Small Business Shoutouts

Small Business Shoutouts

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None of these companies are paying us for exposure, and don't offer us a commission or anything, though a few are owned by some of our OMAAT contributors (and noted accordingly).

Over the past few weeks we’ve seen lots of companies start rolling out discounts, statement credits with credit card issuers, and other purchasing incentives — there are some great deals out there. And a natural side-effect of that is that a lot of ink is going towards promoting some pretty big businesses.

At the same time, when we did our OMAAT Reader Survey a few weeks ago:

  • 16% of readers noted that they were self-employed / small business owners
  • Of that group, 27% of them were not confident or only mildly confident that their businesses would survive past September

Running a small business is never easy, and (at least for us) it’s particularly difficult during a pandemic. So we thought it would be nice to take a moment to highlight some small and independent businesses that are either getting creative in tricky times, making the best of a complicated situation, or could just use a signal boost in general.

Given how broad and diverse the OMAAT community is, we’re hoping to showcase a range of businesses — maybe some people can patronize now, maybe others get bookmarked for a future trip or project. We’ll kick off the list with some of our favorites (in no particular order), but would love for everyone to share others in the comments!


Independent restaurants

Churchill’s Steakhouse

This restaurant is a local institution, with a caliber of meat that is often hard to find outside of big cities (NYC and CA people will be shocked at the prices). Before you dismiss a restaurant outside of your town as being impractical to patronize, let me tell what they are doing during Covid.

The couple that owns the (tiny) steakhouse felt that running a takeout operation for what is often a special-occasion restaurant wasn’t going to be successful, so shifted their energy into selling their aged Prime steaks and other items online. If you’re local to Spokane, they’ll deliver (and you can add bakery items or liquor), or can ship nationwide. They even have gift boxes (because it’s a restaurant, this is how I’ll likely use my Amex restaurant credit from my Aspire card).

Small retailers

08 Left

With their shared love of all things aviation, the folks at 08 Left have popped up in a few of our gift guides previously. They have fun, modern aviation-inspired products, with everything from clocks to mugs to apparel to art pieces. I have a pair of more dramatic prints in my hallway:

They have fun designs of air traffic control towers, airport diagrams, and all sorts of things, and are generally great to work with.

Anchored Northwest

This two-person company makes hand-poured soy candles in Spokane, but stocks their candles in small boutiques around the country, and ships anywhere in the U.S. Lots of places sell candles of course, but I’ve been really pleased with the fragrances and burn times (the “Don’t Bug Me” is great for patios/balconies), and like being able to customize jars with scents.

And that was before they doubled-down on the whole coronavirus thing and started offering new scents of “Cabin Fever” and “Quarantine and Chill“.

Which makes me laugh, and laughter is good.

So check them out — they’re having a sale on the “Rustic Vintage” jars at present.

Cashmere Boutique Spa

With places like spas and salons that depend on in-person visits shut in many states, it’s been tricky for those small businesses to eek out any revenue at all (as much as many of us would love to, it’s hard to get an eyebrow wax for takeaway).

The two sisters who have owned Cashmere for the past decade moved quickly, making a massive effort over the first week of closures to set up an entire ecommerce site from scratch. In addition to selling skincare products online (the Tuel cleansers are amazing for travel), they’ve been posting tutorials and useful tips for taking care of your skin from home.

Art and Artists

Esprit Decor Gallery & Framing

From Mike — this has been my go-to frame shop for nearly 20 years. Robert and Pat are artists themselves, which really helps when deciding on frames and mats (especially if you’re colorblind like me). And Ron always does impeccable work. You’re greeted by name and their emails are signed by the three employees and the shop dogs. It’s exactly the kind of business that can use a boost right now.

I can’t wait for the shop to reopen because I have several tubes with prints in them that need to be framed. Esprit has been selling gift cards to use down the road. And it’s not just framing – they have a gallery full of wonderful art. So, if you need to up your game for your video conferencing corner, see if Esprit can help you do something about a bare wall or two.

Jacqueline Hanna Photography

From Mike — Jacqueline is the incredibly talented photographer that has been shooting my family for nearly 5 years. I generally prefer to be behind the camera but when it’s time for Christmas card photos or we have an important event to document, Jacqueline has always provided amazing images. My girls love her and she’s just silly enough to get natural smiles out of them instead of those frozen, forced grins that look stiff and ruin shots. She managed a shoot with our extended family of 13 — trust me she deserved a medal after that one.

