Shopping Small: A Gift Guide

I know there are lots of statistics and information about the impact shopping local can have on your community.  I've read some good posts that thoroughly explain the impact of each dollar spent.  These posts always interest and amaze me and I love to read them.

But what does it really mean to shop small?

 Being a small business owner, I look at it a little deeper.

As many of you know, we have three shops at Spice Village in Waco, Texas: 

Tradinghouse Design Co., Bee Angels, and Lily's Toybox. 

We also have a website where we mostly sell our handmade items but are always happy to help ship any items not listed.  Just contact us!

Though we personally handcraft many of our items, we also support other small businesses by offering their products in our shops.  

When you buy from a small business, each item offered, if not handmade, is at least handpicked.  I spend hours perusing catalogs, reaching out to other entrepreneurs to carry their products, treasure hunting all over and looking for the best products to offer our customers.

I love my job.  I love ordering, printing price tags, sticking them on thousands of items, designing new handmade products, scavenger hunting for cool, old, odd stuff, displaying all the goodies, helping customers' projects come to life, even doing the paperwork-most of the time!

So as many of you are finishing your gift buying for Christmas, I wanted to post this now but also for anytime because we always appreciate our customers.

On this post I wanted to highlight a few things we do and provide that you may not know about.

Maybe you've never visited our shops or our website.  Maybe you have but it's been a while.  Or maybe you have and you overlooked some of our favorites.

I guess this is kind of like a gift guide for hidden gems in our shops.

I will start with what I think we are known for, our handmade items.

Many of our items are made right here in Waco, Texas by myself, Jason and Lily.

We have big and small products in this category from furniture (tables, hutches, TV stands) to signs to shelves to ornaments. 

Custom items make great gifts and we are always excited to help make your projects a reality.

 Waco Hat Co. has the best looking hats in Waco.

This genuine company is locally born and owned and gives back to the community in a big way.

Look stylish while supporting Mission Waco.

Waco lovers appreciate these hand drawn postcards.   

Artist, Margaret Sanders, captures Waco landmarks in the most beautiful way.

 Made from recycled bottles by a local Baylor student, these cups make a great vase, pencil holder or glass.

Available in assorted styles.

 Handmade Dolls and Plushies.  Each is made with love by a mom in Florida.  You have to see these in real life to appreciate all the precious details. The rag dolls are perfect for little ones.

Handmade by Grammie (Lily's Grammie, Jason's mom) bags are great for gift giving.  

Armored Armadillo to Zippy Zebra: An Alliterative Anthology of Animal is a fun book, written by local author Carol Robinson Baker.

Lily received a copy for her birthday and we love learning and looking for all the different hidden items.

Eeboo games, toys, puzzles, pencils and sketch books are full of color and whimsy.

Products range in age from toddler to 100.

 Our retro toys are a hit and who doesn't like to reminiscence about their childhood?!

TLC Farms Goat Milk Soaps and Body Products are made right in Franklin, Texas and are the best products I have ever used!  And I've tested lots. The soaps are also beautiful.

Poo~Pourri is a fun item that is great for gag gifts...and that will even be used.
Invented by a woman in a stinky bathroom near Dallas, Texas, this is one of the products we've carried the longest.  We've offered Poo~Pourri in a wide variety of scents for over 10 years!

Milkhouse Candles come in an adorable, reusable milk bottle and smell lovely.  I have never been able to choose my favorite! I love them all. 

  Made in the USA from pure beeswax and natural soy wax from soybeans grown in America's Midwest, we also carry votive sizes.  Add one of our Tradinghouse Design Co. signature collection holders for a unique gift. 

To summarize, I love to sell stuff and I love to support people who sell stuff.

I have wanted to do this since I was a kid selling crafts from our boat shed in the back yard.

And now I get to do it for my job!

And when you buy our stuff, it makes our day...and puts food on our table, money into Lily's college fund, gives food to the homeless, lets a mom stay home with her kids, provides a college student lunch, puts Christmas money in Grammie's wallet for her grandchildren, lets an artist share her talents with the world...

When you shop small, you aren't just buying something, you are changing someone's life.

You are making their dreams come true.

And you are appreciated.

Thank you!