Shop Small Saturday
When I was a little girl Thanksgiving was an event that took all day. We would have breakfast watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on TV, lunch with Granny, dinner with Grandma. We would watch my Uncle Toby light the huge star next to the barn and sing Christmas carols all the way to my Aunt Gale’s house. Once we got to her house she would serve us the most velvety hot chocolate topped with what seemed like thousands of tiny marshmallows. When we were finished she would get out all of the sales papers and we would plot our voyage through a three-day shopping excursion. Those were great days!
I’ve only bought a few presents so far this year but I am excited about shopping and I hope you are too. Small Business Saturday is an annual event that’s near and dear to my heart. This year it will be held on Saturday, November 29th. To help me celebrate, I’ve asked four of my favorite vendors from Instagram about their small businesses.
Carmella is a vendor at The Amberleaf Marketplace in Tennessee! They just held their annual “Tinsel and Treasures” tour. It’s been going on for 40 years now, which is so exciting! I know you’re going to love her style as much as I do. Here’s my interview with the owner of Creative Carmella:
How long have you been a vendor/shop owner?
I have been a vendor at The Amberleaf Marketplace for 1 1/2 years. It is my first time ever having a booth to sell my creations so I wasn’t sure what to expect, but it has been amazing!
What are your best selling items?
My best selling items vary from season to season. During this gift-giving season, my hand stamp copper jewelry always goes quickly. In the spring, I tend to sell a lot more furniture and home decor.
What inspires your style?
My personal style is a bit earthy, so all of my jewelry reflects that. I love that it can tell a story with a swing of my hammer! My home styling inspiration comes from knowing that I want make every piece of furniture I refinish, or home decor item I make, something that can be truly lived with. I love going into homes that look “lived in”, so I like to reflect that in every piece of furniture I sell or work on too.
To follow Carmella’s adventures from business woman to motherhood check out her blog , website, Facebook, Instagram, and on Pinterest.
Next up, my friend Liz! She and her business partner are vendors at 49 South Antiques and Flea Market in Florence, Mississippi. She’s an amazing artist and furniture painter. Liz is also the only person I’ve ever known that enjoys waking up early to work out J Here’s my interview with her:
How long have you been a vendor/shop owner?
We have been vendors for about 2 years now and I must say it has been a lot of fun! (and at times, a lot of work!)
What are your best selling items?
Our booth is filled with everything from the refined to the rustic. It’s hard to say what our best sellers are. The flea market gets a lot of foot traffic due to its location, and you never know who’s stopping in, or what they may be on the hunt for. We stock our booth with things that we would love to have in our own homes.
What inspires your style?
I think what inspires me, or the pieces I gravitate to anyway, are the ones that have a story. Anything that evokes a memory or warms my heart that speaks to me of the previous owner whom I know loved it just as much as I do.
Liz loves searching for old/vintage treasures some to leave as they are and some to paint/repurpose. She truly enjoys finding furniture that may be a little worn or dated and, using chalk paint to transform that piece into something lovely. You can follow her journey on Instagram or if you ever find yourself in central Mississippi, visit 49 South Antiques and Flea Market, 3977 Highway 49 South, Florence MS 39073. Hopefully you will find something that speaks to you.
I had no idea when I started following the mother daughter duo at 2 Bees in a Pod on Instagram that I would actually get to meet them in real life at a bloggers conference but that’s exactly what happened this past July. While they’re relatively new to the vendor world they’ve been collecting treasures for years. Here’s my interview with Vicki and Jennifer of 2 Bees in a Pod:
How long have you been a vendor/shop owner?
We’ve been vendors for about five months. This is our first time having a booth space and we’ve been lucky enough to be surrounded by seasoned vendors that have shown us the ropes.
What are your best selling items?
Our painted furniture as well as vintage tools, wooden boxes and rustic shabby items are always a big hit.
What inspires your style?
We love to collect vintage items. We really like giving new life to an old item whether it be putting paint on a neglected piece of furniture or incorporating a found item in a new way into our personal home decor.
These sweet peaches hail from the great state of Georgia and are always having a good time. If you ever have the chance to shop at The Treasure Hunt Antiques Mall in Powder Springs, Georgia, you’ll find lots of goodies in their booth. Follow their adventures on the blog, Facebook, Instagram, Pinerest, Twitter
Finally, Ty from Little Home Reloved has my deepest respect because she’s part of a military family too. We found each other after she posted a picture on Instagram of a gallery wall in her home. She’s done some amazing things while living on base and if you guys knew what base housing was really like you would sing her praises too. Here’s more from Ty:
How long have you been a vendor/shop owner?
We have been a vendor at the lazy Daisy for less than a year! We love being a part of The Lazy Daisy and knowing our projects find great new homes!
What are your best selling items?
Our best selling items are definitely painted furniture. I usually try to find vintage and antique furniture to refinish and bring new life. Our munchkins love to run and climb so I always look for solid wood pieces to ensure families with young children can still find beautiful yet functional items for their home.
What inspires your style?
What inspires my style is mixing old with new. I love bringing new life to pieces our grandparents bought years ago.
If you’re ever in Chester, Virginia visit The Lazy Daisy at 13110 Midlothian Tpke. To find out more about Ty, her sweet family life, furniture transformations and inspirational gallery walls follow her on her blog, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and Twitter.
So much heart and soul goes into making a small business a successful business. I hope you’ll remember these fantastic ladies and other small business owners when you “Shop Small” and support Small Business Saturday!
Many blessings,
CoCo
Thank you SO very much for including us CoCo! We too believe in supporting and shopping Small Business. I see a few things in the other ladies booths that I’d like to have 🙂
Glad to have you two part of this post Vicki! It’s amazing what we can do when we all support each other. I really appreciate all the support you’ve given me since Haven.
Nice post! Loved reading about the different vendors. I wish their booths were all in one spot because I saw something in each booth that I liked.
I know what you mean Angie, I felt the same way!
Thank you sweet friend for this lovely lovely post! I wish I could jump in my car and go to everyone’s booth to shop! ❤️
Oh my gosh Liz me too! We could have the best time! Thank you for being part of this post, it was so much fun to work with you more!
Coco, thank you for taking me out shopping with you!! There are definitely some pretty things that need to go in to the boxes to California…..lol. Have a wonderful day, Lisa
I know right Lisa, these ladies found some fantastic goodies!