It has been a turbulent year—economically, socially, politically. Now more than ever, people are making concerted efforts to put their money behind their ethical beliefs. If your holiday list seems impossible to conquer, we’ve done the hard part and put together a list with something for everyone.
Here is a varied collection of women-owned, BIPOC-owned and mother-owned small businesses to complete your holiday shopping, while supporting businesses that you can stand behind.
Gift a Ms. Membership
For 50 years, Ms. has been forging feminist journalism—reporting, rebelling and truth-telling from the front-lines and centering the stories of those most impacted. U.S. democracy is at a dangerous inflection point—from the demise of abortion rights, to a lack of pay equity and parental leave, to skyrocketing maternal mortality, and attacks on trans health. Left unchecked, these crises will lead to wider gaps in political participation and representation.
Consider gifting a Ms. membership subscription to your favorite feminist reader, aspiring journalist or newsie—or, perhaps, someone who needs to see the (feminist) light. Check out our subscription page here.
Send Them a Badass Art Print to Hang in Their Home
This summer, artist Jennie Carr launched a series of paintings, fueled by the rage and sorrow she felt about the overturning of Roe and the loss of federal abortion rights. Now, her pop art is available for purchase. The prints range from $25 to $150, which is a special price for Ms. readers (they usually sell for double this price!). A large portion of the proceeds will be donated back to Ms. magazine to fuel our feminist reporting, rebelling and truth-telling.
Her store has prints of stunning artwork, plus the option to commission a one-of-a-kind piece, or purchase a print’s original. Carr’s pieces are a guaranteed eye catcher and conversation starter. Order a print for you and a friend!
Shiny by Nature
Add a pop color into a loved one’s wardrobe with Shiny by Nature, a POC-owned, ethically-made, size-inclusive clothing brand created by co-founders Alex and Tianshi. With their recent endowment of a cherry tree in Central Park, this small business is catapulting itself into the slow fashion scene with joy and a positive long-term impact in mind. (My go-to pieces are the Thousand Hearts Super Sweater and Rainbow One Sunny Side Up Turtleneck.)
Decolonize Their Makeup
Prados Beauty—founded by wife, mother and CEO Cece Meadows—is on a mission to create space for Indigenous people in the beauty industry, as well as highlight the history, resilience and beauty of Indigenous communities. With vivid eyeshadow palettes, lipsticks and even bed sets, this company is a fantastic choice for the makeup guru or creative person in your life—especially one who is invested in supporting Indigenous businesses.
Queen Majesty Hot Sauce
Queen Majesty, a New York City-based hot sauce brand, is 100 percent woman-owned and plants a tree for every order placed. If that wasn’t cool enough, the sauce has also been featured on the wildly popular hot sauce-centric interview show, Hot Ones. A delicious and exciting gift for those with spice tolerances of all levels.
Dedicate a Donation to a Local Abortion Fund
In a post-Roe world, it’s more important than ever to support abortion funds. Women Help Women, SASS (Self-Managed Abortion; Safe & Supported) and the National Network of Abortion Funds are three resources that help find abortion funds both locally and abroad; consider donating in honor of your loved ones.
RepresentWomen’s 2023 Planner
If you’ve been putting off getting your 2023 planner, wait no longer! RepresentWomen has created a beautiful planner for the 2023 calendar year, filled with female leader’s birthdays, important milestones for women, and stunning artwork. If you like the planner, please consider donating to their work here, so they can continue offering these incredible planners free of charge.
Shop Local Bookstores
While thinking of the readers on your holiday gift list, scroll through all our recommended books in Ms. column, Reads for the Rest of Us, where Karla Strand culls a list each month of new books being published by writers from historically excluded groups.
Once you’re ready to buy, consider visiting local bookstores! To locate some Black-owned and POC-owned bookstores around the U.S. and beyond, check out the bookstore locator from Noname Book Club.
Rep.Club, a Black-owned, woman-owned bookstore front, has both an online storefront and a creative space in Los Angeles, CA. With an incredibly hard-working staff and extensive catalog (and the option to request a title that they don’t currently sell), this is a company that you can get behind while checking off the bestsellers off your holiday list. The website also features a section where you can search by hashtag, so finding a specific book for a loved one with a wide range of interests has never been easier.
Provide Pretty Paper to Capture Their Ideas
If you have a loved one who journals or scrapbooks, Pretty Peacock Paperie is your one-stop shop for cute, unique stationery designed by a Black mom and artist. Originally focusing on wedding and event invitations, Pretty Peacock Paperie has now branched out to include journals, stickers, T-shirts and gift boxes!
Honor Your Sisters With Jewels
Sister Sister Jewelry was founded by one sister remembering and continuing her sister’s legacy of joy and generosity. It offers beautiful, delicate rings, earrings and necklaces. Designer Lisa Maurer creates each design with a woman in mind and shares the stories of each piece here—and if it doesn’t already exist, you can create a custom piece that tells a story precious to you and yours!
Customize a Curated Box
Founded in 2020 by four friends, the online shop East Third Collective cultivates a small business vibe, partnering with artisans to offer a variety of gifts ranging from local honey to the perfect blanket.
If you’re stuck on gift ideas, East Third Collective also offers a gift consulting service for both group and individual gifts.
Satisfy a Sweet Tooth—Allergy Free
Partake Foods has treats for every sweet tooth, and all of their goodies are free from the top nine food allergens. With special seasonal mixes and cookies, Partake Foods has a variety of sweet treats that are both delicious and allergen-safe. Their confections are available online and in major grocery stores like Whole Foods, Kroger, Target and Sprouts (with a handy “find us” store locator on their website).
Spice Up Their Life
For the home chef looking for spice blends from Southeastern and Eastern Asia cuisine, Omsom is the perfect place to find a gift or stocking stuffer. Founded by sisters Vanessa and Kim Pham—and raved about by the likes of Vogue and Vice—Omsom sells spice sets and self-stable starters that bring delicious, authentic flavor into any kitchen.
‘Fits That Make a Statement
Mosaic the Label is a self-proclaimed one-stop shop for products for mixed kids, designed by mixed kids. Branching beyond the scope of only haircare that mixed kids are often met with, Mosaic the Label showcases a range of apparel, jewelry, stickers and gift sets. The shirt in the above image is their Fundamental Human Rights shirt, with 20 percent of the sales going to support the ACLU.
Give Them the White Lotus Treatment
If your goal is to dazzle with a gift pulled directly from the Mediterranean, try Olivo Amigo—a woman-owned, sustainable olive oil and spice company that also sells beautiful tableware. Or consider gifting yourself the olive oil created by founder and olive oil sommelier Gloria Molist.
Give Low-Income Moms a Chance
A groundbreaking series in Ms., Front and Center offers first-person accounts of Black women living in extreme poverty, who are taking part in the Magnolia Mother’s Trust which gives recipients a guaranteed income of $1,000 per month for 12 months. In Front and Center, these mothers speak on their struggles, their children, their work, their relationships, and their dreams for the future, and how a federal guaranteed income program could change their lives. Donate to the trust this holiday season, in honor of a mom you know and love.
