This holiday season, I’m making a strong effort to support small business in my gifting. I wanted to put together a little gift guide to highlight some of my favorite small businesses, and to help inspire any last-minute gifting for the more difficult people on your list. Direct links to each small business website will be added for easy shopping, and I’ll pick some fun posts from their Instagram accounts if you want to check them out and follow along with them on the socials.
This post isn’t sponsored in any way by any of these companies, all of my recommendations come from me as a fan! I would love for this post to be interactive, so comment your favorite small businesses below so I can find other fun shops to support in the future!
May We Fly Design
This is one of my favorite small businesses ever, and I always gift from Leana’s shop every year. I used to take classes with Leana when I lived in Arkansas, and she is a lovely person inside and out. Her shop offers beautiful calendars, prints, cards, custom paintings, and watercolor tutorials. All of her work is painted by her, and her Instagram is so fun to follow to watch the works in progress. I buy all of my holiday cards from Leana, and if you’re getting a calendar from me this year, you know where it came from!
Visit her website here!
Pots by Matt and Laura
This little company was started by my college friend, Matt, and his sister, Laura, who started a little pottery business from their parents’ home during quarantine. All of the pottery is hand made and hand glazed by them, and I love the colors of the glazes! If you are looking for fun, unique pottery pieces, give their shop a look! Their website is updated with new pieces every couple weeks or so, so follow along on Instagram to know when new items have been added!
Visit their website here!
S. Marotta Pottery
Another great pottery company, this one founded by my Aunt Stephanie! I have a couple of her pieces in my house (a great mug and a fun piece that I use to hold all of my garlic), and I’ve been eying her salt pigs and cute planters for the day where I have a garden space to call my own. All of her work comes out of her home studio in Vashon Island, WA. Her pieces are very sturdy, come in a variety of pretty glaze options, and look great in any home or garden. Give my aunt some love and check out her work!
Visit her website here!
Oleander and Palm
I’ve been loving following along with this shop on Instagram, and I bought a few fun pieces for me and for gifts from the shop this season. Jeran (the shop owner) has a great eye, and she also lives in Bakersfield, CA (which is local, for me!). The shop contains a mix of beautiful home/kitchen items, as well as fun vintage items for the home. Jeran also hosts a vintage sale every Thursday at 5PM PST, so follow along on her page to see the weekly vintage items she puts up for sale on her site.
Visit her website here!
Ventura Spirits
Of course you were going to get some food recommendations from me, right? I’ve previously written about my love of Ventura Spirits, and that love continues to this day. Small batch spirits, distilled from foods that would have otherwise gone to waste – what could be better? Plus, I do think they ship during these covid times, so check them out for some very fun, California spirit options (the Wilder Gin is my favorite, if you need a starting point!).
Visit their website here!
Kiler Ridge Olive Farm
I’ve also written about this place before, and I still stand by it! Located in Paso Robles, California, this local olive oil farm is my favorite place to stock up on local, flavorful olive oil. If you are looking for the freshest, most flavorful olive oil, try the Oleo Nuevo, which is the first press from this year (they still have some, you may want to act fast!). Also, stop by and enjoy their beautiful tasting room if you ever visit Paso Robles, it’s one of my favorite places to go every fall.
Visit their website here!
Gift Cards to Favorite Restaurants!
As a lot of you are aware, covid times have really impacted restaurants, with all of the latest round of closures causing even more insult to injury. Giving gift cards is a great way to give your favorite restaurant some financial income now, while allowing your friends and family to check out your favorite place later when it is safer to do so. Everyone loves to go out to eat, so spread some holiday cheer this year by supporting your favorite local spots and giving gift cards, and supporting by ordering take out when possible!
Posted by 
Claire Aucella 