All pandemic long, women who own small businesses have hustled to make ends meet and see their dreams realized.
And Saturday, Nov. 27 will provide an opportunity to support them wherever you live, as shopping for the holiday season gets underway with the 12th annual Small Business Saturday.
Backed by American Express beginning in 2010, Small Business Saturday always occurs on the weekend after Thanksgiving. The idea is to get people to “shop small” or “shop local,” a contrast to doing business at big box stores owned by large corporations, which many do the frenzied day before, on Black Friday.
More:Female small-business owners faced extra hurdles during pandemic shutdowns
Women business ownership in the U.S. is on the rise, according to Census data, but it still lags that of men. For women of color specifically, the likelihood of owning a business is even less, due to structural racism and barriers. A 2020 overview of U.S. women-owned business published by Fundera, however, showed promising numbers. Of the new women-owned businesses from the year before, 64% were started by women of color.
Here are nine women-owned businesses across New England that you can support with your dollars this Small Business Saturday – and all year long.
Emerald City Plant Shop – Norwood, MA
New England’s first Black-owned plant store and botanical event space – Emerald City Plant Shop – is run by entrepreneur Quontay Turner. After working in a Boston South End plant shop and then selling plants online, Turner signed a lease in Norwood during the pandemic and opened Emerald City in May.
Emerald City is a green haven, stocked with houseplants of all kinds and plant-themed clothing that could make the perfect gifts for a plant lover in your life. Turner also offers plant care workshops, plant design, consultations, event space rentals, and yes, even plant rentals.
More:Black, female entrepreneurs are changing Silicon Valley
“Whether you are new to the plant community, or, like our founder, took the pandemic as a valid reason to transform your existing plant collection into a full-on love letter to the Amazon Rain Forest, plants have always been a key factor in our mental and physical health,” Emerald City’s website says.
Yarrow – Kittery, ME
Touted as a wellness boutique for “head, heart and home,” Yarrow is a thoughtfully curated shop full of small treasures. Jodie Curtis’ business sells body products, kitchenware, jewelry, cards, books, metaphysical supplies and more.
Curtis opened Yarrow in 2019 on the first floor of a small house just outside Kittery’s downtown, with the goal of offering a holistic space for health and healing.
On the shelves at Yarrow are CBD products, embroidery kits, crystals, tarot cards, tinctures and tonics, as well as candles, small home furnishings, bath soaks and lotions. At the rear of the store, you’ll find a…
Read More: On Small Business Saturday, shop women-owned stores in New England