As a Certified B Corp and local small business, we like to take time during the holidays to highlight our fellow B Corporations and small businesses who are doing good in the world. We also love to share our favorite local family-owned businesses that are close to our VA warehouse—and close to our hearts! Today is Small Business Saturday so what better day to shout out our favorites?
Donations make great gifts!
World Central Kitchen
Before we get to the local and B Corps gifts, if you’re looking for a donation gift, every year we like to suggest World Central Kitchen—the incredible organization begun by our hometown hero and national treasure, Chef Jose Andres. The support is more important this year than ever before, with the donations going to help people in disaster zones worldwide, and people displaced by the war in Ukraine.
The WCK Climate Disaster Fund is World Central Kitchen’s $1 billion commitment over the next decade to support communities impacted by extreme weather events caused by the climate crisis. The fund helps with immediate disaster relief and to invest in long-term solutions that help build resilience for communities on the frontlines. Support the Climate Disaster Fund by gifting a donation in your recipient’s name here.
POW was formed in 2007 by professional backcountry snowboarder Jeremy Jones. They do amazing climate advocacy work, bringing professional winter sports athletes to Capitol Hill to tell lawmakers about the effects of climate change they are seeing in real time. POW also educates winter sports enthusiasts about the role they can play in fighting climate change and protecting the places they love. You can support their work by donating, joining the cause, or purchasing their super cool merch–all proceeds go to their climate advocacy campaigns.
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Locally made gifts and small businesses:
We love to head out after work and check out the local offerings in our hometown of Vienna, VA—especially if we can pick up gifts that support local artists and makers, and finish the day off with a beer at the Caboose Brewing Company!
Bard’s Alley Book Shop
Historic Church Street is a great place to check off everything on your gift list, and probably a few things that aren’t. Bard’s Alley is our favorite indy bookstore, located at 110 Church St NW, Vienna VA. It’s an amazing woman-owned bookstore and coffee/wine bar—a must-visit when you’re in Vienna. There’s nothing more fun than sipping a glass of prosecco while browsing for just the right book. They also have a unique collection of gift items and cards, and an awesome children’s section.
Trace Zero Waste Store
140 Church Street NW, Vienna VA. By 2050, the oceans and waterways will be filled with more plastic than fish. Our landfills are already straining under the pressure of the waste we create every day, and contrary to our belief, recycling rates in the USA are dismally low. Vienna resident Mala Persaud opened Trace to help everyone reduce their waste.
Bring whatever containers you have and you can fill them with bulk food items, spices, hand and body soap, even shampoo and conditioner. She also carries beautiful shampoo and lotion bars, refillable scented candles, bamboo toothbrushes, and our favorite–gorgeous kitchen wares like turkish dish towels, cute reusable paper towels, and bamboo utensils. A great gift spot for anyone you know who’s working to reduce their consumption footprint.
Located at 507 Maple Ave W, Vienna, VA, we can’t live without the Pie Gourmet. The selection is vast, from sweet to savory, and everything they make is amazing. Order ASAP for holiday gift giving! Described as a “gem among local bakeries” by the Washington Post, Pie Gourmet’s offerings include potpies, quiches, fruit pies, cream pies, cheesecakes, and cakes. Love-at-first-bite.
Rustic Love Vienna
Rustic Love is an amazing organization in Vienna that raises money to help feed local food insecure families. Founded in the spring of 2020, their fundraising started with one family making rustic wooden heart signs in the backyard with all proceeds going to help organizations that work with local families experiencing food insecurity. The effort grew to include hundreds of families, organizations, and individuals volunteering to join their sign and ornaments builds in their front yard, or at their own homes.
You can find their merch around town or order online and pick up in Vienna when you’re here for a holiday shopping stroll. RLV collaborates with area businesses, including a co-branded t-shirt with Ben & Jerry’s Vienna (our fave local B Corp!), a co-branded wine with Vienna Vintner, a collaborative beer with Caboose Brewing Company, an RLV candle at the historic Freeman Store on Church St. and so much more! Come to Vienna for a day of holiday shopping and visit these shops for the collabs. You can also donate directly, or order signs, ornaments, clothing, and more online.
