Supporting small businesses this holiday season | The Triangle

Supporting small businesses this holiday season

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With the holiday season quickly approaching, it has become easy for us to run to department stores in the mall or places like Target and Walmart to pick up gifts for our families and friends. We tend to forget the small businesses that make up our community and provide us with diverse options, utilize local goods and put the profits they make back into their products. While there were significantly more small businesses in Philadelphia prior to the pandemic, there are nearly 23,000 small businesses located in our city today!  

Walking into a small business is more personal than online shopping or wandering the mall and you have the opportunity to build a relationship with the owner who most likely built their store from scratch. Their stories are inspiring and you can tell their hard work and passion went directly into the items they are selling. An increasing number of smaller businesses manufactures their products with clean ingredients while trying to be more environmentally friendly, so you can feel better about what you are bringing into your home, putting in your body or gifting to someone. Local shops help grow the circulation of money within the community by building up the town’s economy and continuing to bring growth and innovation.  

Supporting your local entrepreneurs this upcoming season is simple, but if you are in need of some ideas of where to start here in Philly, here is a quick rundown of my personal favorites! 

For the book lover in your life, A Novel Idea in East Passyunk is the place to shop at. The floor-to-ceiling shelves are filled with books written by bestsellers and small-press authors, covering every genre from mystery thrillers to cookbooks! You can also find canvas bags, perfect for carrying your new books and character-themed bookmarks and artwork.  

Prepared to feel pampered and calm when walking into Ritual Shoppe in Rittenhouse Square. You can find candles, essential oils, incense matches, crystals and journals that are perfect for anyone ready to start off the new year with a fresh start. They even sell a line of ethically sourced jewelry that is made by hand using sustainable materials. 

Asia Crafts in Chinatown is home to a variety of stickers, stationery products and decorative items imported from Asia. There are plenty of trinkets perfect for anyone looking into sprucing up a new room or who loves collecting nickknacks. They also carry a wide range of Hello-Kitty-themed toys and crafts and BTS fan merchandise as well.  

If you plan to visit the German Christmas Village in Center City, make sure to stop by the 80 different shops set up outside of City Hall! From hot sauce to homemade dog treats to crazy-patterned socks and shampoo bars, the Christmas Village has a little something for everyone. 

If you are planning to start making your list soon, look into the small businesses near you this holiday season and make the effort to start shopping locally!