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FREE U.S. Shipping w/any $75 or more purchase.
LA CROSSE Boutique Regular Hours: Wed - Fri: 11ish-6ish, Sat: 10ish-6ish, Sun: 11ish-4ish.
LAKE CITY Boutique Current Hours: OPEN Thurs - Sat: 11 - 5
9 Women-Owned Small Businesses Worth Shopping Right Now — Part 1 of 2
Part 1 of 2
9 Women-Owned Businesses You'll Want to Shop Today
Curated finds from female founders doing the most beautiful, extraordinary things
There's something that happens when a woman decides to build something from nothing.
She doesn't just open a business — she pours herself into it. Every product becomes an act of courage. Every sale is a quiet declaration that her vision matters, that her hands and mind and heart are worth something in this world.
I've been spending a lot of time lately making sure my money follows my values. And when I sit down and actually think about it — about the women who woke up one day with an idea and then did the terrifying, exhilarating work of turning it into something real — I feel this deep pull to tell you about them. These aren't just businesses. They're stories. They're proof. They're small businesses owned by women who refused to wait for permission.
Some of these founders built their shops out of necessity. Some started with a single sewing machine or a kitchen experiment that turned into something much bigger. And all of them are doing the daily, unglamorous, extraordinary work of running a small business in a world that doesn't always make it easy.
When you shop women-owned businesses — especially small ones — you're not just making a purchase. You're investing directly in a human being's dream. You're keeping the lights on for someone's family. You're telling a woman that what she made is worth paying for. That matters so much more than we sometimes stop to think about.
So here are nine women whose work has genuinely stopped me in my tracks. These are my honest favorite finds — some are things I've already ordered, some are going straight onto my wish list. Each one is a gift, whether you're treating yourself or someone you love. Let's get into it.
Lisa Tremblay built KinMarked into a community of over 8,000 happy customers who clearly know what they're talking about, because the personalized jewelry this Midwestern woman makes is genuinely gorgeous. She hand-crafts everything right here in the Midwest, and the attention to detail is something you feel the second you open the package. This is jewelry that means something — the kind you reach for every single day.
Here's the thing about this necklace — it's not just a necklace. You pick the charms, you pick the chain, you build something that's entirely yours. It arrives on a delicate paperclip chain that has this effortless, modern feel, and you can layer it with just about anything in your jewelry box. The charm options range from birthstones to initials to tiny meaningful symbols, so it works as a gift for literally anyone you love — including yourself. If you've been searching for something truly personal to give as a graduation or Mother's Day gift, this is it.
Stephanie Griffin is a single mom of three who homeschooled all of them and understood exactly how much paper and ink gets wasted trying to teach kids the basics. So she started making something better. Kids Fundamentals, made with love in South Carolina, creates reusable, handmade educational tools that make learning less overwhelming for parents and actually fun for kids. The kind of small business you genuinely want to succeed.
Okay, so this board is magic for little ones just starting to write. Stephanie makes it personalized — your child's actual name — on a double-sided, reusable, dry-erase board that washes clean with soap and water. No printing, no laminating, no paper waste. One side is your child's name in tracing format, the other side covers the full alphabet. It travels easily, it's durable, and watching a kid's face when they see their own name on something they get to learn with? There's nothing like it. It doubles as a really thoughtful gift for baby showers, birthdays, or back-to-school season.
Thembi Aleah created Tasty Tin because she knew that real, small-batch seasoning blends — the kind with actual character — shouldn't be this hard to find. Her garlic and herb blends come in these beautiful little shakers, and once you start cooking with them you'll genuinely wonder what you were doing with your food before. She has a devoted following for very good reason. This is the brand I recommend to everyone who says their cooking is "fine but nothing special."
And honestly? This is the one that started it all for Tasty Tin's cult following. Garlic Dust is Thembi's signature blend — a deeply savory, perfectly balanced garlic seasoning that her customers reach for on absolutely everything: chicken, vegetables, seafood, pasta, eggs. The shaker format means you get exactly the right amount every time, no mess, no fuss. It's become one of those products that lives permanently on the counter because you find yourself grabbing it at least three times a day. Once you run out, you immediately panic and order more. Ask anyone who has tried it.
Dawn Tyrrell set out to completely rethink what tea can be — something you actually look forward to making, not just something you grab when you're sick. Chai Tea & More offers loose-leaf teas, chai concentrate kits, and cold brew blends that cover every taste and age. There's a warmth to Dawn's brand that feels like the best kind of hospitality. This is a woman who wants you to genuinely love what's in your cup.
Trust me on this one — if you've ever tried making chai at home and ended up with something flat and vaguely disappointing, this kit is going to change everything for you. Dawn designed this so you can make rich, smooth, spiced chai concentrate exactly the way you like it: sweet, milky, spicy, whatever your preference. The process feels special. It smells incredible. And the result is a warm, creamy mug that honestly tastes like the real thing — because it is. Makes a stunning gift for anyone who loves a cozy ritual or wants to reduce their coffee shop spending.
