Shop Small: 15 Gift Ideas from Small Businesses

‘Tis the season of giving, right? It’s time to start thinking about our gifting plans, and we’re officially in mad gift-shopping mode! However, nothing beats the feeling of buying from a small business.

It’s exciting to be on the prowl for the coolest gift, but we’re always attracted to those cool gifts that come from a small business. With the pandemic’s effect still taking its toll, small businesses are struggling more than ever. This holiday season, we’d like to reinforce the importance of shopping small – so we pulled together our favorites from small business owners with big talents!

So, with the spirit of the season, let’s do some shopping and some supporting…

Gift Ideas to Support Small Businesses

1. GWS x Erin Condren Wedding Planners

Green Wedding Shoes x Erin Condren Wedding Planner

Our GWS x Erin Condren softbound planners will change the way you wedding plan. Perfect gift for engaged friends, or for you to not-so-subtly hint at! GWS expert tips throughout these beautiful books – choose from these two floral cover designs. And—there’s a new vow book set, as well!

sHop our GWS x Erin Condren Wedding Planner

2. GWS x Erin Condren Life Planners + Notebooks

peony notebook by green wedding shoes

Not planning a wedding but love pretty floral things?! Our LifePlanners and Notebooks are great for anyone simply looking to stay organized. Find the floral cover that best fits your gift recipient! We’re very into Pink Peonies and a Flowering Cactus right now :)

Shop our GWS Life Planners and Notebooks

3. Retro Inspired Shirts from The Bee and The Fox

heres to strong women shirt

The Bee & The Fox is a woman-owned business committed to creating eco-friendly t-shirts and home goods while promoting positive social change. Never say no to a retro-inspired shirt…that’s our motto! You’ll find loads of styles you’ll like at The Bee and The Fox – we’re particularly loving this pick flowers not fights shirt and this Tough as a Mother Sweatshirt

Shop Shirts at The Bee and The Fox

4. cuddle + kind Handcrafted Heirloom Quality Dolls

Cuddle and Kind Stuffed Animals for Gift Idea

Believe it or not, these cuddly, hand-knit dolls empower talented women artisans with equitable, fair trade employment! With every ethically produced, hand-knit doll purchased, 10 meals are provided to children in need. That means 1 doll = 10 meals!

shop these cuddle + Kind stuffed animals

5. Opal Stacking Rings

opal stacking ring

Ooh, stacking rings are so in – and they make great gifts! Dani Barbe designs gorgeous raw stone jewelry (with ethically sourced stones) for the modern bohemian. We are in love with these Opal Stacking Rings!

Shop these opal stacking rings

6. Svulme Vase

Modern Handmade Ceramics vase

Paper & Clay is a small Tennesee shop making small batches of handmade ceramics. We are in love with their Svulme Vase, both name and form rooted in the idea of an ocean wave or swell. Gift this vase with some fresh flowers from a local florist for a perfect holiday gift!

shop the svulme vase

7. Couple Portrait Illustration Print

Couple portrait illustration

Illustrator Aleksandra Berlinsky creates the most fun + creative family portraits! This custom black and white couple portrait is a great gift for your loved one or yourself. She will take your requests as well to create the perfect family illstration. We love that she just emails you a digital file of the work so no worries on shipping delays for this gift!

shop this couple portrait illustration

8. Always Pan from Our Place

our place always pan in green

This pan is a cult-favorite best seller for a reason! We here at GWS love our Always Pan (we have the Spice color!) and think it would make a great gift. This do-it-all wonder is designed to replace 8 traditional pieces of cookware. Plus, it looks pretty good too – it comes in 10 gorgeous colors! Already have the Always Pan? They released the Perfect Pot earlier this year

shop the always pan

9. Otherland Candle

otherland candle

Abigail Cook Stone, the founder of Otherland, kept finding herself settling for candles that all looked the same and were too expensive to light every day. So she set out to create her own candles that use clean ingredients and were made with glass to last so you could recycle the vessel as a vase, pen holder, or whatever you imagined! We are in love with the scents and designs and they make a most lovely gift!

shop otherland candles

10. Birth Flower Necklace

birth flower necklace

LEILA is a small business from San Diego California, creating everyday pieces for your special moments, handmade by their small team of artisans. We love this birth flower necklace where you can select the flowers and they’ll create this personalized Birth Flower Bouquet just for you!! These necklaces are great for layering, a wonderful minimalist piece, perfect gift for your wife, girlfriend, grandma or simply to treat yourself! Comes in 14k gold fill, rose gold fill, or sterling silver.

Shop this birth flower necklace

11. The Pantry Set

pineapple collaborative gift set

Pineapple Collaborative makes beautifully packaged and sustainably harvested pantry staples all sourced from female farmers and producers. The perfect addition to any pantry, The Pantry Set includes The Olive Oil in a color of your choice, The ACV, and The Salt. The ideal gift for friends, family, White Elephant parties, employees you want to celebrate, clients you want to impress, crushes you want to take a hint, or a nemesis you want to confuse.

shop the Pantry set

12. Catbird Swan Ring Holder

swan jewelry holder

How gorgeous is this gold swan jewelry holder (it can hold rings and necklaces!) from one of our fave jewelry stores, Catbird?! It’s the swan ring dish of our dreams.

shop this swan ring holder

13. Monstera Deliciosa

the sill plant gift idea

The Sill was founded on the premise that plants make people happy and we couldn’t agree more! The Sill has lots of plant options but we are partial to this Swiss Cheese plant! :)

Shop a plant from the sill

14. TRUFF Variety Pack

truff gift idea

This Huntington Beach company knows their sauce! For a truly unique (and tasty!) gift, we recommend the TRUFF Variety Pack. A beautiful assortment of their three classic flavors —The Original, HOTTER, and White TRUFF Hot Sauce. Hot sauce isn’t your thing? They also carry truffle pasta sauces!

Shop the truff variety pack

15. APOTHIA candles

apothia candle

We’ve said it before, but candles make the BEST gifts. APOTHIA is known for their amazing scents – Jen is currently burning the SOUL candle and her whole family loves the warm woody scent. Made in Los Angeles with a 60 hour burn time, they are Sulfate-Free, Paraben-Free, Cruelty-Free, and Non-Toxic.

shop the apothia candle

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