While I can admit that the big brands are often tempting, I’m here to convince you to shop small this holiday season.
If your experience is anything like mine, the Instagram ads persistently push the big brand deals towards you during the holiday season. These ad campaigns often catch my eye and seem quite enticing, but lately I’ve been resisting the pull of big names and opting to shop small.
While I’ve found that small business purchases tend to be more expensive than the well-known big brands, I’m here to tell you that the benefits outweigh the extra cost. So why should you shop small this holiday season?
- You’ll Be The Most Thoughtful Gift-Giver
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First off, shopping small guarantees you’ll be everyone’s favorite gift giver. Small businesses offer unique products like no other on the market, meaning there’s no risk your gift will be something that the receiver has already been gifted.
Small business products are often handmade or produced in small batches, making the quality standards high. This extra labor contributes to the higher prices, but you’re paying for lasting quality.
Additionally, small businesses often offer specific, niche, and sometimes customizable products. If you have a specific idea or product in mind that has to do with your friend’s favorite music artist, an inside joke, or even just a product you know they’d love, small businesses will be able to provide these niche gifts more often than not. Depending on the item and vendor, you can even monogram or customize your gift.
Unique to the receiver, heartfelt gifts like these show that you are a thoughtful and observant friend or family member who tries to note the receiver’s interests.
- Shopping Small Feels Good
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These purchases can make you feel good! When you shop small for the holidays, you’re not only giving to your gift receivers but also to the small business owners. Rather than paying for a big brand item and not really knowing where this money ends up, shopping small guarantees that your money will go back into the small business and help grow the local economy.
In addition, shopping small minimizes your purchase’s negative environmental impact because the supply chain is far shorter than those of larger brands.
- You Can explore The City While Shopping
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Finally, shopping small can be a fun outing. Often, small business vendors are located in public marketplaces. Consider checking out your nearest farmer’s markets, vintage markets, or holiday markets to peruse a variety of small business brands and products.
Boston’s SoWa and Snowport holiday markets are a great place to start. They offer food, drink, and a festive atmosphere in addition to shopping small. Make an outing of your gifting trip and get into the holiday spirit!
If you can’t find just what you’re looking for in these market-style settings, Etsy or online stores are also an easy way to shop small. Just make sure to account for shipping time, as small business products are often made to order or take a tad longer to arrive than the big-name brands.
Take this as your sign to support small and local businesses, and let the gift-giving begin!
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