Shop Small this Christmas with these 10 Indie Businesses

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Have you considered shopping from small businesses this Christmas?

We all know that Christmas shopping is going to be a little different this year. Normally, we might grab a steaming hot chocolate, wrap up in our warmest coats and scarfs. Wander happily around Christmas markets and high street stores draped in tinsel and glitter. But this year, it’s more likely that we’ll be sat inside, scrolling on laptops and tablets, trying to bring that festive feeling inside our homes.

Many of us will turn to reliable, well-known websites. Places like Amazon, ASOS, Argos and John Lewis, but this year, I’d like to invite you to discover some of the gorgeous indie businesses available to buy from online.

Lovingly designed and curated, carefully and consciously packaged, and produced using the highest quality materials, products from small businesses are so much more magical than any mass-produced item you can find from a high street store. And by supporting small businesses and independent retailers, you’re helping to support someone’s dream.

It’s not always easy or affordable to shop small, but today I’ve collected ten indie businesses you can buy from this Christmas. From the eco-conscious and hand-crafted, to the indulgent and personal, these are my favourite places to find gifts for people I love, and I hope you’ll love them too.

Illustrated Home and Paper Goods from Annie Dornan Smith

For a touch of everyday magic in the form of beautifully detailed floral prints, gold-foiled greeting cards and inspired gifting ideas, Annie Dornan Smith is the place to go. Annie opened her store in 2016. After completing a Graphic Design degree and falling in love with the world of small businesses, and her well-established online store now boasts a stunning range of illustrated home and paper goods for creative, caring and loving people.

This year, Annie’s Christmas range features the return of her popular “Peace” and “Joy” gold-foiled prints. As well as a new selection of beautifully festive cards and wrapping paper.

Annie never fails to disappoint, and whether you’re looking for practical stationery, gorgeous home décor, or unique stocking fillers.

Creative and Sustainable Living with The Danes

Introducing you to the world of hygge – a feeling of creating special and memorable everyday moments – with The Danes. Founded by two friends, Stine and Nicoline, The Danes has a focus on creative sustainability. Selling products such as organic soaps, handmade homeware, and DIY craft kits. There truly is something for everyone here, with products appealing to adults and children alike, covering home décor, gifts and practical tableware.

Have a rustic hygge Christmas with paper garland decorations, DIY kits and felted toys. My favourite product is the DIY cracker kit – biodegradable, reusable and recyclable for an eco-friendly Christmas. You can craft your own crackers with tissue paper hats, jokes, and cracker snaps.

Bring a touch of Scandinavian hygge into your life at thedanes.co.uk.

Hand-poured Scented Candles and Wax Melts from Studio Thirty

Studio Thirty are an independent business creating hand-poured, small-batch candles and wax melts from a home studio in Surrey. Using eco-friendly and sustainable ingredients. You can find a wide range of gorgeous scents, inspired by travel, culture, nature and personal memories. They use a signature blend of coconut and rapeseed wax to create candles with a luxurious melt and a long-lasting glow, up to 40 hours. This blend is free from paraffin and synthetic additives and is also vegan and cruelty-free.

Take a look at their bestselling festive scents including Clementine & Mixed Spice, Elderberry & Fir Needle and Frankincense & Myrrh, or get all three in the mini Christmas gift set. If wax melts are more your thing, the botanical wax melts are infused with wild-flower metals and available in nine different scents.

Discover sustainable and luxurious candles and wax melts at studio30shop.co.uk.

Magical Gifts and Interior Design for Kids from Pop & Punch

You’ll find fresh, fun and practical high-quality products for children’s bedrooms and playrooms at Pop & Punch. A small business run by Laura Warren, her husband Ed, and her daughter Poppy. They aim to offer great pieces for young children through to teens and beyond, curated with care from brands who are trustworthy, ethical and long-lasting. Play, dress up and decorate with the gorgeous products on offer from Pop & Punch – from practical floor beanbags and storage baskets to fairy wings and cycling accessories.

The Pop & Punch Christmas collection features beautiful embroidered Christmas sacks and stockings, delightful decorations and festive crafting kits. Take a look at the Mel Porter fairy lights for some lovely Christmas illumination!

Get something special for the little ones at popandpunch.com.

Consciously Hand-crafted Jewellery from Pepper You

Born from a love of creating, Pepper You is an independent brand selling lightweight clay and brass jewellery from their studio in Brighton. The brand was founded by Jade Golding. The shop sells a range of beautifully hand-crafted drop, hoop and stud earrings that are cut, baked, sanded and assembled with love. Jade is passionate about being environmentally friendly. Since January this year, she has donated a percentage of her profits to Eden Reforestation Projects, who plant a tree for every pair of earrings you buy.

For Christmas, I recommend taking a look at the carefully curated Pepper You gift boxes, featuring beautiful products from small businesses. Personally, I’m completely in love with the daisy hoops – they’re definitely on my Christmas list!

Not only are the earrings from Pepper You created in small batches with the environment in mind, but they also look absolutely stunning. Shop at pepperyou.co.uk.