Jacqueline was supposed to shoot my father-in-law’s 70th birthday. Unfortunately, like so many other events, it was cancelled when the nursing home he lives in went into lockdown. Back in March, Jacqueline said the month started normally and then completely dried up with COVID. She’s currently doing specials that can be purchased now and booked later. My family has bought a couple and are looking forward to booking a session when things return to normal. If you’re in the Phoenix area, I highly recommend her. If you’re outside of Phoenix, you might still want to get in touch, she’s willing to travel.

Other artists

(also from Mike, are you sensing a trend?) – COVID has upset the typical business model for many artists who rely on art fairs this time of year. Jacqui Ramrayka, a ceramicist I’ve admired for some time, started offering pieces on Instagram as part of an artists support pledge. The idea is to offer reasonably priced pieces with a commitment to use some of the proceeds to support other artists. Seeing new works and other artists supported has been a bright spot when the news is so damn depressing. The artist Matthew Burrows founded the idea and he’s absolutely right when he says generosity is infectious.

The pieces I bought from Jacqui are lovely and I’m sure you can find something fun by following the tag #artistsupportpledge on Instagram.

Business-to-business

January Third

January Third is a full-service branding, creative, design, UX, and marketing agency run by a group of seasoned professionals that split off from bigger agencies to found their own firm. Having a small team with a boutique approach is something we can certainly appreciate, and allows them to work nimbly and quickly. They produce great and creative stuff, and are comfortable running strategy and research sessions remotely.

Their approach is geared towards somewhat larger businesses, and particularly those recently-funded startups that are expected to push full branding and marketing campaigns out rapidly and from scratch, without the budgets and in-house resources an established company might have.

Creative Horizons Training

Normally Steph and her team deliver workshops, simulations, and learning events to companies and organizations worldwide. They provide a “soup to nuts team building service,” along with activities to help develop skills in communication, project management, problem solving, and feedback/coaching.

One of their pre-Covid workshop options focused on managing remote and distributed teams — something that is obviously now more relevant than ever! They’ve created virtual trainings for many of their other programs, so whether you’re anticipating leading a group remotely for the foreseeable future, or still want to continue key development programs while everyone is working from home, they likely have a module that fits.

muGrid Analytics

If you’ve ever wondered what some of the contributors at OMAAT do in their day jobs, meet muGrid Analytics, the company that Travis (remember him?) started three years ago.

muGrid helps commercial businesses, non-profits, Native American tribes, municipalities, and other organizations meet their resilience and sustainability goals while also saving money on their utility costs. muGrid provides bankable techno-economic analysis, system design, and economic optimization of renewable energy technologies including solar, wind, battery energy storage, combined heat and power, and more.

hyatt regency maui solar pv array courtesy of mugrid analytics
Rooftop solar photovoltaic array on the Hyatt Regency Maui 

Merging the energy and travel worlds, muGrid provided the design analysis for the solar arrays at the Fairmont Kea Lani and the Hyatt Regency Maui — the latter of which was the largest privately-owned rooftop solar installation on the island at the time it was built — and continues to provide performance monitoring of those systems today.

Pets

Uptown Pup – Indianapolis & Online

From the owner — Uptown Pup normally offers boutique dog boarding, daycare, grooming, training, and fitness. We are just launching online training classes, as well as private video consultations and training sessions worldwide. We are also a registered dealer of FitPAWS exercise equipment, and can drop ship anywhere in the US.

What am I proud of? Our company-wide philosophy of positive reinforcement. Not only does this mean that we treat every dog with respect and gentleness while rewarding the good behavior, we also model our philosophy in the way we hire, train, and treat all team members. We have built such an excellent team that works hard every day to give the dogs a great experience and to build each other up. We work with dog owners to teach them how to build a relationship with their dog in which dog and human can both love the learning and training process. Uptown Pup is a wonderful place for dogs and humans alike!

Luv My Pet – Baltimore Dog Walking

From Ricky — Luv My Pet is a dog-walking and pet sitting company that services the Baltimore area. We’ve used pet care services in multiple cities over the years, and the service we receive from Luv My Pet here in Baltimore is second to none. As soon as a walk wraps up, we get a text message and photo, which always brightens up an afternoon.

