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12 of My Favorite Etsy & Indie Shops! Celebrate Small Business Saturday!

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Christine |


Small Business Saturday

I love to support local and small businesses, because I just love when people LOVE what they do. I want to support their dreams and show my appreciation for the time and effort they put into their creations. I’m a huge Etsy shopper as a result! I thought in the spirit of shop Small Business Saturday, I’d share some of my favorite small businesses both beauty and non-beauty alike! And for honorable mention, I love Sugarpill and OCC (they both seem too popular to fit this list now!).

  1. Noaki — for all of your brooch bouquet and jeweled clutch needs; she did all of my wedding arrangements
  2. Bella Anela Jewelry — all the way from Hawaii, this is one of my favorite jewelry shops! Fast shipping, excellent customer service, AND free shipping (within the U.S.)
  3. Lacquistry — lots of glittery nail polishes from a shop with impeccable customer service
  4. CanineDesign — my first stop whenever I’m looking for a new collar for Mellan; incredibly affordable and lots of designs with ridiculously fast shipping
  5. Bigpaw Collars — I like to call this the “sophisticated” shop for dog collars and leashes; this is where I picked up Mellan’s black bow-tie collar (and I have a few others from this shop, too)
  6. Sihaya Designs — handmade artisan jewelry with lots of vibrant hues and wire work
  7. The Air Castle — custom cake toppers and ornaments; this is where I had my cake topper done for my wedding, but I also had an ornament made recently with Mellan’s name on it!
  8. Vienna Sparkle Wreaths — gorgeous, well-done wreaths that are just the right balance of elegant, sparkly, and unique; my fall and Christmas wreaths are from here!
  9. Cult Nails — indie nail polish company that is exceptionally well-done and formulated
  10. A Touch of Romance — beautiful vintage jewelry done so well
  11. Le Bijou Precieux — beautiful chandelier and drop earrings with beads and precious jewels
  12. Haus of Gloi — small vegan business that creates handmade bath, beauty, and perfume products with seasonal offerings — the Lavender Sugar Bubbling Scrub is my favorite

What are your favorite small businesses?

(Please share your favorites that are not your own!)

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31 Comments

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Emi at Project Swatch Avatar
Emi at Project Swatch

Nail Pattern Boldness is my favorite indie polish maker – http://www.etsy.com/shop/NailPatternBoldness

Starlight & Sparkles also makes lovely nail polishes – http://www.etsy.com/shop/StarlightAndSparkles

I also love to shop for nail polish at Llarowe, since she carries nail polish from tons of different indie brands & around the world – it was started by & is still owned by / run by one person, though I think she now has a couple employees. Still definitely a small business! llarowe.com

I recently bought a couple pumpkin body butters from House of Gloi – they arrived today & smell SO good. So excited to try them!

Jennie Avatar
Jennie

I just recently got into etsy and it’s so addictive! My favorite item so far has been a customized hello kitty phone case from the shop crash love kim. She has really cute cases and the best prices! I was about to buy a similar one for almost triple her prices, so I saved quite a bit of $. Here’s where I bought it from if anyone is interested:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/CrashLoveKim

Christina Avatar
Christina

Also, I wanted to put in a good word for a few of my favorites:

Villainess: http://www.villainess.net. Awesome bath and body, fantastic customer service. I’ve been buying from Brooke since I think around 2006. My favorites are GingerSnapped (which smells like gingerbread with a kick) and Antihero (vegan leather!).

Paintbox Soapworks is another favorite small business: http://www.etsy.com/shop/paintboxsoapworks. Their glycerin soaps last eons longer than others’. Unsurprisingly, I am a big fan of Gingermilk. I also love Man in the Moon and various seasonal favorites.

My friend Kythryne over at Wyrding Studios (http://wyrdingstudios.com/) does a very different style of wire wrapping than I do, and her work is always lovely in its complexity.

And of course, Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab (http://www.blackphoenixalchemylab.com). Still indie, still a small business, even with the name recognition. Wonderfully and ethically run by a fantastic group of people. I would feel naked without my BPAL.

Clamavi Avatar
Clamavi

Thanks for sharing that, it gives me a lot of idea for Christmas 🙂
I’m from France and I’m a huge fan of the Christmas markets that flourish at this time of the year and they always provide with fantastic local product. For instance : walnut oil, honey or home-made craft items that are of wonderful qualities.

Kafka Avatar
Kafka

THREE dog-related links?!?! Temptalia is most definitely a minion of the devil! ;P It was bad enough before but now you’re introducing adorably cute, tempting dog things to the mix too. DOGS! *sigh* My wallet is probably going to end this month curled up in a foetal ball with a Tourette’s-like explosion of imprecations. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to see what German shepherd things they have. I’ve been a bad slave lately.

Kat Avatar
Kat

I had to do a double take — A Touch of Romance is also the name of an adult store here in Los Angeles! I love this list of shops though – going to get lost in cult nails.

Caninedesign Avatar
Caninedesign

Thanks for the shout-out! I saw I had 487 page views from this blog post and had to check it out. Thank you to everyone who ordered a collar. 10% of this month’s sales will be donated directly to Apollo Support & Rescue for Abandoned Dogs out of Ft Worth, TX.

Denise Avatar
Denise

Love CanineDesign collars. I’ve lost count how many I’ve bought. They not only look great but they’re made to last unlike alot of the cloth ones out there. Fast shipping. Great prices.

Katie Avatar
Katie

CanineDesign is where I find most of my dog’s collars, including an “Adopt Me” collar for my foster boy. A couple months ago CD helped raise $100 for the rescue that saved my best friend from death row, too. Every purchase helps make a difference for dogs!

Alison Avatar
Alison

I love this list! Its really wonderful that you’re promoting small businesses – I can see this list has already made a difference. I agree completely, its wonderful to support people’s passion and creativity; some of these places just go above and beyond for their customers, too.

Places I like on etsy include nati’s shop – she’s an Italian artist who does bookmarks and illustrations and things. I once bought some postcards and bookmarks from her, and she packaged them so thoughtfully with ribbons and stickers and cellophane wrap, even though I only ordered a couple of inexpensive things. She was also one of my favourite artists at the time, so I was kind of starstruck to get a handwritten note and envelope from her all the way from Italy!

I also like looking at vintage things like handbags and such on etsy. I find that its not that difficult to find that classic black handbag for less, all the while reusing something that’s often almost completely untouched and new!

My favourite for bath products is Mad City Sue. She’s known to replace entire orders if they’re stolen or arrive damaged thanks to customs opening them, etc. Her scrubs smell really nice and are the most moisturising I’ve tried!

Cheryl Avatar
Cheryl

Hi Christine, I just wanted to thank you for the small business recommend. I’ve gotten alot of views from your site. And I found out about Temptalia. Very cool site! Thanks again, Cheryl

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