Small Business Spotlight - 2024
50 suggestions of my favourite places for shopping small
Well, Small-Business-September might have been and gone, but the festive season is rapidly approaching. So it doesn’t feel irrelevant to give you a little directory of fifty places I recommend considering shopping for yourself and your loved ones, alliteration be damned!
Before we get into the categories, I do want to offer the gentle reminder that all of these businesses have real people behind them, often only one person (who often has another job), making, packing and posting your purchases. So while it may feel ridiculous to be thinking about festive shopping already (“We haven’t even had halloween yet!” I hear you cry), when you’re shopping small it’s important to give yourself (and the businesses) plenty of time. Some creators work in limited edition “drops” that you’ll need to watch their social media to know about, others will have order and shipping deadlines to consider.
With all that being said, I release you to go forth and support independent artists!
Support
Cwtches to Gaza - grassroots mutual aid funding essentials for Palestinian refugees in Cairo and evacuation funds.
Solidarity Apothecary - Herbal medicine as mutual aid out of the English west country. Providing support for people experiencing state violence and radical herbal education.
Tarot and Witchy-Wooness
A Coven of Two - (and Ysha’s incredible Italian-style tarot readings) Ysha and Raven are a pair of Welsh witches making international indie tarot decks accessible for a UK market and providing sliding-scale tarot readings for people on all incomes.
A Riffle in Time - Casandra is a wonderful tarot reader and runs a beautifully created indie tarot shop. Her Notion-based tarot readings are completely unique and immersive and something I go back to time and again.
Tarot Magpie - Sylvie is a delightful tarot nerd with an incredibly skilled eye for aesthetics, their tarot zines are deliciously collectable and their readings simply never miss.
Kelly Bear Art - Kelly makes the most gorgeous handmade tarot pouches in the most delicious colour combinations you’ve ever seen, you’ll also find other handmade treats like notebook covers and bookmarks.
Mina Arcana - “queer feminist tarot readings for living your best life” is what it says on her business card, and I couldn’t put it better myself, Mina’s ability to make connections between the cards is truly a marvel to behold.
Froggy Bones Tarot - Parker’s thoughts and insights on tarot, life and nature (and everything in-between) are a real beacon of guiding light.
Tarot by Garen - Garen’s wise words and soothing presence has been a real highlight of my time reading at the Leith Witchcraft market.
Moonlit Mama 444 - Hailee’s intuitive and poetic style bursts out of everything she does, from tarot reading to jewellery making to mixed-media art creating.
Carnelian Keep Tarot - half of the wonderful team behind the Leith Witchcraft Market, Amelia is a multi hyphenate tarot reader, zine maker, podcaster, teacher, all round community-minded good egg.
Kelly Ann Maddox - Cardslinger and wordsmith extraordinaire (just two of many strings to her bow), Kelly-Ann’s books, readings and workshops are ideal for witches of any level.
Little Red Tarot - Welsh, queer-owned indie tarot shop, with a focus on LGBTQ+ and BIPOC creators.
Sacred Moon Candles - my first choice maker of beeswax candles, now also selling herbs and other witchy ingredients.
Blackmoon Botanica - Edinburgh & Amsterdam - candlemaker and purveyor of esoteric and magical goods.
Wheel of Fate - Edinburgh - home of shop and workshop space covering a range of folk practices and witch crafts.
Services
Plant Your Own Joy with Rowan Ambrose - Online - on a mission to bring the joy of gardening to people who feel it beyond them, whether due to lack of energy, time, space or money, Rowan offers one to one consultations to help you find a sustainable way for you to have more greenery in your life.
Have A Nice Day Studios - Edinburgh - home to a group of some of the most talented and also loveliest nail artists you’ll ever meet, also providing services such as tooth gems and permanent jewellery. Come for the artistry, stay for the impeccable silly goose antics.
Haunt - Glasgow - a delightful collective of holistic wellness practitioners in the centre of Glasgow, ranging from reiki to sound baths to tarot and so much more.
Artists and Crafters
Acorn Print Studio - Edinburgh based print-maker selling art and beautiful ethical clothes.
