Change up your Christmas shopping this festive season.
Instead of relying on the likes of Amazon, online department stores and big high street chains, how about turning to lesser-known small businesses for 2022 for a unique choice of gifts to give your loved ones?
Whether feeling inspired from a lightbulb moment, starting out from their kitchen table or launching as a result of lockdown, there are plenty of small businesses out there with inspiring stories and products that make any purchases that extra bit sweeter.
They can offer something a little different to larger well-known companies, you can almost guarantee that you’d noone else will be gifting the same as you and best of all, you’ll be supporting independent, local sellers in their brand’s journey – win-win-win.
From handmade jewellery and hairpieces for accessory lovers, to one-of-a-kind condiments for the foodies in your life, there is something for everyone. We’ve rounded up some of our favourites to kick-start your Christmas shopping.
Shop our edit of the best gifts from small businesses below…
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Octō Mineral Bath Salts
OctÅ came onto the scene in 2017 with handmade soy wax candles and has since branched out into bath salts. The products use the finest natural ingredients and as a result are vegan-friendly, cruelty-free and quite simply divine.
Blended in its London studio, by a small team, using pure essential oils, these bath salts provide a soothing addition to your soak, helping to unwind and nourish your body.
Treat your loved ones to a large 500g jar from their collection, choosing from either the Calm, Dream or Uplift concoction and give the gift of relaxation. Calm is infused with rose geranium and ylang ylang to boost your mood and keep you feeling balanced, Uplift contains peppermint, eucalyptus and cypress essential oils to detoxify and re-energise, and finally, Dream features lavender and frankincense oil to help reduce stress and anxiety.
Buy now £22.00, Amazon
Lucent Studios Resin Shell Hair Claw Clip
Lucent Studios is a female-owned and female-led jewellery and accessories business created in 2004 and aimed ‘for the curious of heart and inquiring of mind’ as founder Lucy says. Over the past 18 years, she has moved from her dining room corner to a working studio in Norwich, UK, complete with a highly skilled team of jewellers, handcrafting each product.
This shell clip will make a great gift for your pals, sister, mum or girlfriend, brightening up their hairstyle with a fun yet elegant design. The unique accessory is available in a pale pink or teal blue, and comes beautifully tissue wrapped in a gift bag, ready to pop under the Christmas tree.
Buy now £12.00, NOTHS
Places and Spaces Art Co. Personalised Travel Adventures Map Print
Corinna and Daryl founded Places and Spaces Art Co. after road tripping around California in 2015 and 2016. The husband-and-wife team were inspired by their worldwide travel experiences and wanted to create travel-themed art prints to capture the memories.
The original wall art makes for ideal gifting for jet-setting adventurers – simply choose a place of importance or meaning and have it hand-drawn. From a special summer holiday, to the place where a couple got married via where your friend bought their first house, simply pick from A4 or 30X40cm, choose a colour theme and a totally unique print will be created. There’s even names included for the ultimate personal touch. The lucky recipient can then hang it up proudly in their home.
Buy now £55.00, Etsy
Old Flame Club Lips! Embroidered Scented Soy Candle
Bespoke candle-making company Old Flame Club launched in the summer of 2020 during lockdown. With the help of YouTube and old plant pots, founder Marits Roberts started creating his own candles from his kitchen table in Hackney. Fast forward to today and Old Flame Candle offers a covetable selection of unique hand-poured, hand-embroidered candles.
Choose from one of the funky motifs – we love the cheeky lips design – and wrap it up as a gift this Christmas. All the candles are made from natural soy wax and blended with unique essential oils – you just pick from one of the four signature fragrances.
Buy now £30.00, Etsy
Millie’s Ceramics Bella Bud Handmade Ceramic Vase
Full-time architectural designer, part-time potter, the eponymous founder of Millie’s Ceramics brings unique limited-edition designs to add quirky style to our home décor.
Handmade in the UK using white earthenware clay and finished with a clear glaze, the brand’s Bella Bud vase is not only crafted with intricate detail, but it will also bring a smile to your loved one’s face. The joyful, fun slanted stance will liven up their home and look great when filled with colourful blooms. Available in small, medium and large and an array of colours.
Buy now £27.00, Etsy
DevilDog Hot Sauce Gift Pack
William Kirwan founded DevilDog Sauces, a Manchester-based business creating small batch sauces and seasonings. The collection is all vegan, preservative-free, and use only the freshest ingredients.
Spice up their stocking with this selection of DevilDog’s five chilli sauces – ranging from mild to extra hot – and add a fiery kick to their Christmas. Each sauce contains a variety of different chillies to tailor to all tastes and tolerances, and the bottles come in a well-presented gift box to take the hassle out of wrapping.
Buy now £16.00, Etsy
Onaie Butterfly White Sheepskin Slippers
It all started back in 2014 for independent fashion brand Onaie. After huge success selling Polish folk garments at The Days of Poland Festival in Tower Bridge, sisters Eve and Justine decided to take the leap and launch their business online in 2018. They now have a small team based in Greenwich and work with a handful of skilled craftswomen in the Polish Highlands to produce high-quality indoor footwear.
Spoil the women in your life with a pair of the sheepskin slippers this Christmas and keep their feet cosy and warm throughout winter. Finished with a beautiful hand-embroidered butterfly design, the slippers will look super chic while keeping their toes toasty.
Buy now £39.00, Onaie
Me-Shirt Kids Personalised T-Shirt Painting Craft Kit
Mother and daughter-owned small business Me-Shirt started as a hobby in lockdown 2020. When five-year-old daughter Amelie needed to be kept busy and entertained, arts and crafts seemed to be the winner with decorating t-shirts the top choice. This is when their business came to fruition – personalised t-shirt painting kits.
Kids will love these sets as a way to flex their creativity with a personally designed t-shirt to show off at the end. Choose their t-shirt size and their favourite colours for the fabric paints, plus extra details including their initials or age, fun stencil themes (such as superheroes, dinosaurs or fairies), glitter or glow-in-the-dark paints. The kit includes instructions for them to follow and will keep them content for hours.
Buy now £18.50, Me-Shirt
Paper High Personalised Handmade Buffalo Men’s Leather Wallet
Fair trade has been at the heart of this business since 2001 – Paper High works with partners in India, Nepal and Sri Lanka to produce high-quality, unique collections, all of which are 100 per cent handmade.
Starting with leather-bound journals and photo albums, they now specialise in other homeware items and handmade gifts, designed with soft leather fabrics.
This smart and practical wallet, made from treated and oiled quality buffalo leather, has space for cards, banknotes and coins, and can be personalised with their initials embossed on the front or inside to make an extra special present this Christmas. Its hardwearing finish means it will stand the test of time, while looking sophisticated and supporting a FairTrade business.
Buy now £26.95, NOTHS
