Small Businesses We Can't Get Enough Of
We can find inspiration anywhere! Try us :)
What’s incredible is that we don’t have to search very long to find inspiration when there are so many people doing amazing things all around us. We’ve been thinking a lot about the little places that pack the biggest punch. These are the places we just love to visit over and over again because of how much heart they put into what they do.
So this month, we are bringing you our favorite small businesses online, in Minnesota, and in Seattle (plus, a surprise bonus location)!
KATIE’S MINNESOTA PICKS
COFFEE SHOPS, MINNESOTA
It's no secret that Jane and I love finding coffee shops in small towns! We find so much joy in the unique beverages, quaint atmosphere, and local flavor (I'm such a sucker for a coffee house’s signature latte)! Because Janie lives south of the Twin Cities, we have found a fun little routine that allows us to meet halfway and get some sister time. After we grab some coffee from a local spot, we walk to a local park with her kiddos! Right now, we are loving Firefly Coffee Co. and The Coffee Fool!
Elko New Market, MN
The Coffee Fool
This one has no website or social media... you gotta know about it to go! It’s inside the 1st National Bank in Lonsdale - 701 Ash St NE, Lonsdale, MN 55046
THRIFT STORE, MINNESOTA
We’ve talked about the Hands of Friendship Thrift Store on the “Be Encouraged” blog before, but it's just too freaking good to not share again! This thrift store is a non-profit that supports an orphanage in Haiti. They provide resources and care while sharing God's love with the kiddos they serve!
New Prague, MN
KATIE'S ETSY SHOP + ONLINE BUSINESS PICKS:
I can't say enough great things about MooHoo Family Design! This gal created our Uncommon portraits and our team photo! I also hired her to create a custom family portrait! She's amazing - so kind and incredibly talented! I absolutely LOVE her work!!
My sweet friend from church, Mariah, has an Etsy shop and I'm LOVIN' these cute headbands!!
I LOVE this company and the encouragement they are bringing through helping others memorize scripture. I wear my band weekly because I absolutely love learning new scripture each week!
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Well hey there! It’s Sal, coming to you from Seattle to share a few of my favorite things in my neck of the woods!
SAL’S SEATTLE PICKS
COFFEE SHOP, SEATTLE
Coffee shops in the Seattle area are a dime a dozen, but what makes Olympia Coffee so special is not just its delicious coffee and beautifully designed cafes. It’s that they are a B Corp! This means that they are serious about improving quality of life through their work in the world. I like Olympia Coffee so much, in fact, that I nerded out and wrote an entire blog post about them!
Seattle, WA
Olympia, WA
THRIFT STORE, SEATTLE
One of my favorite consignment shops is called Cherry Consignment. When Jared and I used to live in the West Seattle neighborhood, I loved waking up on Sunday, grabbing a cup of coffee, hitting the Farmers Market, and then browsing Cherry Consignment. I’ve gotten a number of great pieces there, like my favorite black leather jacket and a vest I absolutely love!
Seattle, WA
CAFE, SEATTLE
Arthur’s Cafe is one of my favorite spots! It's great any time I want a bite to eat, but nowadays, it’s one of my favorite places to work when I need to get out of the house :) They have the nicest staff and the yummiest salads, sandwiches, and bowls.
Seattle, WA
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Okay, these next two are not Seattle-based, but they definitely deserve some love!
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SAL'S ETSY SHOP PICK:
I have to give a shout-out to my friend, Sydney, who launched her Indigo + Ivy Design Co. Etsy shop! She creates stunning handmade mosaic décor, and it is incredible to see her shop take off so quickly! Check out her shop and be sure to follow Syd on Instagram to watch these beauties come together!
SAL’S MILWAUKEE PICK
MILWAUKEE EXPERIENCE
I’m going back to my Wisconsin roots for this one!
This is a totally unique experience for anyone visiting the Milwaukee area. It’s called Fun Beer Tours MKE, and it’s freaking awesome! It’s run by Paul Hepp, who is a self-described “craft brewery co-founder, beer history geek, historic brewery artifacts collector, & 30-year history teacher.” Paul has a number of standard tours for you to pick from, or he will customize a tour just for your group. He has been an incredible supporter of Milwaukee Habitat for Humanity, and he helped our H4H Young Professionals group put together amazing beer tour fundraisers that captured Milwaukee history and helped even long-time locals discover things they didn’t know about their hometown. Seriously, check it out!
Milwaukee, WI
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Okay, now that we all have a hankering for some coffee and some thrift store steals from our favorite spots, we’ll wrap this baby up. We hope that you can check some of these out, and we hope that you feel inspired to support YOUR favorite small businesses.
We’d love to know - what are some of your favorite local spots?! Tell us here!
Love from the small-but-mighty Uncommon Team :)
