Reasons To Shop Small This Holiday Season

Wow- someone pinch me.  It’s hard to believe that leopard just celebrated ELEVEN years in business.  The anniversary weekend had me feeling all the feels.  I’m always brought back to where I started this time of year- a young woman (I’d just turned 28), a husband who helped me live out my dream by investing everything we had, lots of late nights and early mornings in preparation, getting things ready, and not knowing exactly what to expect.

The community showed up and continues to show up year after year, season after season.  We have an incredible staff that makes leopard what it is, and our loyal customers keep things going.  I can’t emphasize enough what a difference shopping small means to me and every small business owner out there. I’ve compiled a list of some reasons to consider shopping small this upcoming holiday season.

Curated thoughtful collections:  When shopping for gifts, or even clothing and accessories, it’s always fun to find something unique.  At leopard, we stay in tune to what our customers are looking for and are always looking for fun new things.  We can also react quickly when we notice things are hot items, and sometimes get more. This season, the Spanx Air essential tops are FLYING, so we’ve restocked in multiple colors. We are so excited to have Allison Avery Jewelry as an awesome gift option as well as Handbag Handcuff which is such a fun and useful gift for the women in your life!

Environment- Did you know that smaller businesses leave a smaller footprint?  Often, local businesses support other local businesses.  We carry a variety of local vendors including Every Day Fancy Co Candles, Kind Apothecary, Do Me A Favor Tees, and even Cynthia Richard shoes.  Carrying local helps us cut on shipping and emissions.  We also have a handful of lines that are striving to be more eco conscious, including Kitch beauty and accessories and our number one selling brand- Liverpool. Liverpool recently signed the UN Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action, which is companies  around the world who are reducing their carbon emissions.

Community: Small businesses are truly the fabric of your community.  If we want to have picturesque neighborhoods with shops and restaurants, we have to support these businesses.   By shopping local, you’re investing in your local community.  I’m so thankful to have my brick and mortar store in Webster Groves.  The community’s business owners put so much work into not only running their stores, but giving back to the community through planned neighborhood events and even donating to local charities and schools.  Peek at all the fun things we have coming up this upcoming season.

Even if you don't do all your shopping local, just know that even starting small and buying some things local truly makes a difference to the small business owners and to your community.  As always, thanks for following along!  Wear the outfit, get the compliments, spread the love!  -Rachel