Small Business Christmas

As you may have noticed, we are in a pandemic. Earth has been closed for about 3 months now and that has consequences. There are some big industries failing and asking for bailouts despite the million and billion dollar bonuses afforded to their C-suites, but there are also small businesses failing and unlikely to get a lifeline. 

This holiday season, instead of sending your money to sit in Jeff Bezos's vault where it awaits his next divorce settlement or funding China's loooooong record of human rights violations, I recommend that you attempt to shop small businesses (and that does not mean MLMs).

Let me be clear - I don't think it's possible for the average American to completely stop buying anything made in China. I wish it was, but I still rely on Amazon for those random things I can't find anywhere else (read: brown food coloring). Although my mother has waged a personal war on China and banned TikTok from her home, I understand that in the short term I am beholden to some Chinese-made products. But when I can help it, I try to buy products made in America, South America, and other places that aren't China.

Aside from their deplorable crimes against the Uighurs, their death grip on Hong Kong, and their cultural genocide of Tibetan Buddhism, there's also that small issue of free speech. 

As much as I love a $5 t-shirt, it's just not worth it. There are so many small businesses in this country, your state, or hometown that need your support right now. And there are streamlined platforms that make that easier! 

Etsy is an American website where you can buy handmade products right from the source! One website, accesses to a ton of small businesses and creative individuals. Most Etsy shops have a free shipping option if you spend a certain amount and shop owners will have holiday sales just like the big retailers.

Redbubble is an Australian website where you can find designs from artists all over the world and have them printed on a variety of products. My personal favorite is the stickers but they have tote bags, t-shirts, wall art and more. The charts below show where Redbubble products are manufactured.

Spoonflower is a FABULOUS company headquartered in Durham, North Carolina! At Spoonflower you can find designs created by people around the globe and get it printed on fabrics and wallpaper. I am obsessed with Spoonflower and at this point I feel like I have to own the spoon at least.

I have my own Etsy shop as well as Redbubble and Spoonflower pages and I can assure you that artists are compensated for sales. In my case I just use my commission to buy more stickers and fabrics, and the economic ripple effect lives on! You can also check out Facebook marketplace, though I will warn you you're not allowed to sell animals or organs there and they will ban you. So I hear.

Finally I want to introduce you to a Missouri-based company that I have grown to love in the last few months. But first, I have to paint you a picture. Actually - I have a literal picture.

This joke all started a few years ago in a little church called Holden Beach Chapel. That's the church my family goes to when we're on vacation. We've been going there for about seven years now and my dad always loves it. Mainly because he's super proud that the guest preacher is often one of my brother's teachers and also because afterwards we have brunch at his favorite restaurant, the Purple Onion Cafe.

So my dad has this habit of...let's call it active listening. He's the guy who is mumbling his approval, saying amen and turning around to make eye contact with Stephen so they can laugh at little sermon jokes together. 

This particular Sunday, we were singing the classic Christian hymn, Blessed Assurance. You know, "this is my story, this is my song," written in the 1870s? My dad must have been feeling it because he was grunting his endorsement. After the third, way too loud, "MMMMM" my brothers and I had to stop making eye contact. Why was he so into this song he has heard and sung hundreds of times before?

After the service we debriefed and my brother Patrick mentioned my dad's sudden enthusiasm for Blessed Assurance. He said something along the lines of, "he was really feeling it, dad was like - MMM this IS my story" and it was basically the funniest thing that has ever happened.

So now that's our thing and one day on Facebook I stumbled across an ad for a t-shirt that I knew my dad had to have.

I ordered it for his birthday along with a shirt for myself, and I was hooked. It's a Christian company and I guess you could say they are fishers of this woman.

Elly and Grace has amazing designs, colors, customer service and a commitment to the American economy. Not to mention, wearing clothes with biblical sayings helps remind me to try to be a better person. Of course I still have a long way to go, maybe I should place another order.