Women, L.G.B.T.+, Black-Owned and Other Small Businesses to Support This Small Business Saturday

Unleash your inner goddess (and discover it with their very own quiz) with a statement piece from Awe Inspired, a female-founded jewelry brand designed with high standards, the cosmos and Greek mythology in mind. Awe Inspired also not only has ethically sourced gemstones but ethically sourced inspirations behind its foundation, like advocating for feminism and social justice and giving back to organizations, including NAACP and RAINN. This is a jewelry brand with radiant staple pieces that celebrities such as Taylor Swift, Kristen Bell, Meghan Markle, Sarah Jessica Parker, Halle Bailey and many more simply adore.

Lifelong friends Parnell Cezar and Rod Johnson started BLK & Bold inspired by their desire to invest in youth and advance and guide today’s children and tomorrow’s future. In fact, BLK & Bold donates 5% of its proceeds to nonprofit organizations across America that share this mission. They recently became a licensed partner for Marvel Studios’ Black Panther Wakanda Forever. BLK & Bold values quality-tasting tea and coffee that can be conveniently delivered to fellow caffeine fiends, which you can taste for yourself.

If you’re looking for a clean and vegan skincare line, the dynamic duo behind Alder New York has you covered. This queer and woman-owned independent skincare line was created in NYC over a decade ago by Nina Zilka and David Krause. The brand offers science-backed ingredients, plant extracts and dermatologist-approved ingredients and has multiple stellar five-star reviews from loyal fans raving about the products on their website.

Score big with your favorite sports fans this holiday season with a cute and super durable mug from Maxi’s Creations. Founded by Max Ash when he was only ten years old, Max has donated over 70 thousand dollars to dyslexia-related charities as someone who has dyslexia himself. If your sports-obsessed loved ones are old enough to hold a mug and young enough at heart, this is the perfect gift for them. (Also, pro tip: if you can’t think of something to buy for a white elephant gift exchange, it would be a total serve to bring one of these mugs to the playing field.)

If your bestie is still riding that Steve Harrington high (which, I really can’t blame them), you can actually buy a candle that supposedly smells like him. Or one that smells like a One Direction Reunion. Or Florence Pugh. Or one that smells like literally anyone whom your best friend is obsessed with (or you could treat yourself to one yourself). These candles have an average review of five stars and 27,005 sales from this AAPI-owned, Dallas-based shop and would make for a hilarious gag (or serious) gift in your loved one’s life. Case in point. Candle in cart. Smells inspired by fave celebrities in room. Happy holidays.

Who doesn’t love a good pop culture reference or funny cat meme? Well, with this Etsy shop, you can find both—and so much more—in painted form. Clare is a Korean-American artist based in Brooklyn and her art is based in reflective collages of her past and present, crafting each painting with the same bright magenta base layer that she describes as her “inner world,” according to her website. She appears to have an affinity for Danny Devito and egg paintings, and her cute memeified animal paintings make me feel sunny.

As a bisexual woman, I was over the moon when I discovered the clever and colorful jewelry business Feminiscence on TikTok. This brand was created to “reminisce and remember historical women,” according to Tayla Chapa, the brand’s founder. Chapa does this by creating stunning handmade earrings in honor of women’s and L.G.B.T. rights and more, including collections for Frida Kahlo, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and other empowered women.

In September, I attended an event celebrating the book “Olga Dies Dreaming” by Xochitl Gonzalez. That event was hosted by Cafe con Libros (“coffee with books”), an Afro-Latinx-owned feminist cafe and bookstore based in Brooklyn that strives to create a vibrant and intersectional community for people, especially those who are female-identifying. You can support Cafe con Libros and its mission directly by buying any book on your wish list from its site.

This New Jersey-based, Black-owned business was founded by Felicia Stokes, who grew up feeling that there was “little to no access to wellness resources within her community.” Felicia is changing the narrative with the creation of this business and her mission to help nourish and prioritize the needs of men and women of color. Additionally, 80 percent of their skincare and wellness products are from women-owned brands. The incredible variety of products Luxurious Wellniss offers to help bring harmony to skin speaks for itself. These include Phoebe Skin, a recently launched brand from skincare expert Felicia Walker Benson, Bitchstix, a lip care nonprofit that supports survivors of domestic abuse and sexual assault, best-selling brands like Beekman 1802 and Dr. Jart and more.

This stationery brand is raising the standards for greeting card designs. Ash & Chess is run by queer and trans couple Ashley Molesso and Chess Needham. They are known for their greeting carts and art prints with eye-catching, retro color palettes and desire to use their talents to uplift the queer community. This past June, the Kingston, New York-based power couple even teamed up with Skittles to help create a bold and unique design for them to celebrate Pride.