Holiday Gift Guide with Taste-Makers We Love

Rewarding yet stressful, we know how tough it can be to find the perfect gift for the loved ones on your list. Especially when you want to give them something meaningful. That’s why we tapped some sustainably-minded small businesses owners and creatives to help us reframe our shopping strategy and gift with intention. Check out what they’re adding to their gift (and wish!) list this year, and what they have to say about shopping small. 

Andrea Jimenez, Founder & CEO of @herbclub_la

Tell us a little about yourself:

I'm a California Certified Naturalist, a student of plant life and a land steward. I'm trying to spread the message that the way we take care of our land directly reflects the way we take care of ourselves. I created Herb Club LA as a way to make space for people to learn about and connect with the plant life that has been here for thousands of years. "As within, so without. As above, so below" - Hermes Trismegistus.

What are you focusing on when it comes to shopping for gifts? 

Joy and health. I like to support small businesses that focus on making our world better either through improving health or bringing joy. Joy is medicine for the heart. 

Why is shopping small so important this holiday season? 

Shopping small is a great way to support your community. It's one of the most direct ways to make a positive impact in the world.

Shop Andrea’s Picks:

Carolyn Barron Garcia, Owner of @botanarchy

Tell us a little about yourself:

I’m a writer, acupuncturist, Physician of East Asian Medicine who merges mythology and medicine to bring the mysteries of the body alive for my patients. I practice holistic primary care medicine guided by the poetry of nature, using the five elements of Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water to explore nature’s intelligence as it manifests within you. My work is for those who long to end the corporate co-optation of the body, know and embrace their unique inner ecosystem, and re-wild medicine for function, flow, and full aliveness. 

What are you focusing on when it comes to shopping for gifts? 

I’m focusing on gifts that honor the earth, uplift women creators, and uphold the Botanarchy ethos of living in a reverential way to nature, cycles, seasons, and the Five Elements. 

Why is shopping small so important this holiday season? 

Shopping small is important every day of the year! I think of every purchase I make as embedded in a greater ecosystem - what people and philosophies are my dollars supporting, nurturing, and sustaining? Most of my gift picks are businesses owned by friends and patients of mine. Supporting small businesses supports communities and families, kinfolk and neighbors alike. Women business owners reinvest up to 90% of their incomes back into their families and communities, compared to just 30-40% by men (no shade just fact.) Nurturing community is a core principle of my healthcare model, and I feel that supporting small businesses is a way to carry that out of the treatment room and into the world at large. 

Shop Carolyn’s Picks:

Sheeva Sairafi, President & Co-Founder of @holdonbags

Tell us a little about yourself:

I've been founding or running impact driven, sustainability focused brands for the last 8 years or so, ranging from home goods to nutrition products to compostable trash bags! I love spending my time working on creating products and brands that are better for the world and which align with my personal values & beliefs.

What are you focusing on when it comes to shopping for gifts? 

I love focusing on unique, meaningful gifts that people can't find everywhere. I think it's so fun to gift items that are surprising, thoughtful, and that introduce a new brand or product to the receiver. 

Why is shopping small so important this holiday season? 

Running a small business has never been easy, but the last few years all of the challenges have only been heightened due to price increases and supply chain challenges, and it doesn't seem to be slowing down. It is so so hard to compete with the "big" guys and the truth of the matter is, without your support it's really hard for small businesses to keep going. Your support helps to keep meaningful, thoughtful businesses in your community alive - which is why it's so important to shop small this holiday season!

Shop Sheeva’s Picks:

Dana aka @danamolly 

Tell us a little about yourself:
I'm a writer, researcher, and creative strategist. Unrelated to work, I'm an amateur gardener, a tea drinker, a thrift store wanderer, a smeller of roses, and a lover of details. I believe wonder and curiosity are my superpowers. I'm from New Jersey but have lived in LA for 11 years now and this city's abundant fruit-bearing trees still put a spell on me. I'm a certified forest therapy guide and would love to one day run an inn and creative retreat surrounded by trees and warm, interesting people.

What are you focusing on when it comes to shopping for gifts?
It's important to me that gifts never become burdensome or useless clutter. I love practical presents that spark delight and deliver a bit of sensory indulgence. If they feel personal, that's all the more special.

Why is shopping small so important this holiday season?
Oh man. Why isn't it?! It's been a rough couple of years for indie brands and business owners. Meanwhile, the Amazons of the world are doing juuuuust fine. I want to live in a world where I have the choice to buy something high quality, ethically made, all that good stuff. For that to be possible, we need to support these brands and makers in the here and now.

Shop Dana’s Picks:

We hope these suggestions from our Gift Shop sparked some gift-buying inspiration! We know there are so many options when it comes to holiday shopping, but we really appreciate it when you take the time to support us and the independent brands and makers we carry by shopping local at Prism Boutique.