Small Business Saturday
How we ended up dancing like Hugh Grant in Love, Actually. Oh, and a list of our favorite small businesses.
Hello and happy Saturday! Yes, we are switching things up this week and writing to you on a Saturday instead of a Sunday. Half of that has to do with the fact that I (Blakely) am staying home an extra week, while Savannah travels back to Nashville tomorrow to be a responsible student. The other half of this reasoning has to do with the fact that it is Small Business Saturday! And we wanted to dedicate a newsletter to all of the small businesses and brands that we love. Black Friday is designed to create a sense of urgency, desperation, and stress, and we’re not into it. And after seeing our parents run their own businesses, as well as being close with lots of other small business owners, we know how much heart and soul goes into all this. In an effort to honor and support small businesses, we have compiled a list of some of our favorites.
We also (selfishly) wanted to bring some attention to gift shopping, because Christmas is on the horizon. We have an unfortunate habit of ~procrastinating~ our gift shopping, until it is far too late to redeem ourselves. This results in us feverishly running around town on the morning of Christmas Eve, trying to grab the necessities for our DIY gift that we found on Pinterest under “best handmade gifts for parents.” A few hours later, all four of us kids are holed up in our bedroom, trying to paint initials on a ceramic mug or imprinting all of our hand prints on an apron. It is always an utter fiasco, and entirely self-inflicted, but somehow we end up with a gift.
During one especially dire situation, we had nothing to show for gifts for our parents. It was already after dinner on Christmas Eve, so it was not looking very promising. One of us had the idea to self-choreograph and film ourselves doing the dance from Love, Actually (you know, the one where Hugh Grant is doing the neck/head bob thing to Jump (For My Love) by The Pointer Sisters). So yes, at 11pm on Christmas Eve, we learned, filmed, and edited this entire dance. On Christmas morning, we gathered our parents around the computer and presented them with their gift. It was actually such a hit that we have repeated this tradition for a few years now—we pretty much have the dance memorized at this point.
All of this is to say that while we will still gift our parents a video of this dance, we will also be shopping ahead. Without further ado, here is our list of small businesses that we love!
Jewelry and Clothing
Home
Whiskey and Clay ceramics
Altitude Gallery prints
Roam the Range prints
Sally King Benedict artwork
Kemma ceramic mugs
Pad Mani meditation pillow
Food and Wellness
Woven Grove tinctures
Golden Secrets skincare
Meet the Source balls
Deux cookie dough
My Human Design app
Booty by Mich workouts
Organic Olivia herbs
The Being Portal breathwork
Pepper Together sexual wellness
Superhuman meditations
Hopefully this list introduces you to some new brands that you are excited to support. Also, a reminder to shop locally and support the small businesses in your hometown. Each one of those storefronts represents a person or family who has taken a risk to bring something wonderful to your home. Whether it is a bakery, a juice shop, a clothing store, a coffee shop, or anything in between—show them some love. Owning a business is not for the faint of heart 😅 Just ask our parents LOL.
Here’s to the holiday season, and happy shopping! <3 blakely and savannah
This is so sweet. And I want to see that dance! Thanks for the fun read.