Beyond the Hashtag: What Supporting Small Really Looks Like.

I’ve been seeing this trend everywhere lately, people talking about shopping small, celebrating Main Street, posting their favorite little towns. And I love it. My algorithm is overflowing with it, and maybe yours is too.

But there’s an elephant in the room we don’t always name.

It’s easy to talk about cute towns. It’s easy to post a photo of the one local shop you visit once a year. It’s a lot harder to live in a way that actually sustains the very places we say we care about.

I know so many people who run small businesses… but then turn around and brag about all the conveniences they get from Amazon, Target, or whatever big-box store fills the gap. And I don’t say that to call anyone out, I say it because it sends a signal. If we don’t treat small business as a priority, why would anyone else?

I’ve always believed in being the change you want to see. That’s why I share my Saturday coffee runs at a local café. That’s why even when I’m in sweats, the sweats are from a local maker. How you do one thing is how you do everything.

Is “never Amazon” realistic? No, and it doesn’t need to be. The goal isn’t perfection. It’s intention. It’s simply choosing not to make Amazon your first reflex when you need something. For example, I checked my own account, the last thing I bought was a pair of blue-light glasses back in October. Two purchases total in an entire month. Not because I’m performing for anyone, but because I’m choosing to try differently. To try better.

This holiday season, I want to gently remind you that talking and doing are two very different things. Shopping small has given me conversations I treasure, friendships I never expected, and a front-row seat to the good that people are capable of. My faith in humanity doesn’t need “restoring”, I see the beauty every day.

And I want more people to feel that.

So here’s my hope: that we keep showing up for the makers, the bakers, the roasters, the designers, the dreamers. Not just in December, but all year long.

Shop small. Not because it’s trendy, but because it’s how communities stay alive. Because it’s how your dollar becomes a vote for the world you want to live in. Because talking about beautiful places is nice.

But helping them stay alive is better.