Curated Homeware and Authentic Products from Beiige Store

Working directly with talented artisans in Ghana, Beiige Store curates a beautiful range of products and homeware using locally sourced, natural materials like rattan, which helps to preserve forests and reduce their environmental impact. Founder Rachelle was born and raised in Ghana. She was so inspired by the talent of the local artisans, that she wanted to bring the high-quality products they made back to the UK. On the Beiige store website, you’ll find stunning rattan mirrors and baskets, luxury raw clay masks and art prints, all uniquely handmade.

The hand-crafted products in Beiige Store are on the pricier side, as they are made with care and craftsmanship. A perfect gift for someone truly special, or take a look at the hand-poured candles and clay face masks for affordability.

Bespoke, high quality, gorgeously curated products supporting local artisans in Ghana. Shop at beiigestore.com.

Cute and Practical Stationery from Sighh

According to founder Polly, Sighh is your “one-stop-shop for cute gifts that will brighten someone’s day”. Think beautiful and functional stationery, fun gifts and accessories, and feel-good mantras to display on mirrors and walls. With a gorgeous range of desk pads, checklists and planners, Sighh is the home of beautiful and practical stationery. But they don’t stop there. On the Sighh website, you can also find glittering enamel keyrings, stunning gold-foiled prints, MacBook skins and phone cases, and even a peachy patch perfect for your favourite pair of jeans.

Sighh’s most recent collection is a collaboration with The Insecure Girls Club, bringing inspiring affirmations and mottos to the classic Sighh desk pads, keyrings, prints and mirror decals. Look out for their Christmas collection coming soon!

Whenever I’m thinking about gifts for my gal pals (or in fact, for myself!). Sighh is always the first website I visit. Shop at sighh.co.

Tasty Vegan Brownies Delivered Through your Letterbox from Cake or Death

The Cake or Death bakery in East London’s created some of the UK’s most loved brownies – and they also happen to be vegan, which means they are good for you and the planet. These indulgent brownies are baked fresh to order and delivered in the iconic pink Cake or Death leopard print box, and can be slipped right through your letterbox! And you don’t need to be vegan to be a fan – the brownies are fudgy and more-ish, made with the very best plant-based ingredients.

There are a range of scrummy brownie flavours available including salted caramel, Biscoff and even a mince pie variation perfect for Christmas! Or you can take a risk with the surprise box, or choose the Christmas selection box, which is delivered in a unique white leopard print design.

Loved by vegans and non-vegans alike, these homemade brownies are the perfect sweet treat. Book your delivery at cakeordeath.net.

Cute and Sassy Embroidered Clothing from Emma Warren

emmawarrendesign.co.uk (credit photographers and models)

It’s easy to fall in love with the elaborately detailed embroidered designs on offer from independent fashion brand Emma Warren. The decorative designs include relatable quotes, silly puns, re-assuring mantras and a wide scope of animal-themed patterns, available to buy on warm, cosy jumpers, versatile tees, and practical accessories. Choose from delicate details on sleeves to eye-catching chest designs, all on luxuriously comfy clothing.

Designed and embroidered in-house in Emma’s Gloucestershire studio, you can also have your pick of adorable Christmas jumpers! From dogs and dinos to sharks and stars, there’s no need to go traditional with the distinctive range of designs available. My favourite is “Tree Rex”!

If you’re shopping for someone who has a passion for fashion, I’m confident they’ll love Emma Warren’s unique, sweet and sometimes sassy designs. Shop at emmawarrendesign.co.uk.

Thoughtful Stationery, Accessories and Homeware from Oh Squirrel

Oh Squirrel is a small business specialising in beautiful, personal, feel-good products for the modern womxn. Featuring founder Katie’s iconic hand-written typography, the brand sells prints, stationery and cards, all designed and printed in the UK. Oh Squirrel prints feature heart-warming phrases including, “Believe in yourself”, “But what if it all goes right?” and the best-selling “Let’s stay in bed”. Add gold-foil for extra sparkle!

This year, Katie introduced a range of luxurious cotton velvet hoops and banners to her store, which she has now expanded into a stunning Christmas range. Pick your favourite festive phrase printed in glittering gold on sumptuously soft velvet!

Thoughtful gifting has never been so easy with beautiful stationery, accessories and homeware from ohsquirrel.co.uk.

Choosing to shop small can be so rewarding. It feels good to find the perfect gift from an independent retailer, and to know that you’re supporting someone’s small business venture at the same time. And with the ten indie businesses included in this mini gift guide, you know you’re not making any compromises on quality either.

Happy shopping everyone!

Hollie

About the Author

Hollie Alexa Moxham is a designer, illustrator and writer, and the founder behind Creative Endeavours, a blog committed to celebrating, supporting and promoting small businesses from across the UK. Discover weekly blog posts packed full of advice, founder interviews and small business features; as well as ten carefully curated Christmas Gift Guides to help you shop small this festive season.

Hollie also runs her own small business selling prints, cards and stationery, and offering freelance illustration services, as well as working full-time as a designer for women’s magazines.

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