I loved this cute little garlic girl bag to bring your groceries back home in. Peppy gloom has many more food-inspired creations over on her website!
5 ceramicup
rottweil
Oh, i'm all about sustainability swaps baby! Ceramicup is Rottweil based and creates some beautiful to-go coffee and expresso cups!
6 abelo art
trier
Beeswax wraps are a GREAT alternative to plastic ziploc and plastic cling wraps! I looooveeee the funky designs and colors Abelo Art has available. :)
1 johanna patton -
the together project
from usa, in germany
Hey hey, that's me! I'm Johanna, a mexican-american photographer inspired by connection and humankind! I spent 6 months backpacking solo around Asia and created The Together Project which you can read more about here. I sell documentary prints from my travels and donate 20% of the proceeds to the communities I visited! They're a beautiful set of photographs your walls will love and will inspire you to travel the world. :)
2 kaustav majumdar
freiburg
Kaustav is a Freiburg based artist from India and an incredible artist! If you're looking for a personalized gift or a beautiful set of postcards you can check out his work online or visit him at the every Saturday in Herdern at Fabrik Gelände Bauer markt from 9:30 to 13:00!
3 p3
freiburg
P3 is another AMAZING carpentry business with a impactful mission behind their work. Their goal is to "prepare refugees for an apprenticeship in trade or industry... The focus of [p3] is togetherness. By this we mean that by working together, perspectives are opened up for everyone and (professional) integration of refugees is an opportunity for everyone!"
4 Inès Maria Weber
freiburg
My favorite flower shop in Freiburg! Visiting her store at Lust Auf Gut is a treat in itself, and taking home one of her plants home is such a great bonus from the whole experience!
5 suslet
freiburg
I was invited to suslet's opening ceremony a year ago and it was so great to see what passion was behind creating this store! They sell fair and organic clothing that would otherwise be thrown away because of minor imperfections at a considerably lower price. They also have smaller gifts like soaps, chocolate, tea, and beautiful rugs.
1 prairy
newton
This place is so near and dear to my heart! I was an employee of Prairy before both of my big trips abroad and fell in love with my job- They're the best bunch of coworkers and customers you could imagine! Prairy's got a plethora of goodies. They've got everything from kombucha, lavender goodies from the flint hills, peppernuts, funny socks, sustainable swaps, candles, and so much more. Give them a big hug for me when you get there!
3 Vortex Souvenir
wichita
I was lucky enough to visit Vortex before moving to Germany and I LOVE this place. It's honestly everything you'd ever want in a shop. They've got kansas-inspired art, flags, quirky books, greeting cards, stickers, posters, and so much more!
4 acme local
manhattan
One thing I love about being a Kansan is that when people ask me what it's like to come from the midwest is I always say "the people there are so KIND." So Acme's "kansas nice" tshirts and beautiful pride in the things that we ARE give me all kinds of feels. You're right, Acme. Kansas isn't that bad!
5 13 tumbleweeds
hays
Plant-lover gifts!!!!!!! Do I even need to say more?!?
Nope..... I really don't. Go look!
6 ruff house art
lawrence
The stationary of your dreams! Stickers, notepads, and so much more. For any teacher-friends out there, they've got a beautiful notebook with your name on it!
