Shopping small and local is so important to keep your community thriving. I love getting to know the people I buy things from, even if that just means following them on social media and ordering from their small businesses online.

Everytime you purchase something from a small business, the owner and their staff (if they are lucky enough to have staff) can breathe easier knowing that, at least for now, they can keep on keeping on. The last few years have been hard for us all, and small businesses are not excluded from that. Many small business owners have had to cut back or cut out what they pay themselves in order to keep their business open, and many have closed.

Please consider spending your hard earned money at a small/local business before running to Amazon. I know Amazon is easy and you can do all of your holiday shopping from the toilet, but think about how much nicer it will be to drive around your town in January and see the diverse small businesses open, instead of empty storefronts collecting dust.

Let’s start with small businesses available online or in Central Florida.

Stationery

Curly Girl Design, Paper Goat Post, Calliope Paperie, Pipsticks, 1Canoe2

Home, Beauty, Jewelry, Pets, DIY, etc.

Naked Bar Soap Company, Talking out of Turn, Warehaus Orlando, Sarah Hearts, Chainkiller Jewelry, Peachykeen Collars, The Heavy

Coffee Beans

Foxtail Coffee Co., Lineage Coffee Roasting, Eola Coffee Co. (Orlando area deliveries only)

Plants

Lukas Nursery, South Seminole Nursery, Florida Cactus, The Heavy

Go Out to Eat

Beefy King, Pom Pom’s Teahouse and Sandwicheria, Light on the Sugar, Boardwalk Pizza, Boston’s Fish House, Bagel King, Donut King, Jeremiah’s Italian Ice, Kelly’s Homemade Ice Cream, Buttermilk Bakery, Papa Sabz, Colorado Fondue Co., Black Bean Deli, Hollerbach’s Willow Tree Cafe,

These are some new to me small businesses in Southwest Virginia - Eastern Tennessee (Tri-Cities) area.

Eat & Drink

The Girl & The Raven, Wolf Hills Coffee, Wolf Hills Brewing Co., Ladybug Cafe & Cakery, Label Restaurant, Still Waters Coffeehouse, White Birch, The Tavern, Anthony’s Desserts, Luke’s Cafe, Jack’s 128 Pecan, Bloom, Abingdon Vineyards

Snow’s Fine Meats & Provisions, Yoder’s Country Market, The Dutch Pantry

Plants

The Wicked Plant Shop, Petals and Lace,

I hope you’ll join me in shopping small on Saturday and all year round. Do you have any favorite small businesses you’d like to shout out? Leave their information in the comments.