Other local online offerings:
If you’re looking for a gift for the coffee nerd in your life, this is it. They offer subscriptions as well as coffee by the pound and coffee merch. Their coffee nerd blog is deeply informative if you’re interested to learn how to make the perfect cup. What we love the most is that they also give back to the community, donating a portion of their profits to organizations like BRAWS (Bringing Resources to Womens Shelters) and Black Girls Code.
A few other great local businesses that you can order online include:
Elodie’s Naturals beauty and body care, wareclay ceramics, Smell of Love candles, and OmMade peanut butter!
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And now for the B Corps List:
As a certified B Corporation, we love to support our fellow B Corps who are out here doing good in the world, placing people over profit, and being green, sustainable businesses. Plus B Corps tend to have really cool, unusual gift items so they’re a great source of inspiration for everyone on your list. You can check out the entire list of B Corps gift guides here, but our faves include:
Grosche MILANO Stovetop Espresso Maker
This espresso maker is a favorite that will upgrade anyone’s home coffee bar and make a stronger, richer brew. The low-waste solution for coffee drinkers aligns with GROSCHE’s goal to create products with low or no landfill waste. The B Corp is carbon negative and has a 91% waste diversion rate at its main warehouse and office location. GROSCHE is proud to be a living wage champion both in its workplace and in its community, where it advocates for other businesses to follow its lead and pay workers a living wage.
Miir Insulated Beer Set
A reusable, insulated growler and matching steins make a super fun gift for anyone who likes to take their beer on the go (and who among us does not?). We also love Miir’s water bottles–they go everywhere with us, whether it’s on a hike or to the office.
The best part is that Miir sets aside a portion of revenue to fund projects focused on clean water, a healthy environment, and strong communities. This is one of our favorite B Corps and they are always high on our list of great gift ideas!
Mpowerd Luci Color String Light and Luci Explore Speaker light
No self-respecting solar company can leave this super fun solar light and speaker set off their gift list! MPOWERD’s solar light sales fund solar lights in communities without access to the electric grid. Shown here are the Luci Color String Light and the Luci Explore speaker and light. These light sets are a great gift for anyone on your list, and extra-perfect for your favorite camping enthusiast. Lightweight, water-resistant, and solar-powered, the Luci Explore is your personal speaker, mobile charger, and wake-up light.
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While these app-enabled travel lights make great travel companions, Luci Lights truly shine in the way they change the lives of people around the world without access to electricity. Luci Lights have been distributed to people affected by hurricanes, earthquakes, and other natural disasters. They have helped people who are displaced without access to resources in humanitarian crises such as the conflict in Ukraine, those battling homelessness, and more. Luci lights provide a necessity to those who need it most.
Yellow Leaf Hammocks
These colorful hammocks are comfortable, durable, and they give back. Through training and sustainable job creation, Yellow Leaf is directly empowering weavers and their families to break the cycle of poverty and build a brighter future. Perfect gift for that college student on your list!
We love Cotopaxi because they make durable, colorful, fun outdoor gear that also gives back. Their Gear for Good® promise is to make their gear as ethically and sustainably as possible, and to use the company as a way to support communities in need.
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They dedicate at least 1% of revenue to nonprofits that help communities experiencing poverty, focusing on empowering communities in Latin America through health care, education, and livelihood. They also allocate 1% of revenue to the Cotopaxi Foundation, which supports nonprofits, including the International Rescue Committee (IRC) and United to Beat Malaria. Shhhh, we may have bought a few presents for ourselves from them this holiday shopping season :)
Bombas Socks
We love Bombas socks because they are amazingly comfy and because for every pair purchased, they donate a pair to someone affected by homelessness. Socks, underwear, and t-shirts are the #1, #2, and #3 most requested clothing items in homeless shelters, respectively.
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Bombas has donated more than 50 million essential clothing items, and your purchase keeps that momentum going. This year they have a collab with Cotopaxi -so fun- and also awesome must-have Eric Carle character socks.
Happy Gifting!
We hope you and yours stay safe and healthy this holiday season. And if you want to give our very favorite gift of renewable energy, please get in touch!
