[Spotlight] Five small businesses you may not know yet (Indiescovery #1)

Welcome to what I hope will be the first of many quick posts in this series!

 

I often do research on small businesses for my own sake, and I've been compiling them in a spreadsheet for years so that I could easily reference my past research. This has come in handy many times when someone has had a niche question! My eventual goal is to create a separate website and directory for this information, but I have no bandwidth for that right now. Instead, I am going to test the idea of showing a few brands at a time in a way that is easy for me and hopefully beneficial to readers. Over time, lots of categories will be covered, but there won't be any specific focus per post (for now). I'm calling this series Indiescovery (like indies + discovery - cute, right?) to claim the name casually before making a site (if I ever do). Please enjoy!

In no particular order...

1. Atomic Polish

Located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Atomic Polish is a queer-owned nail polish shop making vegan, cruelty-free, and five-free nail polishes in small batches. Known for their bright colors and science-themed items, they recently opened a physical shop where customers can shop or attend polish-making events.

As of now, their site carries products from a variety of vendors in the following categories:

• Nails (polish, base and top coats, holographic powders, cuticle oil and balm, glass files)
• Body care (soap, soap pouch, body butter, bath bombs, muscle balm, vapor rub, bug repellent)
• Skincare (face scrub, eye cream, lip balm, cold sore treatment, face cream, face serum, face masks)
• Home (bamboo straws, candles)
• Stationery (bookmarks, stickers)
• Jewelry (rings, bracelets, earrings, necklaces, organizers)
• Fashion (clutches)
• Makeup (biodegradable glitter, lip gloss)

I haven't purchased directly from the shop, but I've bought their polishes from other sites and have thought every one of them is beautiful!

 

2. Hotsy Totsy Haus

Hotsy Totsy Haus is a deaf-woman-owned shop out of Albuquerque, New Mexico. She specializes in sustainably making cruelty-free bath and body products without parabens and phthalates. 

Currently, her shop carries primarily the in-house brand with a few other vendors. Categories include:

• Body care (bath bombs, body scrub, body butter, palm-free and other soap, bath salts, body oil, body cream, lotion bars, shower steamers, foot bombs)
• Home (plants, pots, plant care, terrariums, pillowcase/eye mask set)
• Crafts (art kits, cross-stitch kits)
• Books (crystals, energy)
• Skincare (jade roller, face mask, serum, konjac sponges, cleanser, lip balm, beard scrub)
• Hair care (shampoo bars, beard oil)
• Perfume (oils)
• Nails (polish, base and top coat)
• Mystery boxes and sets

I don't personally subscribe to crystals and energy healing, but I love the positive feeling of this shop. Given that it matches my name, there's a chance the nail polish in Ash will one day come home with me...

3. DOWK

 

DOWK sustainably creates made-to-order rainbow dresses and accessories in sizes XS-4X. In addition to size inclusivity, DOWK is a slow-fashion and ethical business that uses fabric scraps and organic cotton to keep production low-waste. All of the prints are original, too! The shop is located in Melbourne, Australia.

While the next pre-order window is not for a few weeks, the shop seems to regularly offer dresses, bows, scrunchies, and fabric bundles.

DOWK is a shop that I am majorly eyeing once I have disposable income for clothes. I can only imagine that their items feel incredibly cheerful to wear.

4. Leftbians

Leftbians is an online shop run by a neurodivergent lesbian couple who makes clothing and accessories for an anti-capitalist, queer audience. Their work features motifs like stars, skulls, safety pins, moons, ghosts, and tarot cards. Located in Royal Leamington Spa in Warwickshire, England, they use sustainable packaging where possible and offer several of their products with custom sayings.

The shop includes:

• Jewelry (earrings, pins, necklaces, bracelets, belt chains)
• Accessories (tote bags)
  
• Fashion (t-shirts)
• Stationery (stickers)
• Art (prints)

I'm really glad to see word/name necklaces coming back! I have a few from my childhood and adore how they add to a layered look.

5. Meadowland Syrup

 

Meadowland Syrup is a female-run business specializing in handmade simple syrup with flavors inspired by the rural prairie. The shop has a variety of flavors available online (as sets or individuals) or at hundreds of stockists around the United States. Whimsical labels add to the aesthetic and are drawn by one of the co-owners. Meadowland Syrup is located in Bend, Oregon.

Though branding does not make a company, I am such a sucker for the watercolor goodness of these labels. I've only just gotten into simple syrup but might have to try these when I get a little braver!

Thanks for coming to the first issue of my Indiescovery series. Until next time ❤