What a difference a month makes…we’ve gone from crisp air and beautiful fall leaves to sleet, random snowfalls, and a chilling wind. Yuck. Maybe that’s why it seems like people are going straight from Halloween into Christmas (AKA: winter’s most redeeming quality).
There is one definite advantage to getting the Christmas spirit early: building that “buy local” commitment into your shopping plans. I’ve already seen local businesses and customers talking about doing their shopping early to make sure they can buy small and buy local instead of resorting to the big online dealers. I was all prepared to talk about Small Business Saturday at the end of the month, but I think it’s started early—well, early-ish; there are only seven Saturdays left before Christmas!
Don’t worry though, I know we are in good hands with the small local retailers who carry my designs—here in Regina and Moose Jaw. They’re a great choice for the in-person shopper, since you can support multiple local businesses at once. And some carry all kinds of local goods, so you might be able to finish all your shopping in one stop if you’re feeling determined.
But if you’re more Cyber Monday than Black Friday, there are also local online options. In fact, I’ll be taking part in one that combines the ease of online shopping with the abundance of options you get at a craft fair: The Wren’s Virtual Market. They’re bringing a bunch of vendors to one digital space, so you can finish shopping local without getting out of your pajamas! Of course, my website is always stocked with the latest designs for pajama-clad shopping, and you have the options of local pick-up, delivery, or shipping.
Gift cards are another easy way to buy local, and this way you don’t have to decide what style or size is right. Isn’t the chance at a comfy dress with pockets one of the best gifts you could give? This might be a chance to encourage someone who has admired your wardrobe to start building their own stash of Amaranth Design pieces. Or to convince your daughter to buy her own tunic instead of always “borrowing” yours!
Of course, I know many of you are getting this newsletter because you love to buy my pieces for yourself, not as gifts. Consider this your permission to pick out a new holiday sweater, make sure there’s at least one thing under the tree you’ll love, or prepare the perfect outfit for the strange week of nothingness between Christmas and New Year’s…which is kind of how most of 2020 has felt, isn’t it? We could all use a comfy outfit to sink into this holiday season, and if what is on the website doesn’t quite suit your tastes, I’d love to customize something for you; just send me an email.
Whether you’re buying in person or online, for yourself or as a gift, thank you so much for supporting Amaranth Designs!
Can’t wait until next month to hear from me? Keep up with the behind-the-scenes details on Facebook and my silliness on Instagram.
Links to include:
https://amaranthdesigns.ca/pages/where-to-find-us (note: you should add The Wren to this page!)
https://www.facebook.com/events/344124713528019
https://amaranthdesigns.ca/collections/all
https://amaranthdesigns.ca/products/amaranth-designs-gift-card?_pos=1&_sid=999872f86&_ss=r
https://amaranthdesigns.ca/products/8-shaped-hem-dress
https://amaranthdesigns.ca/products/14-christmas-sweater-green-trees
https://amaranthdesigns.ca/products/14-christmas-sweater
mailto:info@amaranthdesigns.ca
That consistency in sizing is even more important in the age of online shopping. There’s nothing quite as frustrating as spending all that time browsing and then waiting for a piece to arrive, only for it to completely disappoint when you put it on.
