Say “NO” To Thanksgiving Shopping- Small Business Saturday

As a blogger during these past few weeks leading up to Thanksgiving my inbox has been flooded with “guide to Black Friday” shopping emails. I have ignored every single one. Although Thanksgiving is not a true holiday in the most literal since of the word- meaning it is not a “holy day” tied to a system of belief it is a day that most people spend with family, or friends who have become our family as “friends giving” has become a popular new tradition for the day.

I have adamantly ignored every piece of email touting Black Friday discounts because the sales and overall consumerism has reached an all time level of disrespect. Not only have retailers attempted to woo consumers with the promise of deep discounts to help them meet their own annual revenue goals, many of them have suggested that you wolf down your holiday meal, rush from the one time a year when family is forced to eat at a table together and begin your Thanksgiving shopping before you can properly sleep off your zyptrophan -induced post, Turkey Day “itis”.

The day that has traditionally been dedicated to moving from the dining room table to gathering as a family in front of the television to watch football, catch up on each other’s lives or just simply down a second (or third) plate of food has been turned into a microwave holiday where you are encouraged to Shop! Buy! Spend! All with the promise of deep discounts.

Well I’m not here for any of it… I plan to spend the day luxuriating in the moments and quality time generated by love, laughter, good food and in my house- plenty of wine. Instead of rushing out to Walmart, Target or “insert retailer of choice here” I will be enjoying time with the people who share my DNA, a collective history and a lifetime of memories. I will dedicate myself to creating new memories and if nothing else I will relish in the fact that my dining room table will be used for something other than the collection of mail that always manages to pile up there.

Suffice it to say that I enjoy both gifting and receiving and most of my shopping will be done on small business Saturday- with local retailers who are either from my hometown of Baltimore or located in MD. Here are a few places to check out for small business Saturday- support minority businesses that offer unique gifting options and items that you won’t see everywhere.

Fly Nerd
Hands down this is one of my favorite local artisans- I fancy myself a bit of a sneaker head and the best companion for a fly shoe is a fly tee- Fly Nerd offers uniquely designed tees created by Andrea Tomlin who managed to marry her love of fashion with graphic design with these awesome t-shirts

Fly Nerd

Truth outfitters
Alex Bank$ is the creator behind the brand which was born during his high school years when fitting in is such a struggle for just about everyone- Bank$ Tag line for the line is striving to “fit in while standing out” and the collection is equal parts art and fashionable.

Truth Outfitters

K. Staton Boutique
If you’re a curvy girl in the DMV K.Staton Boutique is a must shopping destination for you. Jade Greer the dynamic owner of the boutique has a carefully curated selection of high end, high quality options for the curvy fashionista.

K. Staton