5 Small Online Shops You’ve Never Heard Of (But Will Love)

I am self-admittedly an amazon prime buff, a connoisseur if you will. I have all my essentials on One-Click and pick up packages weekly at my nearest Amazon Locker. See some nice hand-knit fuzzy socks for $30 at a boutique? Nope. Amazon will have those for 3 bucks. How could someone like me, such an advocate for sustainable and responsible shopping, have so little impulse control? I’m addicted to stuff. $100 essential oil diffuser? I want it. $4 fuzzy socks? Hell yes, I will take TEN. I know in the back of my mind that I will have holes in 4/5 of my Forever 21 tops, while my high-quality silk blouses (which can be thrifted btw!!!!) will be intact forever. The fact is that you really do get what you pay for, and I’m sorry Mom for not listening to you the first 300 times. I’ve quickly learned that many of my beautifully-made $5 thrift store finds hold up 10x better than any fast fashion find, which brings me to the point of cost-per-wear. It’s so easy to buy something because you saw your favorite it-girl wearing it, but it’s much more worth your while to invest in items you’ll truly get adequate use out of.

Which brings me to the point of this article. After falling down a rabbit hole of Shop Small Saturday articles (which started thanks to my inability to turn off notifications for Buzzfeed), I’ve gathered my 5 fave shops to share, from clothing to accessories to home decor (bye bye, F21 and Ikea!!). Scroll below to read:

Three Potato Four

The cutest place to get your vintage-inspired and sometimes vulgar gifts, knick-knacks, novelties, and the cutest hand-printed totes.

Some Of Our Faves:

Best Made Co.

Simply put, Best Made Co. makes, well, the best. From an axe to a dog collar, this store has it all down pat, and their items are ready to last you a lifetime. I think I have this as my go-to Father’s Day shop from now on.

Some Of Our Faves:

Mister Green

Some cool contemporary goods that are useful and hella cute but also strongly allude to marijuana. Dibs on the bong water Nalgene.

Some Of Our Faves:

Banquet Workshop

A Vancouver-based duo of wonderful, sustainable queens who screen print and sign all their home goods, art, and apparel! Pretty cool if you ask me.

Some Of Our Faves:

Gantri

There are a lot of cool things about this uber-modern lighting company: the fact that their lamps are 3-D printed, made of corn kind of (read a more educated description of that statement here.), AND they’re all under $200. Making the modernism aesthetic affordable while still helping the environment, yes please!