Black-Owned Businesses to Shop for Holiday Gifts

by Katie Hin Musingson Posted on

If you’re like me, you’re probably sick of gift guides that always suggest whiskey stones or golf clubs for the men in your life, and perhaps some nice lady things like a KitchenAid or a bottle-sized wine glass for your ladies. (Side note, I would love both of those last two things, but I’d also appreciate some creativity, you know?)

I’ve found that many gift guides tend to throw the nuanced people in our lives into categories (mainly Manly Men Who Eat Meat! and Kindly Women Who Need A Break!), so instead, I’ve tried to offer some general ideas that you can adapt for your loved ones or coworkers who you used to sit next to back when going into the office was a thing.

Obviously, 2020 has been a hell of a ride, and the social reckoning the United States experienced this summer after the unjust deaths of Black people in the news is just the tip of the iceberg for addressing deep-rooted social issues in this country. I’m not trying to solve racism here, but in a year that has also seen 79% of small businesses feel “a moderate-to-large negative effect from the pandemic,” why not throw some support behind a Black-owned small business while scoring some great presents for your Zoom gift exchanges? (I know. We’ve really hit rock bottom.)

And if you’re interested in more gift guides, check out these:

  • The Adventurer’s Guide to Sustainable Gifts
  • How to Gift an Experience This Year
    • Note: gifting experiences has obviously become more difficult this year, but spending time with loved ones is more important than ever. All of these can be adapted for the pandemic, like sending your siblings a board game and playing with them over Zoom, or treating your significant other to a (take-out) fancy dinner. And if you really want to be optimistic, gift someone an “IOU” for concert tickets for a show you’ll both love whenever in-person concerts are a thing again.

And look out for designated initiatives to support small businesses this week, like Small Business Saturday and Women-Led Wednesday.

Important note: many small businesses can’t churn out billions of products a day due to their small supply chain (that’s the whole point), so please be patient with your expected wait time. It’ll be worth the wait. And all the more reason to get your shopping done sooner rather than later so you can spend the last two weeks of December kicking back and enjoying a nice mug of tea (see below).

With that, let’s get to it! (Does this sound like a YouTube intro? I’ve been watching way too much YouTube.)

1. Mented / For your sister who’s way better at makeup than you are

I don’t actually have a sister, but if I did, she’d be better at makeup than me. Anyway, Amanda E. Johnson and KJ Miller created Mented after they realized they were having a hard time finding the perfect nude lipstick. Their brand has now expanded to all sorts of makeup, and their “Holiday Faves Trio” made this year’s list of “Oprah’s Favorite Things,” so you know they’re the real deal.

All of Mented’s lipsticks are vegan, paraben-free, non-toxic, and cruelty-free.

2. Independent Bookstores / For your dad or father figure who flies through non-fiction like it’s nobody’s business

I’ve been participating in NaNoWriMo for the first time this year (National Novel Writing Month, for the newly-initiated), and whew, it’s been a time. A good time! But a time. One cool thing they’ve been doing is sending out Black-owned book shops in their weekly email blasts. Below is a shortlist of such stores to get you started, and AALBC.com has a comprehensive list of US-based shops to peruse.

*Also woman-owned

3. Cool Art / For your friend desperately trying to brighten up the walls of their shoebox apartment

This list could be endless — see the resources linked at the bottom of this post! — but here are a few of my favorites:

The rainbow “Outdoors for All” pin in the cover image above is from Jitterbug Art!  

4. Fun Jewelry / For your mom or mother figure with better style than you

AKA my mom. Like the artists above, this list could be much longer, but here are some excellent choices (and scroll down for more!):

  • 1156East for adorable clay statement earrings
  • Filosophy for “metal and stones for all skin tones.” So good.
  • Noble Fawn Jewelry for clay earrings for the pattern-obsessed (also fun hair clips!)

5. Photodom / For your hipster brother who shoots film (or wants to)

Listen, there are a lot of excellent Black photographers out there (see the Cool Art section above). But as far as I can tell, there are not a lot of companies in the film/photography space that are Black-owned. So let’s show some love to Photodom, a photography store that Dominick Lewis opened in Brooklyn this fall. Photography buffs can buy film and a variety of cool cameras, and the fashionable people in your life can rock their sweet apparel.

My favorites:

6. Brooklyn Tea / For your coworker who’s always nursing a mug on your Zoom calls

We’re entering the heart of tea season, and what better way to show your team some love than with delicious tea? Brooklyn Tea also sells cute tea-adjacent products, like this stovetop kettle and this tea cup.

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I hope this gift guide helps spark some ideas for your holiday shopping this year while supporting some deserving small businesses. This list is obviously not comprehensive, but for more inspiration, I’ll link a few more resources below for more Black-owned businesses to cover all your gift-giving needs:

Take care of yourself and those around you throughout the holiday season, and let’s bring a little joy to the end of this year. What small businesses are you supporting this year? Drop your favorites in the comments & I’ll share!