Small Businesses to Shop for Holiday Gifts

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Hi there, friends.

We’re in the holiday season and I’ve already began Christmas shopping. To be honest, I started months ago but need to start a spreadsheet of the things I’ve bought and for whom so I can keep myself organized. Have you started shopping yet?

Small Business Saturday is November 25th this year. It’s always the Saturday wedged between Black Friday and Cyber Monday. I’ve rounded up some of my personal favorite small businesses to share with you in hopes that you take a look at their sites for your gifting needs. By shopping small you are supporting someone’s family directly and it’s a wonderful thing to do! I shared a little bit of information that I’ve gathered and also asked each of them to answer some questions so you can get a feel for who these amazing people are, what they’re doing and why. ❤️

Make sure to pin this image to Pinterest to save it for later! Now, let’s take a look at my favorite five small businesses. In no particular order…

NORWEX

I have shared some posts about Norwex in years past and I am STILL an avid lover of their products.

My sister, Jessica, is a Norwex consultant and became an enthusiast when she went to an in-person demonstration. She went from a Norwex shopper to small business owner overnight because she believed in the products that much.

Norwex stands for Norwegian Experience and is a Norwegian based company founded over 29 years ago and has expanded into 22 countries. Their mission is to reduce toxic chemical usage in our homes and personal care items while reducing our global impact with using recycled and sustainable products for packaging. Another example is that Norwex has banned 2700 different ingredients (and counting) from their products, whereas the EU has only banned 2400 EU, Canada only 500, and the US only 11 out of 10,000 non-FDA regulated chemicals. Isn’t that CRAZY?!?! You can read more about the company and watch their videos here.

Norwex is SO MUCH MORE effective and cost effective in the long run - not only removing 99% of bacteria, oil, dust, and grime from a surface with just water or an electrostatic charge and their cloths and mop pads, but also because their non-toxic enzyme based products are high potency so you use small amounts each time. Their bottles are either reusable glass or recyclable plastic made recycled products.

You can view a lot of great information about the products by clicking here!!!

If you watched Jessica’s demonstrations your mind would be blown. I promise. I’m certain I’m not doing it justice. You can follow along with new information and products and demonstrations in her VIP Facebook page. ❤️

To shop Jessica’s Norwex Business or to ask her any questions click here.

To view Norwex gift guides and stocking stuffer ideas click here.

To view my previous posts about Norwex click here

Here are Jessica’s responses to my questions:

GIFT GUIDES!

PARK LANE JEWELRY

Park Lane Jewelry was founded in 1955 as a direct sales jewelry party plan company and have been in business for 67 years! The founders started their company as a means of financial independence and it has soared.

I have been shopping and wearing and gifting Park Lane Jewelry for two years now through my favorite consultant Tara Tijerina. She is simply amazing at what she does and shares great jewelry style ideas on her VIP Facebook page. They have a lot of beautiful jewelry that is classic and timeless as well as items that are statement pieces. They have great sales incentives when you shop so it’s best to let Tara do what they call “magic math” and you’ll end up getting the absolute best deals. As I’m typing this I have Park Lane items in my Christmas gift stash labeled for friends or family.

Whether you realize it or not, you have most definitely seen me wearing Park Lane Jewelry in person or in umpteen posts. ❤️

To shop Tara’s Park Lane Jewelry Business or to ask her any questions click here.

Here are Tara’s responses to my questions:

Examples of the beautiful jewelry!

CARRIE ANN BOUTIQUE

Carrie Ann Boutique is one of the cutest boutiques you can shop. She keeps up with on trend clothes and accessory items and brands that are accessible for varying price points. She has great items to shop for gifts for others while also snagging something cute for yourself! I have shopped with Carrie Ann for 7+ years and just adore her boutique!

Carrie Ann is located at Painted Tree in Sugarland, Champions, and Humble/Kingwood. Everything is under $65. Orders can also be placed through social media. And they offer pick up and shipping!

To view more about Carrie Ann Boutique click here or to ask her any questions click here.

Here are Carrie Ann’s responses to my questions:

Examples of the cutest gifts for family, friends, OR for you. 😉

PAMPERED CHEF

I have no doubt you have heard of Pampered Chef at some point in your life! My friend, Sara Jones, is a Pampered Chef consultant on top of her full time job as an HR manager and mom life! Pampered Chef was founded in 1980 by a woman who wanted to make mealtimes easier, more enjoyable, and less of a chore. The company has strived to create professional-quality products (cookware, bakeware, serving dishes, utensils, and food products) that will facilitate mealtime. I think we all need that help, right? Even cooking for two feels daunting to me most days anymore.

I took the leap and purchased many Pampered Chef items starting in 2020 such as their air fryer, grill skillet, brownie baking pan, spice blends, and more. If I cooked more often I would definitely be buying more stuff! They have a lot of great gadgets, pantry items, and cooking / baking pots and pans.

You can likely find something for most everyone on your shopping list with Pampered Chef. Even fun items for the kids! Sara’s demonstrations always included her little one who wanted to help out in the kitchen.❤️

To shop Sara’s Pampered Chef Business or to ask her any questions click here.

Here are Sara’s responses to my questions:

Examples of products that you or your family & friends just might need!

The recipe Sara shared: click here.

AGC BOUTIQUE

AGC Boutique is such a unique concept and a great place to shop. I’ve shared a post about it before that you can read here. I’m using my previous write up about it because it’s still TRUE!

AGC Boutique is a resale store fully stocked from donated items that are in perfect condition and range from everything imaginable such as: jewelry, women's clothing & accessories, men's clothing & accessories, children's clothing, accessories, & toys, home goods, sporting goods, shoes, etc. The boutique is owned by my dear friend, Maria. She created the concept of AGC Boutique in order to fully utilize all of the donations received by Amazing Grace Charities. What she was experiencing was that some of the items received by donations were being declined by some shelters/organizations because the items were too nice/too high end/not practical for the people who were living in the shelters such as luxury brand purses, high heels, suits, formal gowns, etc. Maria has taken those items and created the idea of AGC Boutique to sell the high end items and use the proceeds to give back to Amazing Grace Charities. Those proceeds help fund the charity's mission and the work they do such as sorting through donated items, storing the items until given away, renting trucks to haul the items to the charities, shelters, or individual families in need. The boutique itself only has one paid employee who manages the store and handles all of the merchandise in the store: sorting through it and set up it up for display, assisting customers, and ringing up purchases. AGC Boutique and Amazing Grace Charities are the FIRST charity of it's kind.

To visit and shop AGC Boutique: 5007 Bissonnet St, Bellaire, TX 77401

Open from 11am-5pm CT Tuesday through Saturday

To view and support the Echoes of Giving annual campaign click here. You can donate physical items that are needed, purchase from the Amazon wish list, or make a financial contribution.

Here are Maria’s responses to my questions:

Examples of items that have been in the ABC Boutique!

Items available at the story vary daily based on sales so what is pictured below may not currently be available any longer. Make sure to stop by there often to see what’s new to the store!