By: Bonnie Pipkin
We all know by now that the best thing for all of us to do during the pandemic is to wear masks and limit gathering as much as possible. And staying home means a lot more online shopping, but before you turn to Amazon for convenience, remember your BFFs who are trying to stay in business in these very tough times. If you’re one of the luckies still getting an income, THIS is the time to do your holiday shopping and support small businesses you want to see through to the other side of this.
Here are three reasons, in case you need convincing:
Take a walk around your neighborhood. What is it that brings the life and vibrancy to the community? Hint: it’s probably not the corporate chains. It’s your locally owned and operated shops and restaurants that serve the very community they exist in. This article title from the Chicago Tribune says it all: Small businesses are quietly dying by the thousands during the coronavirus pandemic. With businesses forced to shorten hours and capacity to limit exposure without proper support from the government, we’re going to lose the very lifeblood of our community if we keep turning to Amazon instead of shopping small. Amazon’s very business model is to operate at a loss, so it is even more set up now to monopolize the market. That’s where you come in! Show your love for the people right outside your door and support small business. Many of them ship just as quickly as Amazon, and if not, it’s still early. Start your shopping now & support small business!
2. Find the Most Unique Gifts for your People
The team at Friends NYC work very hard to curate their content, making it a perfect place to shop small for unique gifts. To add a personal note here, I buy my stepdaughters all their presents from Friends. I still see the Lazy Oaf rainbow scarf I got one of them pop up in Instagram photos (see above - cute, right?), so I know I did something right by turning to Friends. You can even shop by brand on the Friends site if you have a Lazy Oaf lover in your life like I do. Look at all these Dickies cuties ringing the gift bells. I also buy my mom a gift from Friends every year. Have you looked at homewares or jewelry? There are total mom gifts in there. Or you can be extra unique (not to mention participate in sustainable gift giving!) and find vintage treasures. I’m about to put this Sonia Rykiel Cashmere Sweater on my Christmas Wish List. Who doesn’t want a cozy and cute cashmere sweater for Christmas?
Green America reports that Amazon still powers its servers by using 50% fossil fuels instead of renewable energy sources. This is a major factor in the existential crisis that is global warming. Not to mention all the reports about exploitative labor practices. It sometimes feels we have very little power in the climate fight but choosing where you shop by factoring in our one and only home, Earth, is crucial right now. It may seem insignificant, but every purchase and supporting small business matters. We’re all trying to find normalcy in these times and trying to find new ways to celebrate the holiday season with our loved ones without spreading the virus. We’ve all been dealt a lot this year. There are new challenges at every turn, it seems. But we can’t forget about our planet. Friends NYC offers plenty of products with eco friendly messaging and sustainable practices as well. The German brand Croll & Denecke is completely sustainable. Or this local BK brand and mother & daughter team that makes everything by hand from clean and sustainable ingredients: Lovewild. Or maybe you want to help someone in your life cut down on plastic use, how about this book F**k Plastic? Finally, throw some sustainably harvested palo santo in the stockings you’re stuffing, and voila! Earth conscious gift giving and shopping!
Black Friday & Small Business Saturday are just around the corner. The symbolic kick off of holiday shopping. This is the year to support small business with Friends (all of your friends and their own businesses) instead of Amazon or Walmart or any other mega-retailers.
We’re all in this together! ♥