Any traveler knows one of the hardest things about leaving home is the animal (and humans) we leave behind. Thankfully, even if we’re just gone for the day, we know our puppy is in the best hands with Luv My Pet.

Travel

Cranky Concierge

This is who we go to when we are buying tickets and have a complicated itinerary — Brett and his team of airline dorks are magical at being able to price nearly any ticket. They’ve even set up a refund hunter to help people figure out their options for canceled flights.

So you might not need them now, but when you (or your business) start booking travel again, it’s worth thinking about using a human rather than just a website. Cranky Concierge has a flight monitoring service that has been invaluable when operations went awry, and will likely be even more beneficial as route networks fluctuate in the next year.

Luxury Travel Agents

Speaking of using humans to book travel — Ford, Katie, and every other Virtuoso agent we know has spent the past two months navigating policies and fighting for refunds for their clients. The nature of the business is that their commissions are paid by hotels (long) after the stays are completed, so in some cases they’ve been working to undo reservations they made a year ago, and won’t be compensated for the time spent on either end.

When you’re ready to book travel again — whether that’s an easy Hyatt Privé or Four Seasons Preferred stay, a luxury city hotel, or a safari — booking through an established agent doesn’t cost you anything extra, you typically get additional benefits on your stay, and you’re supporting small/independent businesses along the way.


Have a small business you’d like to give a shout-out to? Please tell us:

  • The name of the business (obviously), and their website if they have one
  • Where they are located (OMAAT readers are everywhere), and/or if they ship products or help clients remotely
  • What you appreciate, or think they do well (or, if it’s your business, what you’re proud of) 

And if folks like this, maybe we’ll do some more in-depth profiles of some of these businesses at some point.

Conversations (23)
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  1. Michal Otten Guest

    I’d like to give a shoutout to my favorite local shop in Portland, OR. Budd+Finn is a locally owned shop full of items that are made in and inspired by Oregon. They sell bath products, candles, games, souvenirs, posters, and tons of other stuff. I always bring friends and family to the store when they visit from out of town, and their website is still active for purchasing products while the store is closed due to the pandemic. https://www.buddfinn.com/

  2. Gaby Guest

    I’d like to give a shoutout to my woman owned small business. Gaby’s Hair Studio started from a deep desire to have a personalized experience when I would visit a salon. Gaby’s Hair Studio offers a personalized, focused one on one attention,. Who knew this business model would prove to be a best practice during these times by industry officials!
    Gaby’s Hair Studio uses a holistic approach to services and products, offering precision haircuts,...

    I’d like to give a shoutout to my woman owned small business. Gaby’s Hair Studio started from a deep desire to have a personalized experience when I would visit a salon. Gaby’s Hair Studio offers a personalized, focused one on one attention,. Who knew this business model would prove to be a best practice during these times by industry officials!
    Gaby’s Hair Studio uses a holistic approach to services and products, offering precision haircuts, low ammonia and plant based color, plant based skincare , organic teeth whitening and waxing all in a serene environment.
    By appointments only - located
    in a serene space in the heart of Burbank, Ca.
    A wonderful place to unwind and get pampered without any rush or the crowds.
    Gaby’s Hair Studio
    542 N Glenoaks Blvd
    Burbank Ca 91502

  3. Valerie Johnston Guest

    I want to give a shout out to Dama Distributing. Dama is a company that was originally designed to offer Eco-friendly packaging to the CBD and Cannabis industries. The reason behind starting with those industries is, they are the fastest growing users of single use plastic in the world. I can guarantee that Dama offers at least one type of packaging that would benefit most any industry & their selection is expanding constantly. Whether a...

    I want to give a shout out to Dama Distributing. Dama is a company that was originally designed to offer Eco-friendly packaging to the CBD and Cannabis industries. The reason behind starting with those industries is, they are the fastest growing users of single use plastic in the world. I can guarantee that Dama offers at least one type of packaging that would benefit most any industry & their selection is expanding constantly. Whether a company is in the Hemp industry or one that's more mainstream, Dama has an Eco-friendly solution to petrol based plastic packaging. Their mission is to educate the public about plastics, recycling, & the greenwashing happening around all of that. They're dedicated to helping any company who's willing, replace their petrol based plastic containers with a home degradable alternative. Dama Distributing has put together a group of companies offering many styles of packaging that will degrade in less than a year & a half in your backyard. We all know we need a solution to single use packaging & though the public is screaming for exactly what Dama Distributing offers, getting companies to change is the biggest hurdle.

