shop independent this christmas (again!)

 © Lola Hoad

This post is going out a year to the exact day our last 'Christmas Challenge' post went out. It was a post that changed this little business as it went 'viral' and grew our audience ten-fold. I'm intensely grateful for how well the idea was received, and seeing that graphic fly around social media was amazing, even if it did eventually leave a bitter taste in my mouth. 

By supporting independents at Christmas, you are not only pumping money into that business, but you're also helping that maker live. Pay rent, pay all of those bills (maybe even on time). Eat. It really is a big deal. Much bigger than giving that CEO of a large corporation some play money. You're funding someone's livelihood. That's why this Christmas, and every one after that, I will only be buying gifts from small, independent retailers. I'd love it if you could set yourself the same challenge. Buying local, independent and small makes your hard-earned money go a lot further than it would if you just went to a certain HUGE online low-priced store. It's a brave thing to start your own business in this world full of pound shops and online outlets, applaud those who are going against the grain and making something of themselves.

This year, I've re-done the graphic which you can download for free here. Something that I'm really excited about, as I'm sure you may have seen on Instagram, we've also had some tote bags made with the saying on, so you can wear it with pride when you are christmas shopping (beat those 5p carrier bag charges!) or when you're heading to the post office with all of your christmas orders. If you are an independent retailer and fancy a print for your shop window, grab one here.

I'll be doing a mini blog series on this topic again, but with a twist. Leave your recommendations of indie shops in the comments, and I'll compile them into a handy post to give everyone tips on where to shop. 

(please share and share away, but play nice and leave the credit on/tag us!)