Why shop at a small business?
Small businesses bring an air of comfort and pride when you are purchasing from them because they’re local. Supporting local business owners is an amazing way to give back to your community. It takes a lot of dedication and hard work to not only create a business, but grow it. There are also numerous sustainability benefits that coincide with small businesses vs. large corporations. For starters, they have a smaller carbon footprint, meaning they use less energy and produce less pollution. They are also more likely to care about what they are putting into their communities, good or bad, because they are a part of it. There is something to be said about the quality you get with a product that has experienced so much care while being developed and made. That type of quality is hard to pass up as you walk through your local Farmer’s Market, shopping center, or even surf a website.
Shopping small means shopping local, shopping eco-friendly, and shopping quality. We won’t make you wait any longer, here are some amazing small businesses that have caught our eye lately!
Cultivate & Bloom
A floral design company, Cultivate and Bloom’s passion is to curate unique and beautiful Hand-Tied Bouquets. Trademarked by them, Hand-Tied Bouquets are essentially a form of placing stems in a spiral form and then tying them so that the bouquet is able to stand on its own. Their collections range from popular styles for Prom and Graduation bouquets to a ‘Texas’ Collection featuring Native Texas wildflowers to bouquets with a more modern look like the Raleigh Fresh Flower Hand-Tied Bouquet. They really do have a selection for any occasion, or if you just love having fresh flowers adorn your home. Follow them on Instagram for updates and some beautiful flower posts!
Urban Tree Company
A Texas based company, Urban Tree Company is a team of arborists and master woodworkers, working to maintain Texas trees. They also repurpose downed trees into home good items and furniture pieces like charcuterie boards and bedroom headboards. Their Instagram is full of informational and fun reels where you can learn all about trees, woodwork, the Urban Tree Co. team, and loving your job! Their handcrafted artistry really is amazing and so fun to watch as well!
Belle & Union Co.
Almost anything you could want or need, Belle & Union Co. will have. Their artsy website showcases cards, one for every occasion of course, home and gift items, kitchen essentials, bath, body, lotion, and soap products and so much more. Located on Broadway, this company looks like the best place to stumble into… or run to after reading this blog. You can follow their Instagram for unique and beautiful posts, as well as keeping up to date with their latest offerings!
Emily Grace Designs Co.
Starting in 2020, Emily Grace Designs Co. went from a hobby to a full-time career in a very quick amount of time. Her passion for her business is evident as you scroll through a very aesthetically pleasing website- home to her long list of products including shirts, jewelry, hoodies, hair accessories and more! Major themes throughout her brand are sustainability and self-love. With catchphrases like, “Support your local planet”, and “Kind people are my kinda people” listed on apparel, it would be a lot of fun to wear these stylish and relatable pieces! You can find Emily at various pop-up spots around San Antonio!
Niche at Pearl
Like its name, Niche at Pearl specializes in clothing, accessories, home, and gift items. Its newest edition, The Stitch at Niche, is a curated fabric store and project space inside Niche at Pearl. Shoppers can find unique textiles, threads, and more to create whatever they want! Within San Antonio’s Historic Pearl, their location really is unbeatable. You can spend time browsing their store before heading to a Saturday morning Farmer’s Market or a nice stroll along the San Antonio Riverwalk. They just recently celebrated their 25th anniversary, so we’re sending our warmest wishes to Ayse Derman, Blanquita Sullivan and the entire Niche team on this amazing accomplishment!
Organically Bath and Beauty
This company may sound more familiar to you as we highlighted them in our blog about Black Owned Small Businesses We Love to Support. Organically Bath and Beauty is an organic, vegan, cruelty-free skin care brand. Family owned, their products range from body mousse to bar soaps, to specific care packages like their Eczema Skincare. With their business growing rapidly, their products are now sold at Target and have been mentioned in SA Live, Elle Magazine, and many more publications. Through their growth, they’ve managed to maintain that close-knit family feeling through outlets like their YouTube and Instagram, where you can follow along the journey as if you’re right there with them.
About Megan Valco
Megan Valco is an Account Assistant at Haute In Texas. Currently attending UTSA, she is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Digital Communications. Her hobbies include enjoying day trips to Fredericksburg and the beach, painting and finding new thrift stores to shop. After graduating, her aspirations have no limit as she plans to continue working in the PR and Marketing world, as well as, traveling and living across the U.S. and abroad.
