Kay's Obsessions

Have you ever done your Christmas shopping from small local shops? I am proud to say I have this year. Where I live, near Charlotte, NC, we have a lot of support for the small business community. I love this because honestly, small business owners are the best people. Today, I went to the local ice cream stop, and happened upon a small business popup event next door. It was so cute! I love checking out tables and tents of goods and pretty sparkly things. There were quite a few tents up in the freezing cold and the shop owners were all bundled up bravely facing the cold and wind of winter to showcase their work.

I am proud of these people for their hard work and dedication to their shops. Many of these small businesses are Etsy run and do not have storefronts or even websites. The running of the business relies solely on the owner and the site of their choosing to help promote their products. And of course popup events and festivals are huge as well in getting exposure to the public. Yesterday, Charlotte had its annual Small Shop Saturday event in downtown Charlotte. It was so great! So many cute shops set up their products and had beautiful displays of their work. My family and friends and I spend a few hours wandering the expansive setup and bought goodies for our holiday shopping. It was a lot of fun. Not only did the popup businesses get exposure to the community that they might not have otherwise gotten, but the establishments nearby got business as well. We went for lunch at the Shake Shack, but there are many many other restaurants and food stops along the route of the event that benefitted from the influx of humans coming to that area. It was overall a very successful event. The whole street was filled midday and it went on for more than a mile! Amazing job Charlotte!

Something that I love about where I live, is the community of good people. The whole North Carolina community is amazing and loves to support one another. That applies to now, with the small shop event over the weekend, and it applied a few months ago when we were hit with the biggest hurricane NC has ever seen. This is such a strong community and I love being able to go to these events whether it be in Charlotte, or in smaller towns. Gathering together to support these people who are doing what they love is so amazing. These shop owners are just people like you and me who have hobbies. And they turned those hobbies into successful businesses that spread joy to others. From crystal booths, to jewelry, knitted items, to 3d printed figurines. There is something for everybody. So I encourage you to look at small shop events near you. Find out when and where and go support local small shops. They will appreciate your business and the exposure. But it goes both ways! I guarantee you will leave with something gorgeous that you will love!