Stacey Freitag and her family grow non-GMO popcorn on a multigenerational farm right on the Kansas-Nebraska border — the same land Nate's family has farmed for generations. What makes Free Day Popcorn different is something you can actually taste: it's fresh. Not stored-for-18-months-in-a-warehouse fresh. Actually, genuinely, this-season fresh. Stacey oversees the sales and marketing side while raising four daughters who are deeply involved in the business. The whole story is so wonderfully rooted in family.
Okay, these are genuinely unlike anything you've ever had in your snack rotation. Popping Ears™ are whole popcorn ears — hand-picked by the Freitag daughters as part of an FFA project — that you pop directly in the microwave, right on the cob. Each ear is individually vacuum-sealed to lock in freshness. You can stick the whole thing in the microwave and watch the kernels pop off the cob in real time, which is absolutely mesmerizing for kids and adults alike. They're non-GMO, Star-K Kosher certified, naturally gluten-free, and 100% whole grain. These make the most memorable stocking stuffers, teacher gifts, or holiday table favors you've ever given.
Lesley Chang started Sage Gems as a love letter to her mom, who is navigating Alzheimer's Dementia — and 10% of every single sale goes to the Alzheimer's Society of British Columbia. This Canadian jewellery company, built by generations of jewellers in Lesley's family, curates vintage-inspired pieces with a modern twist that you can wear every single day without them tarnishing or chipping. The packaging alone will make you gasp. Everything arrives in a signature baby blue gift box that feels impossibly thoughtful.
Reviews of this ring say things like "gets more attention than my engagement ring" and "I haven't taken it off since it arrived." It's a trending, statement-making piece with a natural labradorite gemstone — the kind of stone that shifts and shimmers with this ethereal blue-green flash depending on the light. Available in gold-plated and silver options, it's elegant without being overdone. Lesley personally iterates and improves the design based on customer feedback, which means the version you're buying today is genuinely the best version of this ring. Worth every penny.
Vicki Rye spent years with debilitating eczema, trying every product on the market, before she went back to school for natural and organic skincare formulation and started making things she couldn't find anywhere else. Now she's your skincare BFF — a deeply knowledgeable, compassionate formulator who makes small-batch products specifically for sensitive, irritated, and bothered skin. This is a woman who did the hard work so you wouldn't have to.
If your skin could talk, it would ask for this cleanser by name. The Golden Hour Gentle Cleanser is Vicki's take on the most important step in any skincare routine — a wash that actually respects your skin barrier instead of stripping it bare. Formulated with the same thoughtful, natural approach that defines everything at Rooted+Wilder, this cleanser is designed for sensitive and easily-irritated skin that's been let down by harsh, overcomplicated formulas before. It cleans without the tight, dry feeling that follows most cleansers, leaving your skin calm, soft, and ready for whatever comes next. For anyone who's ever said "I just need a cleanser that doesn't wreck my skin" — Vicki made this for you.
Esther Regina grew up obsessed with shoes — she had a collection that filled two over-the-door holders — and when she got the opportunity to build her own boutique, she leaned fully into that inner child. Laced Shoe offers European-style handmade footwear for kids, teens, and women, hand-selected by Esther and her team for comfort, quality, and that hard-to-define thing called character. She now has boutique locations in Monsey, NY and Lakewood, NJ, but her online shop ships beautifully.
The Veja collection at Laced Shoe is something special. These French sneakers — made from organic cotton, wild rubber, and vegetable-tanned leather — are the kind of shoes that parents buy for their kids and then quietly wish came in adult sizes too. Esther carefully curates the selection across velcro styles for little ones and classic options for older kids and women, and the craftsmanship is genuinely noticeable. Durable enough to survive real kid energy, beautiful enough that you'll want to keep them out of the mud. She carries styles you genuinely can't find everywhere, which makes finding the perfect pair feel like a small triumph.
Lindsay Hill is the Houston-based designer and mama behind Cradle Comforts Co., a small-batch baby textile brand quietly redefining what nursery essentials can look like. She hand-sews each piece in the USA, designs all the prints herself, and has built a mission around sustainable baby products — including a buy-back program for crib sheets and a shift to entirely compostable mailers. The kind of brand that makes you feel good about every single thing you buy.
This cover is so ridiculously charming that it nearly convinced me to have another baby just to justify ordering one. A soft, stretchy polyester jersey knit in the most joyful pattern of rainbow macarons in pastels — yellow, pink, blue, green — it functions as a car seat cover that also transforms into a nursing cover when needed. Lindsay designed it to make on-the-go life with a baby genuinely easier, and the result is something that's as functional as it is beautiful. It makes a stunning baby shower gift for someone who has everything, because the chances of anyone else showing up with this exact design are essentially zero.
Every purchase you make from a women-owned small business is a genuine act of support for something that matters. These female founders didn't take the easy path — they built something, kept going when it was hard, and created work that's worth celebrating. When you shop small and support women-owned businesses, you're not just buying a product. You're choosing people over corporations.
Share this post with someone who loves discovering new favorite things from women-owned businesses. Drop a comment below and tell me which of these shops you're checking out first. And don't miss Part 2, where I've got nine more incredible female founders you need to know about.
