Small businesses to shop at this holiday season
This winter, consider shopping small for the holidays to counter overconsumption and consumerism.
By Michaela Ely
As the holidays rapidly approach, holiday shopping becomes increasingly stressful with the economy in a downward spiral and the push towards overconsumption via social media apps or directly from corporations. In times like these, it is essential to be intentional not just of the places you shop, but how you choose to shop as well.
Tacoma has several small businesses that deserve recognition for the unique niche they fill or what they provide to the community.
Shelf Indulgence, a romance bookstore on 6th Ave, is a key example of this. As the first permanent romance bookstore in Tacoma, Shelf Indulgence provides a space with community and love at the forefront. They highlight LGBTQIA+ romance stories, indie and local authors from the Pacific Northwest. They also responded to the recent complications in SNAP benefits by starting their own food drive within their store. Shopping at this store for the romance reader in your life is a must, and this is a business worth supporting as they continue to support the Tacoma community.
Another business to highlight, as they partner with many local artisans to provide a curated selection of goods, is Stocklist Goods and Gifts. Opening in 2016 through a collaboration with the Spaceworks program, this shop has survived in its downtown location through the pandemic and has even been able to expand. This store is perfect for the people on your list who say “I don’t want anything,” because you will be able to find something that they never would have thought of to ask for in the first place. Stocklist provides a variety of unique gifts for every kind of person on your holiday shopping list.
For the people interested in holistic health on your holiday shopping list, Black Bird Apothecary on South Tacoma Way provides a variety of tools that may support their journey such as herbs, crystals and divination books/decks. Black Bird Apothecary was another business that responded to the complications in SNAP benefits by starting a food drive/pantry for community members. Black Bird Apothecary was started by UWT student, Katie Scott, in 2024 and has become a supportive space for the community to engage in healing.
For those wanting to get creative with their holiday gifting, Tinkertopia is the perfect place to start. Opening over a decade ago in downtown Tacoma, this creative reuse center provides a variety of materials that can be purchased individually or through their bulk bags to support a variety of projects. They also sell DIY kits for a variety of projects, but all of their materials are donated and are incredibly affordable.
Finally, for the music lovers and collectors in your life, Hi-Voltage Records has been a Tacoma installation for 20 years. They sell vinyl records for artists from every genre you can think of, as well as selling CDs and books.? They have an incredibly large selection both in store and online and sell both used and new records and CDs.
Supporting small businesses is essential to supporting the growth of our local economy and our local community. Shopping small and shopping intentionally helps to counter the messages being perpetuated throughout the holiday season that promote overconsumption. All of these businesses are a great place to start, but for more recommendations, visit the Shop Local Tacoma website.