  4. Mark Guest

    Pickleball Paddles Canada
    Is a great online store that has fast shipping and great customer service

    They ship anywhere in Canada and the US

    My package are always shipped out the next business day.

  5. Triquetra Apothecary Etc. Guest

    Triquetra Apothecary Etc.
    This store is located in Humble Texas.
    The owner of this store formulates, all natural soaps, lotions, and all type of bath products. She has hand cleanser, large selection of essential oils, and carries Joy Organics CBD products.
    The owner Lisa is very nice, and she is extremely knowledgeable in her field.
    She has a really quaint little shop, it's a must see.

  6. Wilhelm Guest

    I’d like to give a shoutout to The West Country Farm Shop based one the U.K. They have a stand at Borough Market in London but you can also order online. Their beef is probably the best I’ve ever eaten, and they also offer a number of other high quality items like chicken, bacon, sausages etc. I’ve been shopping there for ten years and ever since I left the UK I always try to pop by to get a refill.

    https://wildbeef.co.uk/about-us/, and they’re also on Facebook.

  7. John New Member

    Thanks, Tiffany,

    We are a small company based in Virginia with 26 employees. We manufacture customizable and certified organic organic mattress. The url is savvyrest.com.

    We would be happy to offer 20% off to any of your readers.

    Love the blog and have followed for years. Without it I never would have flown Lufthansa first class twice or Singapore Suites twice! Appreciate you all very much.

    John

  8. TravelinWilly Diamond

    This is a really terrific blog post, thank you all for assembling it!

  9. Michelle Member

    We started a small family operation with two CBD products we developed for our anxious pup Cooper (a CBD treat for pups and CBD oil for cats and pups alike) that's named for both of our doggos, Connor and Cooper (www.connorandcooper.com)!

  10. jeni bogdan New Member

    What a great idea! I just ordered A LOT of candles!

  11. oranjemakker Guest

    thanks Tiffany, great idea to create this post thank you. Unfortunately a number of these don't really work for us not in the USA so hard to support but 08 Left is very cool and I will order from there!

    1. Tiffany OMAAT

      @ oranjemakker -- Thanks! Some of the artists Mike linked to are in Europe, and all the B2B companies can work internationally, but please feel free to share a small business you love near you, as I'm sure others will appreciate suggestions as well!

  12. Gabriela Brown Guest

    Great idea! We'd love to mention one of kids' favorite stops here in South Florida, I Know Science Toy Store & Sci-Lab! It's a modern toy store with the coolest science lab in the back of the house where they host all sorts of special events, science parties, camp, etc. Currently, they offer FREE shipping on all their online toy purchases with promo code FREESHIP and are offering their science birthday parties and science labs...

    Great idea! We'd love to mention one of kids' favorite stops here in South Florida, I Know Science Toy Store & Sci-Lab! It's a modern toy store with the coolest science lab in the back of the house where they host all sorts of special events, science parties, camp, etc. Currently, they offer FREE shipping on all their online toy purchases with promo code FREESHIP and are offering their science birthday parties and science labs for kids virtually. 

    iknowscience.com

    IG/FB: @iknowsciencecoralgables

  13. Kristin Guest

    Baltimore Art Gallery, in the Hampden neighborhood of Baltimore! Eclectic, affordable, original local art, made by Baltimore artists. Bmoreartgallery.com

  14. Jonathan New Member

    I'd like to give a shoutout to myself (Lol) for running a small web hosting service called ISODME. (https://www.isodme.com/).

    We provide fast, reliable, and secure servers and domains for you to create a website on. One-click script installers allow you to install services such as WordPress, which sites such as OMAAT run on.

    Plus, we are cheaper than most of the big companies. If you're interested, get started today with a free plan....

    I'd like to give a shoutout to myself (Lol) for running a small web hosting service called ISODME. (https://www.isodme.com/).

    We provide fast, reliable, and secure servers and domains for you to create a website on. One-click script installers allow you to install services such as WordPress, which sites such as OMAAT run on.

    Plus, we are cheaper than most of the big companies. If you're interested, get started today with a free plan.

    -----

    Also, I'd like to give a shoutout to my local Chinese food restaurant, Spicepepper Garden. They've closed down due to COVID-19, but they just messaged the community saying they'll open up tomorrow May 12th for takeout orders!

