Going Small

Jay and I each had the day off today and we wandered around, continuing our Christmas shopping.  I was telling him how much I admire Julie Goodnight and her husband, Rich Moorhead.  They are firm believers in supporting their local economy.  Every year, they try to do a project around their ranch and they always hire in local contractors and workers.  Jay and I aren't in a position to pump the kind of money into small businesses that Julie and Rich can, but we can do something.  And that something this year is to buy our Christmas presents only from small businesses.

We spent some time wandering around local shops and we found some really cool places.  There was a place that makes homemade bath stuff (I had to buy some stuff, just to try them out), a spice shop (we had to buy some stuff, just to try them out), a curiosity shop, a couple of comic book stores, and our favorite - a kitchen store (and had to buy some stuff, you know...).

And then I started thinking, Mrs Mom had a list of people on Facebook who have small businesses and I thought I'd share a similar list** here.  This is by no means a comprehensive list and if I accidentally forget someone, please forgive me.  Feel free to add yourself or your business in the comments section; include a description of your product and a link.

• Jay Wilson - did the GunDiva logos, business cards and shirts.  Want something custom designed for you?  Check him out.
• Southern Winds Solutions and The Asylum Creations - Mrs Mom's paracord business.  This woman can make *anything* from paracord.  Trust me on this.
• Tracey Westbury, who you might know from Mustang Diaries, has some amazing things up on Cafe Press.  Check out Mustang Fever.  She also does leatherwork, which is pretty cool.
• 13 Zulu does custom kydex holsters and duracoating.  Pretty cool work, in fact, I'm currently using a 13 Zulu holster and love it.
• In Northern Colorado, Double Tap Shooting Academy offers several classes.
• And I almost forgot, my favorite small business, Allenspark Lodge.

I *know* there are tons of bloggers out there who are also small business owners.  Please, please, add yourself in the comments section.

**I totally stole this idea from Mrs Mom.