Need To Find A Gift To Give? Shop Local This Season and Support Your Area’s Small Businesses.

Every year when the holiday season rolls around there’s immense pressure on all of us to support local or small businesses and not just shop from big box stores. Sometimes it’s hard to find what you’re looking for at a small business, especially if it’s a niche store. However, I am here to provide you with some great small businesses that produce a variety of goods that will make a great gift for anyone (I know because I have gotten many gifts from these entrepreneurs over the years).

Below is a list of local Maine small business’s whose products will make a great gift for a number of people on your holiday shopping list this year. Not from Maine? That’s OK! I have provided a couple of sites where you can filter to find local businesses to shop from this holiday season!

Local Mainer’s to Shop From:

Knasty Knits - New Gloucester, ME: I discovered this gal’s craft at the Fryeburg Fair this year. She hand knits scarves and hats. All of her lines are named after a town or city in Maine, they are affordably priced, and super warm. I was so in love with the first hat that I bought from her early on at the fair that I went back and ordered another afterward off her Etsy page! Trendy hats and scarves are a great gift to give anyone, and I’d definitely recommend these! Etsy store linked here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/KnastyKnits

Veronica Holiday Scrubs - Bridgton, ME: I might be a little bias, but I also know a good beauty product when I see it, so I had to give a shoutout to my mom and her incredible body scrubs. I have tried many a body scrub over the years, but hers are really something to brag about. Her salt scrubs are infused with all-natural essential oils, including hemp oil, making them extremely nourishing on the skin. One use of this in the shower and you will not need to use body lotion afterward and will experience super soft, supple skin. I’ve linked her scrubs here: https://www.etsy.com/listing/749481405/hemp-oil-and-sea-salt-body-scrub?ref=shop_home_active_1

Reny’s - A Maine Adventure: Although this store sells lots of big-name brands like Carhartt, Columbia, Chippewa, and more, they also sell lots of products from locals as well and they are a Maine family owned and operated business. You’ll find everything you could possibly think of here for people on your holiday shopping list. Some of the local products that they sell; Ray’s Mustard - in assorted flavors, Katahdin Coffee, Bixby & Co. Craft Candy, and more. Linked here is their website where you can find all 17 of their locations - https://www.renys.com/.

Sniff My Snack Dog Treats - Fryeburg, ME: Another Fryeburg Fair discovery! A local dog treat company that sells a variety of treats for your favorite four-legged friend, including CBD infused treats. I bought the Pumpkin & Whole Wheat CBD treats for Truman and Bitsy while I was there and they loved them. Link to their site here: https://www.sniffmysnack.com/

Butler Hill Beads - Auburn, ME: Another Craft Center find at the Fryeburg Fair (seriously, if you haven’t been to the fair, GO), and I have shopped from this artisan before. My sister’s two favorite pairs of earrings are from there and I have two leather bracelets that I love from there. They sell all the things you’ll need if you want to get into jewelry making yourself, or, you can shop their exclusive line at their Auburn store and pick up a gift to give. Link to their website is here: https://www.butlerhillbeadshop.com/

Wiltjer Pottery - Waterford, ME: This guy makes tons of great pottery products for you to purchase. This year I purchased a great mug for my sister for her birthday. These are affordably priced, and if I’m being honest, you probably would pay the same price for a generic mug at any big box store just for the logo or caption that is on it. These mugs have unique color schemes and styles to choose from and are sturdy. They are among many of the other awesome pottery products that he creates. Link to the website here: http://www.wiltjerpottery.com/

Misty Acres Alpaca Farms: I purchased some great tall alpaca boots socks this year from this local farm in Sidney, Maine. They, of course, were featured at the Fryeburg Fair in the Craft Center. Besides just some wonderfully warm boot socks, they have head warmers, hats, gloves, other types of alpaca wool socks, sweaters, and more. The quality of their products are great and definitely worth checking out, link to the site here: https://mistyacresalpaca.com/

Not From Maine? Have No Fear - Here Are Some Sites To Help You Find Local Small Businesses In Your Area!

There are plenty of ways for you to shop local in your community! A small business doesn’t necessarily have to be a store to buy gifts at, it can be as simple as going to a local coffee shop, restaurant, salon, etc. Below are some links and resources to help you find local businesses in your area so you can shop small this holiday season!

Etsy - www.etsy.com - Etsy is a site for small business owners to create a store and sell their unique and handcrafted products worldwide. You can find everything from clothes, kitchen gadgets, jewelry, handbags, and more on here. When shopping on Etsy you can filter to see sellers in a location nearest you.

American Express Website - Small Business Saturday - https://www.americanexpress.com/us/small-business/shop-small/howtoparticipate?linknav=us-loy-homepage-htp - Through American Express’s Website here, you can follow the link to find a Small Business near you, which will generate a Google Maps view of all local businesses in your immediate location. Restaurants, cafes, stores, and more. American Express is a huge sponsor of Small Business Saturday and shopping local, you can read more about getting involved, shopping local, or promoting your own business through their website.

If you’re from Maine, I hope you’re able to find some great gifts from just a handful of the local small businesses in Maine that I have shopped from before. If not, I hope that by utilizing one of the two links above, or simply Google Searching has helped you find more small businesses to shop from this season. National Small Business Saturday is this Saturday, November 30th. Have a small business that you love to shop from not mentioned above? Drop a comment below and link their website if applicable! Happy Thanksgiving Y’all!