Small Business Saturday Ideas (supporting zero waste & beauty spaces)
Nomad Beauty Therapy’s retail shelf of small businesses items in Rochester Hills, MI
The holiday season is in full swing. As an environmentalist, I love to talk about under consuming as much as possible to help curb the amount of waste that the holidays can generate, especially when it comes to Black Friday.
Instead of glorifying the controversy around Black Friday, I wanted to highlight the importance of Small Business Saturday - while it’s not completely about reduction of waste, the nature of the holiday does help people consume less AND support local communities.
Small Business Saturday is a holiday created in 2010 to bring back the spark we put aside with the rise of big box stores. Not only is it a great alternative to Black Friday (and with the general behavior it entails) but
it brings prosperity to the artists, the service providers of the community, and to the champions going out and making a difference in the world.
The best part is this retailer holiday is near the holiday season, so it’s a perfect time to utilize this day to purchase experiences or presents for your loved ones. I, personally, do not have an Amazon Wishlist because I want experiences, homemade, or gifts from local vendors because it’s more fun for me - and it sounds like I’m not the only one.
Here are some great businesses in the beauty and zero waste sector to support during this holiday season and beyond:
SALONS
Salons support our local beauty professionals and create community in our local areas. This includes hair, skin, massage, nails, and beyond! They offer a place of solace where people can feel their best and look their best.
Ways you can support them:
Purchasing gift cards for yourself or others for future services
Buying products you may need or that others can enjoy
BEAUTY PROFESSIONALS
Beauty professionals will always be independent by nature, so whatever you can do to support them is so meaningful. Beauty pros are never just doing services; they are running a full business that includes being a photographer, creating education, building their retail, marketing, bringing new innovative ideas to their space, giving back to the community, and so on.
Ways you can support them:
Buying products directly from them or using their affiliate links (instead of using Amazon)
Sharing their work on your social media pages
Recommending them to your friends and family
Seeing if you can purchase a gift card from them for future services (plus it’s like a little gift to yourself for the future)
REFILLERIES/ZERO WASTE STORES
Refilleries and Zero Waste Stores are a big up and coming model for retail and provide sustainable community advocacy in your local area. These shops provide plastic-free alternatives, help reduce single-use packaging, and usually have local maker products featured in their shop as well. You can find your nearest Refillery through the Refillery Collective Directory.
Ways you can support them:
Checking out their shop and learning about alternatives
Buy these products for holiday gifts for your loved ones
Recommend these shops to your loved ones
INDEPENDENT BEAUTY RETAILERS
Supporting beauty businesses that are not part of a big franchise deserve all of our love from the beauty industry! Local beauty supply stores such as Windsor Beauty Supply and Marlo Beauty Supply are important to our industry but especially to local professionals, where they create community through education, quality products, and consistent customer service. Also, retailers such as Citrine Natural Beauty Bar is a fantastic alternative to a franchise beauty retailer if you’re looking for something more personal.
Ways you can support them:
Signing up for their email list to stay up to date on events
Buying products from them and (hopefully) becoming regular customers
Gift cards for your beauty professional friends so they can utilize them
LOCAL BRANDS
Local brands have many advantages like reducing their carbon footprint and the ability to create small batch products (which leads to less excess products, less waste, and less preservatives).
Some of my favorite local brands include Ace High Co from Ferndale, Michigan and Bobby’s Hair Foils from Ypsilanti, Michigan.
Ways you can support them:
Purchasing their products
Getting gift cards for their products
Signing up for their email list
Sharing them on your social media pages
Consider using these brands for a giveaway through your own business and to uplift theirs
INDIE BEAUTY BRANDS
Indie Beauty Brands are the underdog of beauty brands. They do so much behind the scenes and are able to do things differently that bigger brands can’t do. Beauty brands such as Plaine Products (who offer refill options), DIP Haircare (who offer packageless options), and Axiology Makeup (who offer plastic alternatives) are three indie brands that create a huge impact and have the ability to do beauty differently.
Ways you can support them:
Purchasing their products
Or buying their products through their affiliates or local retailers (which then you get to support TWO businesses at the same time)
Gifting these products as gifts to your friends and family for the holidays
ARTISTS
Always support artists! This can be any kind of creator: painters, graphic designers, musicians, and so on. These are also great to support in your local business or as gifts for the holidays. Some of my favorite artists include Atypical Supply Co, Alexandria Bishop, Indie Honeybee Jewelry, and SalonCraft.
Ways you can support them:
Buying their art for your home or business
Partner with them to showcase them in your place of business
Experience or share an event they are a part of - whether that’s a concert, gallery, or tabling event
So this holiday season (and every day after), support your favorite small businesses. We have seen a number of them close or decline since the COVID pandemic.
Without small businesses - we see less soul, less art, and less creativity in our communities.
Let’s change that.