Words by: Maggie Laubscher | Music by: Abby Yemm

Photo credit: Apothé Instagram account — Photo credit: Apothé Instagram account

We love a small business - after all, we are one! With today being Small Business Saturday, we wanted to highlight some of our favorites for you.

Small businesses are woven into our communities. They add character, creativity, and heart. They help us want to linger and plant roots in a place. Imagine if every local business was replaced by a big box store. The Westside and Crossroads and Prairie Village shops and elsewhere would look so different. And so boring.

Small businesses matter. There are 30.7 million small businesses in the U.S., which account for 99.9 percent of all U.S. businesses. Nearly half of Americans are in the small business industry, whether as owners or employees. And Small Business Saturday is not just one day to shop local - it’s a day to highlight shops for us to fall in love with.

I wish small businesses were such powerhouses that there was no need to highlight them. But here we are. Let’s highlight them today and shop them everyday. Get them into your rotation, if you can. Check out some of our favorites below and find your next gem of a purchase. We hope it helps you do your holiday shopping thoughtfully this year. All of our picks are local. Happy shopping, Nellies...