Shop Small. You’re probably familiar with “Small Business Saturday” which falls on the Saturday after Black Friday. American Express started this movement in 2010 as a way to encourage shoppers to visit their local businesses.
Shopping small business is important to us as well, so we’ve included our favorite shops for you to discover. Many are local to us in the Detroit area, but several others are favorites that our friends and families have told us about. We want you to discover all these companies as well.
**Please Note: This post contains affiliate links and we will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on our links. However, we only recommend products that we truly love.
I was introduced to Dawn, the owner of DRE Designs by a mutual friend. All of her crystal jewelry is handmade by her personally using Swarovski crystals. If you go to her Facebook page, you can see all her beautiful designs and her wonderful photography. She lives in the Boston area and all these photos are taken by her on the beach.
She does not have a website right now, but request to join her Facebook group and you can DM Dawn to purchase.
I (Dianne) own the earrings shown below and they are stunning. I love bigger earrings and the shine from the crystals is amazing. They are perfect for the holidays – and what’s even better is that they are so light! They look like they would be heavy but they light as a feather.
I (Jen) love candles, but I noticed some gave me a headache after burning for a while. I was on the hunt for better options. Then I discovered That Gay Guy Candle Company after seeing a friend on Facebook show off her purchase.
I looked them up and their candles are paraben-free soy wax and phthalate-free fragrance oils, which I felt much better about than other options.
Every candle I’ve gotten I’ve been obsessed with the scents, and keep ordering more as new scents are available. Plus, there’s hilarious labels that make me laugh whenever I look at them. Choose your label and then choose your scent! Easy!
They’ve become super popular, so if you’re thinking about ordering candles for the holidays, do it ASAP!
Pre-pandemic, my husband and his family went to the Glass Academy and did their Happy Hour Glassware Experience. We brought snacks and drinks, and came up with an idea for a glass that the glass blowers would create for us.
For Mike and my birthday this year, my in-laws got us a glass blowing class, which was so much fun! We got to make star paper weights (with the help of an experienced glass blower), and I loved it! I would love to get more into glass blowing and try out different classes!
Take a look at their website – you can do an experience like we did, take a glass blowing class, or buy something awesome from their shop!
If you’re from the metro-Detroit area, you might have heard about the dueling coney islands – Lafayette and American, and the coney challenge.
From an article on Eater – As the story goes, brothers Bill and Gust Keros opened American Coney Island on downtown Detroit’s Michigan Avenue in 1919; years later, they had a falling out and in 1936 Bill decided to open his own diner, Lafayette Coney Island, right next door. Today, American remains a family-owned institution while Bill’s employee’s now operate the Lafayette restaurant. The pair have been battling for coney dog dominance ever since.
If you’re in town, do the coney challenge! Get a coney dog at one and then go get a coney dog at the other, and pick your alliance.
If you’re out of state, you can get an American Coney Island kit shipped to you and try their coney dog for yourself! Unfortunately, there’s no kits from Lafayette.
Now, if you’re from the UP of Michigan or know someone who is, you’ve probably heard of pasties. Get your mind out of the gutter, these aren’t the nipple covers that (unironically) rhyme with tasty. They’re actually meat and root vegetable hand pies that unfortunately rhyme with nasty.
My husband went to Michigan Tech for college, and was the reason I started liking pasties!
During the 1800’s copper mining rush, a large group of laborers from Cornwall, England came to Michigan’s UP, and brought these hand pies with them.
Today, you’ll hear debates about what’s best to top your pasty with – ketchup or gravy. Personally, I’m a gravy fan. My husband is a purist and likes neither, which I think we can all agree is weird.
Sabbath Coffee Roasters has only been around for a little over a year, but has quickly become one of Mike and my (Jen) favorite coffee shops. It’s a little out of the way – a 20-ish minute drive from home, but if we’re going anywhere remotely nearby we’ll make a stop.
There was one day we stopped by and got coffee, walked around downtown Clawson a little bit, Mike finished his first coffee and went back to get another.
The first time I visited, it was near closing time and struck up a great conversation with the owner. He offered me a 2 for 1 deal on pastries, and as I was leaving gave me a bag of coffee to take home.
I was hooked, not just because the coffee was so good, but because the owners are all-around great people.
They make coffee drinks that are basically non-alcoholic cocktails, and all their own syrups.
If you can visit in person, try my favorite: the honey-cinnamon latte, or an oat milk frozen latte if it’s warm outside.
Not local? Order a bag of coffee (Ritual is a great flagship roast), and some merch! Personally, I’m waiting for some of the crewneck sweatshirts to come back in stock!
Dianne’s friend, Sherrie, just started her Etsy shop and we predict great things are going to happen. Sherrie offers tote bags like the one below, notecards and prints from her own original artwork. We absolutely love all her designs and think you will too!
I (Jen) stumbled across this company while scrolling through Insta, and I loved her message and mission. Plus, we live in the same city!
Anna, the owner, started The Lipstick Journey during her battle with cancer because wearing lipstick made her feel better. And with shade names like Strong and Radiant, you can wear whatever shade suits your mood, or how you’d like to feel.
Plus, for every lipstick purchased, one is donated to someone with cancer, which just gives me all the warm fuzzies.
This company belongs to my work friend’s fianceé, and her products are awesome! I bought a lot of her products to give out as Christmas gifts last year, and everyone loved them! She even made soap favors for the wedding of a woman on my team, with a custom stamp!
A couple months ago, we did an Instagram live with Laura, the owner of IV & OD, and talked all about buying vintage and finding some amazing deals. Laura is constantly adding new pieces to her site, so check her out, and follow her on Instagram to find some truly one-of-a-kind gifts for family and friends!
I (Dianne) found this local Detroit company several years back and have been shopping from them ever since. I’ve met the owner, Lindsay, several times and I know that her mission is to provide quality clothing at a great price. She has items that are both classic and trendy. But, a warning – if you see something you like, buy it as soon as you can. Her items tend to sell out quickly. Make sure to follow her on social media too. She often does live sales that you watch and purchase during the live. She even has an app too!
You may already know that I (Dianne) worked here for 12 years. The only reason I left was to start this blog with Jen (a personal dream of mine). Having worked there for so long, I know the detail that goes into the designs, the quality of the vegan leather and the goal to keep prices affordable for everyone.
Their bags have been on the Oprah’s Favorite Things list three times, including 2021. The latest bag on the list, the Kelsey crossbody gets its inspiration from camera bags. There is a ton of storage and you can even fit a can of soda in it.
Tiffany Ascensio Designs on Etsy
We first introduced Tiffany’s designs to you in our “Best Fall Finds for the Fashion Lover” guide. We love everything she creates. Her specialty is high heel designs but she has other beautiful fashion prints, notecards and a great desk top calendar (which I just ordered). Many of her products can be personalized and customized as well – I purchased this print below as a gift to Jen.
This is another company that was introduced to me by a friend of mine, Sherrie who lives in California (yes, the same Sherrie of Wanderlust Gifts listed above). The owner/founder, Vanessa is actually her neighbor. Sherrie believes in Vanessa’s products so much she’s become an affiliate for her and we can pass along some savings to you with the code SHERRIE. Her styles have some “glam” to them which is just one of the things we love about them. The other is the price. These olive green striped leggings are only $46.
Are you ready to shop small? Let us know some of your favorite small and local businesses in the comments below. And check out some of our other holiday gift guides. We release a new one every Friday:
Love all these suggestions of small businesses! Definitely need to try the jewelry and bags!