Holiday Shopping Made Easy
It’s no secret, I love supporting women! This holiday season I wanted to show some love to some of my favorite women owned businesses that have great unique products that are sure to satisfy everyone on your holiday gift list! And remember: when you buy from a small business, an actual person does a little happy dance! Listed in no particular order.
Glitterbox NOLA - Glitter Box is a shop space run for and by womxn in the French Quarter of New Orleans, LA. By showcasing artists and makers, hosting workshops, and supporting social justice groups, Glitter Box aims to be a space for celebration and community action. They use an inclusive definition of “womxn” including trans women, genderqueer women, and non-binary people who are femme-identified. 10% of all sales benefit nonprofits which seek to promote the education and empowerment of womxn in New Orleans and beyond thanks to the generosity of the Heymann Foundation. Do I even need to say more about why I made sure to include them on this list? My personal mission personified! Not to mention, they have incredibly awesome and unique items. Like these amazing candles (pictured) which pay homage to greats like Sade and Brandy. This is also where I stock up on my “Fuck Boy Repellent” candles! Not in NOLA? Not a problem. Shop online HERE
Andrelle’s Natural Skin Care - All natural skin care products made with minimum ingredients that produce maximum results, crafted by certified herbalist and make-up artist Krystal Burrell. She offers everything you need to keep your skin healthy from cleansers, toners, masks, and moisturizers in her over 34-product-offering line. She even has beard and shave kits for the men on your list!
RLT Collection - The RLT Collection is a line of fashion Bracelets designed and handcrafted by Emmy Award Winning AIDS Activist Rae Lewis-Thornton. Known for her glamorous style and sophistication, Rae has applied her years of fashion savvy to her line of bracelets. This line of fashion bracelets are, Classic, Sophisticated, Glamorous, Avant-garde, Fun and Affordable. I also love that she has many AIDS awareness pieces as well.
Pear Nova - Pear Nova looks to the runway’s most innovative designers
and wraps the texture of lux fabrics into subtle hues of lacquer. A year and a half went into perfecting a formula while staying true to custom color choices. The debut line is all creme polishes, with an aura of silk and leather that creates a depth you will get lost in. Pear Nova is designed in Chicago, made in the USA, cruelty free, vegan friendly and 5 free, which means no formaldehyde (ew), formaldehyde resin, camphor, toluene (huh?), and dibutyl Phthalate DBP (yikes!). One of their most popular lacquer collections is BRWNGRLMGC (pictured) which is a fresh collection created with medium to deeper skin tones in mind. Nudes inspired by incredible women who have shaped history and paved the way for brown girls everywhere.
Love Cork Screw - LCS Entertainment, LLC provides consumers a line of Love Cork Screw wine varietals that offer the sophisticated and novice wine enthusiasts a range of choices for any palate. Each sleek wine bottle is colorful, whimsical and fun. Their products seek to accentuate the five senses – titillate the palate, stimulate the tactile and arouse the aural and the aroma. The grapes for Love Cork Screw wines are carefully selected from various vineyards to give complexity, balance, and intensity of flavors that make Love Cork Screw varietals the selection of choice for many. Cute names and great taste. All are amazing, but my top favorites are Touch The Sky and Hard Knock Life
OldVine Florals - A love for flowers matched with an entrepreneurial spirit birthed Oldvine Florals located in the heart of downtown LA’s Old Financial District. Just blocks from the historic Los Angeles Flower Market, Southern California’s premiere indoor flower market place, founder Itika Oldwine, established Oldvine Florals in 2017. The inspiration to launch her very own floral company came while working under famed Los Angeles based floral designer Eric Buterbaugh. After two amazing years at Eric Buterbaugh Design, Itika launched her business as a vessel for her own point of view on blooming creations and to give a modern twist to the flowery landscape of L.A. Her creations are beautiful and it has been such a pleasure to see her and her business blossom! She offers flower subscriptions (how amazing to have fresh floral arrangements delivered weekly or bi-weekly! ) and FREE delivery anywhere in DTLA, for my Los Angeles peeps!
Eclectic Vibist - is the perfect place to find unique and unisex items for the Boho lovers on your holiday list. They carry zen home decor and Boho clothing for men, women and kids. They also have divinely scented candles, smudge bundles to clear the energy of unruly holiday guests (LOL), natural soaps and indie accessories. Plus they do awesome IG giveaways so make sure to give them a follow, you just may come up on some FREE stuff!
Happy Mango - It’s an eco-friendly pregnancy, baby and kids boutique. Happy Mango was founded by my amazing friend Phnewfula in 2009, but under a different name. She wanted to create a space where all levels of green were welcomed. "Buying safe products for yourself and your little one shouldn't be an all out scavenger hunt." she says. So she worked to create that welcoming space with healthy green products under one roof. I personally know how passionate she is about this mission, which is one of the many reasons why her business has been so successful! Happy Mango is a place for education, play, and sometimes just good old fashion mom chat. Her first store location is in Atlanta's Kirkwood neighborhood, but she also recently opened her second location in the Atlanta Birth Center. Not in Atlanta? No worries! You can shop online and they even offer baby shower registries!
Haus of Swag - Their story is simple, a dream, a t-shirt and a love affair with street chic fashion. Haus of Swag, SWAG being an acronym for ’Sisters With A Grind’, is a registered trademark brand of premium fashion tees & accessories. Think "curly couture" with a little sass. Their tees have got something to say, and our message is clear, 'Sisters are doing it for themselves and we are on top of our game' - hence our logo. 10% of all proceeds for every 'I Am One Dope Chick | Tamron ♥ Renate Fund' product sold (The shirt pictured ) will go to Tamron Hall’s “The Tamron ♥ Renate Fund” to support Safe Horizon in helping domestic violence victims and their families.
Loni Loo’s Homemade Candies - this is my baby. I started making my New Orleans family recipe chocolate clusters for my friends and coworkers when I lived in Chicago and pretty soon, they were offering to be silent investors and putting in orders for their holiday parties. I figured it was a sign that I may have something pretty tasty on my hands. I started the business in 2012, with a focus on e-commerce but eventually began retailing in local Chicago restaurants, coffee shops and even made it to the catering menu of boutique hotel, The Godfrey. When I left Chicago, it was hard to maintain the business while traveling, relocating and figuring out my next adventure. So I put the business on hold. I’m happy to announce that Loni Loo’s are back by popular demand! However, this time around I am only offering them seasonally. Starting with this holiday season. They are available for pre-order Dec 1-Dec 15 and all orders will be shipped between Dec 16-Dec 20 to ensure on-time holiday arrivals. Grab yours, stock up and spread the sweetness!
Do you know and love a woman-owned business that isn’t listed? Drop the business name and website in the comments so we can check them out!