Is it just us, or does it seem a little *too* easy to order items from Amazon these days? You don’t always get what you wish for… or pay for. We’ve rounded up the best small business gifts from some fantastic creators to get this year’s shopping list going. From Etsy shops to small business vendors we’ve stumbled upon, cheers to shopping small!
- Best for cozy aromatherapy: Queer Candle Co: Sea Salt and Orchid Candle
- Best for the winter sports nut: Glitz Soap Co. Lip Butter in Vanilla Mint
- Best for the vegan baker: Nutty Novelties – The Vegan Sampler
- Best for the foodie: Bachan’s Family of Sauces – Gift Pack
- Best for the new homeowner: Art prints by The Pairabirds (Tabitha Brown)
- Best for the kitchen aficionado: AR’s Hot Southern Honey – Bourbon Barrel Aged Hot Honey
- Best for the artsy friend: Hand-dyed Indigo Textiles, Home Decor, and Fashion from Adroit
- Best for brightening anyone’s day: Rice & Ink Stationery and Gifts
- Best for your crafty cousin: Tabloach Bubble Butt Babies Crochet patterns
- Best for a faraway friend: Farmhouse Chocolates
A Healthline editor selected the products below, which were then vetted to ensure that they align with Healthline’s brand integrity standards and approach to well-being. The editor also tested all of these products hands-on. Read more about our product selection process.
Best for cozy aromatherapy
Queer Candle Co: Sea Salt and Orchid Candle
The 8-ounce (oz.) version of this candle burns for up to 50 hours. It’s hand-poured in reusable containers. We love the options (including upcycled seasonal mugs) for their ever-exciting rotation of scents. Sea salt and orchid is our fave; it’s great year-round.
Queer Candle Co. donates 10% of their monthly earnings to the Sylvia Rivera Law Project, an NYC grassroots organization working to “guarantee that all people are free to self-determine gender identity and expression, regardless of income or race, and without facing harassment, discrimination or violence.”
Best for the winter sports nut
Glitz Soap Co. Lip Butter in Vanilla Mint
It’s no secret that we all get parched lips during colder winter months: skiers and snowboarders included! In our search for the best lip protection, we stumbled upon this Pennsylvania-made lip butter in various flavors, including Earl gray, Lavanilla, Margarita, and Creamsicle. It’s vegan and eco-friendly, packaged in a fun push-up tube.
Glitz Soap Co. has many other 100% vegan, handmade eco products available for everyone on your list: beard care, home and pet items, bath bombs, and more. Glitz Soap Co. has partnered with Ecologi to help in the efforts of reforestation around the world. As of this writing, over 3,490 trees have been planted.
Best for the vegan baker
Nutty Novelties – The Vegan Sampler
Five vegan nut butters available in a cutely wrapped package? Yes, please! Nutty Novelties has a slew of yummy offerings, and this gift pack includes almond, cashew, peanut, chocolate peanut, and pistachio butters. They’re good for baking or simply adding to toast for a little extra oomph in your day.
Shipping is free for orders over $39. In addition to nut butters, Nutty Novelties also offer energy bites and apparel. They also have free recipes available on their site.
Best for the foodie
Bachan’s Family of Sauces – Gift Pack
This Japanese-style barbecue sauce comes in four unique flavors: The Original, Gluten-free, Yuzu, and Hot & Spicy. It’s a gift you may want to keep for yourself — this sauce pack will add flavor to veggie and meat dishes alike. Our favorite is the Yuzu flavor, it’s great on chicken!
Bachan’s, which means Granny in Japanese, is named after the owner’s own grandmother. All products are non-GMO certified. For anyone who needs a little extra help in the kitchen, there are recipes available on Bachan’s site.
Best for the new homeowner
Art prints by The Pairabirds (Tabitha Brown)
Have a friend who recently bought a new home? Gift them a unique art print by Tabitha Brown. Tabitha’s work displays women enjoying life, created with a mix of vintage paper, found textures, and drawings. We love the horoscope images, as well as the stunning silhouettes with flowers.
Available to shop from society6, Etsy, Red Bubble, Teepublic, and Fine Art America, Tabitha’s art can be printed on t-shirts, stationery, and more.
Best for the kitchen aficionado
AR’s Hot Southern Honey – Bourbon Barrel Aged Hot Honey
After stumbling upon and testing AR’s Hot Southern Honey at a festival, we now put this hot honey on fried chicken, scrambled eggs, and even in chili. AR’s Southern Honey is located in Virginia. This honey has the combination your sweet, yet spicy tooth may be looking for. We adore the Bourbon Barrel-aged hot honey— check out AR’s site for many flavor options and combinations.
In addition to hot honey, AR’s sells hot sauce and honey peanut butters. They also have a cookbook full of hot honey recipes.
Best for the artsy friend
Hand-dyed Indigo Textiles, Home Decor, and Fashion from Adroit
For your chill aunt or artsy friend who loves to show off their style, Adroit’s hand-dyed textiles and fashion are sure to stun in the midst of winter. Bohemian and chic, Adroit’s items are all sustainably made in the ancient Japanese Shibori technique of hand dyeing.
You can buy hand-dyed items from Adroit to gift, or you can also buy a Shibori Dyeing Kit to give it a try yourself.
Best for brightening anyone’s day
Rice & Ink Stationery and Gifts
These handcrafted items are so adorable, you’ll want to send their stationery and cards to everyone you know. Featuring a Shiba Inu dog with a big smile, there are lots of options for gifts for family and friends in Rice & Ink’s shop, including mugs, greeting cards, stickers, and more. You can even commission a custom Sumi ink (black & white) pet portrait as a memory or keepsake.
These sumi-e ink style paintings are inspired by the owner’s shiba inu and other pets. For an extra special present, you can commission a custom sumi ink black and white pet portrait to gift.
Best for your crafty cousin
Tabloach Bubble Butt Babies Crochet patterns
If you know any crafters (specifically, crocheters) who are on the lookout for fun patterns, look no further than Tabloach Productions. The shop is full of hilarious creatures, animals, and food… all with adorable butts! These made us smile, and are sure to crochet up quickly — whether you gift the pattern, or create it yourself, the Bubble Butt Babies are full of fun.
These patterns create amigurumi, which is the Japanese art of knitting or crocheting small, stuffed yarn creatures. We can’t get enough of these.
Best for a faraway friend
Farmhouse Chocolates
We love these handcrafted chocolates made in Vermont that ship anywhere in the U.S. From dark chocolate truffles to chocolate-covered salted caramels, Farmhouse is sure to please the chocolate lover who lives cross-country.
Created in a soy-free, GMO-free, and corn syrup-free facility, read more about Farmhouse’s process. Farmhouse focuses on sourcing organic, fair trade, and local ingredients to bring customers quality dark chocolate.
This holiday season, we’ve brought you items that will surely delight your friends and family. The items are unique, just like your loved ones, and buying from small businesses benefits everyone.
On the hunt for more gifts? Head over to Healthline’s Season of Self-Care, your go-to destination for the latest must-have health and wellness gifts for your loved ones — and for you!