Inspired By: Valentine's Day Small Business Gift Ideas

Feb 3

Incase anyone needs a reminder, Valentine’s Day is February 14, which means you have a little less than 2 weeks until the best holiday EVER (just my opinion). In the spirit of this holiday, and because I’ve been leisurely lurking around the internet for Valentine’s ideas too, I’ve put together a little list of cute gift ideas. All of the gift ideas are from small businesses and most of the ideas are local (ATL)-centric because why not support small businesses while we celebrate love?!

*All of the business mentioned did not pay me to make any of these recommendations. Opinions are solely my own.*

Valentine Reads for your Bookworm

My book club and I had our most recent meeting (via Zoom) last week and someone brought up that books is one of the most intimate (not to mention, smoooooth) gifts you can give. So this Valentine’s Day, why not support a local independent bookstore near you! For my fellow Atlantans, I highly recommend A Capella Books at Inman Park. Right now, they are offering free local delivery to certain zip codes. And for those who are not in Atlanta but still want to support independent bookstores, checkout Bookshop.org, which is an online shop that support independent bookstores, authors and publications. You can also find an independent bookstore near you through their website.

Below are a few books that I’ve read, that I think would make great gifts and some of my notes on them.

Just Like You by Nick Hornby

What I love about this book is that it’s not a love story that is overly sappy. It’s a story that asks how can we love each other as couples, as friends, as family, and as members of our community despite our differences?

How to be Good by Nick Hornby

Ok, so I may just love Nick Hornby’s writing style. This is such a funny book that asks what does it actually mean to be good. What does it mean to be a good wife, husband, mother, father, sibling, friend?

Anxious People by Fredrik Backman

This is one of my favorite books that we read in my book club! It’s a great, lighthearted storyline about a robbery/hostage situation gone wrong (not in a bad way), and it shows how differently we all express love for others.

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

Another book club favorite. This book gets a little heavy and morose, but is a great story of why self-love matters and how we let others in.

Sapiens: A Brief History of Human Kind by Yuval Noah Harari

Ok, so it’s not a romantic book nor is it a lighthearted read. But recommending this book is probably one of the reasons why I think books make such great gifts. Not to get overly dramatic here, but I truly believe that one of the best gifts we can give to our loved ones, adults or children, is the encouragement to keep learning and to stay curious. This book does just that. It tells the story of well, our humankind. Where did we come from? How did we get here? And where do we go from here, after learning what we’ve just discovered? This book makes a great gift for history buffs, but also the eternally curious.

Love and Misadventure by Lang Leav

This is a poetry book about, well - love, and all of the misadventures that it brings. I’ve had this book for a long time and it’s one of my favorites to go return too. A lot of the poems are short, but meaningful. Here’s a little excerpt to give you a taste:

“She lends her pen,
to thoughts of him,
that flow from it,
in her solitary.

For she is his poet,
And he is her poetry.”

A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway

A classic. In days like today, when thoughts of travel is accompanied by more anxiety than excitement, this book is sort of a means to escape. And if you’re going to escape anywhere, even just in your mind, why not escape to Paris?

Other Valentine Gift Ideas from Small Businesses

To quote Leslie Knope, “Giving Christmas gifts is like a sport to me.” Shopping for gifts is like a treasure hunt for me, and the best part is that it’s guilt-free! So, here are some products that I thought would be great as Valentine’s gifts, for your significant other, or for yourself (because I am definitely gifting myself something!). The best part is that all of these are sourced from small businesses and most of them are locally owned. Most of these vendors are people I’ve shopped from before, so I can attest to the quality of their products. They range from $22 to $96, most of them are handmade and very unique. Happy shopping!