Happy Small Business Saturday! Today I wanted to take a little time to share a few of my favorite local makers in this creative little city. You can find a creative around almost every corner in this town, but these are a few of my personal favorites.
Little Light Co.
If you’re from the South, or just visit for a while, you know there are certain scents that bring you back. Some things just smell Southern, like Longleaf Pine does to me. Beth has taken all of the best scents from around Athens and bottles them up in a sweet little soy candle so that you can enjoy them in your home. I’ve been burning the Little Light Co. Longleaf Pine candle to gear up for the holidays and it’s absolutely spot on. You can find Beth and Little Light Co. all over town during the holiday season. Make sure you stock up on her gorgeous candles, they’ll make the most lovely gifts this year.
Whitney Shoe Jewelry
I found Whitney at my favorite local salon, where she works magic on my hair color, but she also works as an artist and jewelry maker. Every time I look through her page, there’s a new piece that I love. She’s so creative and makes really stunning pieces that you won’t be able to find anywhere else. I mean, how gorgeous is this necklace?! You should see it in person. I’m absolutely in love with it and this simple pair of earrings that will go with anything and everything! I promise you that you’ll be seeing these pieces a lot on this blog in the future. You can shop directly from Whitney on her Instagram page and you can find her jewelry locally at The Cheeky Peach in downtown Athens.
Hannah Betzel Fine Art
I met Hannah through a couple of mutual friends here in Athens and have always loved her work. She’s a fantastic artist and I love seeing her new pieces. Around the holidays, she turns simple ceramic ornaments into little works of art for you to decorate your home with. It’s a perfect piece to collect or to gift to someone special during the Christmas season and they’re all one of a kind! You can find Hannah at her studio in Five Points and make sure to head over there and say “hi” on December 3 for the Five Points Holiday Festival, too!
BMA at Home
This is a local, curated interior design shop run by Breckyn Alexander right in the same place as Hannah’s studio space. Breckyn carries a lot of pieces exclusive to her shop, including these hand-stamped luggage tags that show some local love. She’s opening up today for Small Business Saturday, so I’d stop by if I were you. This is a place to find some really unique gifts for anyone on your list…and another one to stop by for the Five Points Holiday Festival! It’s a great location for parking and wandering around, I know it’s going to be a really fun festival.
I started following along with Stamped & Finch when I first moved to Athens a couple of years ago. There’s just something about her unique, hand-stamped pieces. Every new thing she releases quickly becomes a favorite of mine, and her definitely don’t disappoint. I’m not going to lie, when this bracelet arrived in my mailbox, it said just what I needed to hear at the time and that’s something special. Lindsey creates such a great variety of hand-stamped pieces, there’s sure to be the perfect gift for anyone on your list! You can find where she’s got a special going on for Small Business Saturday…25% off with her code SHOPSMALL.
Normal Soap Company
Jessica and Kevin sort of stumbled upon starting their local soap company during grad school, but these days Normal Soap Company is a staple at the Athens Farmers Market. They keep things local, sourcing their ingredients from the Athens area and create a wide array of natural soaps and salves, and so many other goodies. My personal picks for the holiday season that will make a perfect little gift are their , , and Tea Tree Mint soap. Pack those up with one of their and a , and you’ve got a great holiday goodie bag perfect for a bit of pampering. If you want to check Normal Soap Company out in person, here’s where you can find them this holiday season!
Classic City Bee Company
I couldn’t share a holiday gift guide without including a little something sweet. This family-run company creates a variety of honeys throughout each season, along with some apparel, gifts, and health & beauty products. This winter, Classic City Bee Company is getting through the winter with their Southern Wildflower Honey and Orange Blossom Honey. I can’t tell you which of these is my favorite, they’re both so, so good. You can find everything they make right here in their shop and this weekend they’re offering 20% off online with code BlackFriday2016.
So head out, or head online and #ShopSmall this weekend!