  15. Kelly Lozano Guest

    Mr Ice Cream, located on the famous San Antonio Riverwalk, is a family owned, old fashioned ice cream parlour. It has been in business in the same location for over 45 years. It is slated to reopen by June 1st, with new health safety measure put in place.

  16. Jean Armenteros Guest

    I want to give a shout out to a property management and beach vacation rentals small business, NavarreVacationRentals (NVR). They are located on Navarre Beach, Florida, 30 miles from Destin, Florida. This company really cares for the comfort of their guests and are superb on their cleanliness. Small boutique style company that employs locals.
    www.navarrevacationrentals.com, 800.214.0415 or local 850.939.4898

  17. Rico Gold

    @PlanMoreTrips. This Plan More Trips founder (Mahal) quote from a March 13, 2020 article hasn't aged well.

    “A bunch of them (tech workers) were saying, well, the coronavirus is here in my city, so we may as well go somewhere else,” Mr. Mahal said. “We’ve even seen co-workers booking together. They figure if we have to work from home, we might as well go rent a house in Hawaii.”

    To tap into this new market,...

    @PlanMoreTrips. This Plan More Trips founder (Mahal) quote from a March 13, 2020 article hasn't aged well.

    “A bunch of them (tech workers) were saying, well, the coronavirus is here in my city, so we may as well go somewhere else,” Mr. Mahal said. “We’ve even seen co-workers booking together. They figure if we have to work from home, we might as well go rent a house in Hawaii.”

    To tap into this new market, Mr. Mahal made a “coronavirus flight alert,” a program that aggregates cheap flights and emails users suggested itineraries.

    “If you’re comfortable with the risk, the prices are like the cheapest they’ve been in 10 years,” Mr. Mahal said. “Flights are cheap, lodging is cheap, there are no tourists.”

    https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/13/travel/coronavirus-travel-deals.html

  18. Simon Gold

    Good idea. I've seen small biz shout out posts in IG.

    Maybe within each business grouping you can sub head/organize by physical location where relevant (like restaurants), assuming post is amended to encompass more listing. A la IHG points break post.

  19. PlanMoreTrips Guest

    Thanks for putting this guide together TIffany! We are a small travel planning start up and were just starting to make some traction once COVID hit, now our future is uncertain. If anyone is thinking about planning travel for the future, we built an app that allows you to save flight & hotel options directly from any travel website so no more having to use Google Spreadsheets. https://PlanMoreTrips.com/travel-planning-app

  20. Justine Guest

    If you're looking for a new hobby, we make kits for beginners to learn to crochet!

    For OMAAT readers, 20% off with OMAAT20 at www.thewoobles.com

Featured Comments Most helpful comments ( as chosen by the OMAAT community ).

The comments on this page have not been provided, reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any advertiser, and it is not an advertiser's responsibility to ensure posts and/or questions are answered.

Michal Otten Guest

I’d like to give a shoutout to my favorite local shop in Portland, OR. Budd+Finn is a locally owned shop full of items that are made in and inspired by Oregon. They sell bath products, candles, games, souvenirs, posters, and tons of other stuff. I always bring friends and family to the store when they visit from out of town, and their website is still active for purchasing products while the store is closed due to the pandemic. https://www.buddfinn.com/

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Gaby Guest

I’d like to give a shoutout to my woman owned small business. Gaby’s Hair Studio started from a deep desire to have a personalized experience when I would visit a salon. Gaby’s Hair Studio offers a personalized, focused one on one attention,. Who knew this business model would prove to be a best practice during these times by industry officials! Gaby’s Hair Studio uses a holistic approach to services and products, offering precision haircuts, low ammonia and plant based color, plant based skincare , organic teeth whitening and waxing all in a serene environment. By appointments only - located in a serene space in the heart of Burbank, Ca. A wonderful place to unwind and get pampered without any rush or the crowds. Gaby’s Hair Studio 542 N Glenoaks Blvd Burbank Ca 91502

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Engaged Learning Experiences and Digital Teaching by Dr. David E. Proudfoot Guest

Foot forwards exists to empower professionals and families to create engaged learning experiences in online education & in everyday interactions. Engaged Learning Experiences and Digital Teaching by Dr. David E. Proudfoot. https://footforwards.com/

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Meet Tiffany Funk, OMAAT Managing Editor
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