AJD Illustrates - Glasgow based artist illustrating poignantly relatable queer scenes.
Anam Jewellery - Scottish jeweller crafting beautiful pieces inspired by the natural materials of the Scottish Highlands and Celtic history.
Anastasia Tasou - a beautiful human making art and accessories that speak to sensitive souls with big feelings.
Birdie Rocks - home of the (actually nice to look at) fidget bracelet, an actual essential for any neurodivergent bean in your life (I bought them for my whole family).
Collect Me Fashion - Zoe’s brand of comfy and beautiful has been my mental benchmark for slow fashion for many years, from accessories to jumpers to jumpsuits, Zoe has an eye for making everything special.
Down to Earth Market and Co - North Texan hub of handmade goodies, tea blends, incense, jewellery, they make it all!
Hagstone Art - queer art duo making beautiful and impactful art for colourful and political queers.
Jessie Makes Rainbows - a colourful person, making colourful jewellery for colourful people, Jessie (and her work) is sure to bring a smile to anyone’s face.
Jofamo - Jof is a Glasgow based artist, illustrator and comic creator, keep an eye out for his new book POCA! recently funded on Kickstarter and expected to be launched in November 2024.
Laura Holden - Laura is an incredibly talented textile artist making beautiful pieces inspired by folklore, nostalgia and vintage story books - everything she makes is just bursting with magic.
Laura Jeacock - Laura’s illustrations and paintings are inspired by the natural world seen through the lens of someone who appreciates the beauty of both science and spirit - I’m so excited to use her Lunar Animals calendar next year!
Mythologia Perfumes - gorgeous indie perfumer making exquisite perfumes inspired by moments in time, each with their own soundtrack.
Niko Crafting - the most exquisite leather and wood crafts, made by a family business in sumptuous viking and medieval styles.
Nymeria Bloom - the other half of the gorgeous team behind the Leith Witchcraft Market, making beautiful wreathes out of seasonal flora and selling beautifully curated vintage treasures.
Rachillu - Scottish illustrator drawing cats and dragons and more cats.
Sow’s Ear - Mari makes the most beautiful one-off fashions from recycled and vintage fabrics, if you’ve ever seen me in a head-wrap, Mari made it.
Sugar Mochi Art - illustrator of sugared-almond toned delights from stationery to shower curtains!
Tacharanan - everyone’s favourite crochet goblin creating fabulous one-off fibre-art pieces alongside cute and quirky stickers.
The Quiet Orchard - artist making unbelievably beautiful lino-cut prints and patches themed around British folklore and land connection.
Trumpet for Two - handmade pewter signet rings in the most extraordinary selection of designs, from the cute to the subversive.
Shops
Argonaut Books - Edinburgh - community bookshop in Leith.
Ashwell & Co - Bristol - Kate and Will pair exquisitely curated vintage finds with delicious hand made afternoon teas, truly what more could you want.
Category Is Books - Glasgow - Southside’s fiercely queer and independent bookshop.
Deadly is the Female - Frome - a independent staple of my home town, Claudia has been a purveyor of a range of drop dead gorgeous replica vintage / pin-up fashions for over a decade.
Gay's The Word - London - the UK’s oldest LGBTQ+ bookshop.
Housmans Bookshop - London - radical, not-for-profit booksellers.
Mr B's Emporium - Bath - For nearly twenty years, Mr B’s has been a beacon for the book lovers of the city of Bath. A place very near and dear to my heart, it was where you could find mini-Imogen pouring over the shelves scrutinising titles and carefully choosing on which to spend the book token clutched in my sweaty little palm.
Lighthouse Books - Edinburgh - Edinburgh’s radical bookshop.
Penfight MCR - selling an extensive library of feminist and queer zines and art.
Pilea Plant Shop - Frome - my gateway to the world of houseplants, selling gorgeous plants, accessories and workshops.
While extensive, this is in no way an exhaustive list, and if I’m honest it’s giving me massive anxiety that I’ve missed someone. So I’m just going to leave this here and send it off into the ether hoping for the best. Take care, Imogen x
I love this list, thank you for putting it together!