Small Business Spotlight No.1

Featuring three of my favorite small businesses—Life Distilled, Simply Sámone and Z.W. Mercantile.

Over the past year, I have made a point to be most intentional about where I put my money. In this late stage capitalism that we live in, two of the most important things we have are our money and labor. With worker shortages especially, we are starting to see that even though 1% of the population controls the wealth, it is really us who holds the power.

We could collectively crash the economy if we decided not to show up to work, or to stop spending money. But that conversation can be for a different day because as of right now, capitalism does still exist.

What gives me peace of mind in the mess of our current economic system is all the small and local businesses that are popping up everywhere.

It feels so much better to buy products from individuals who are chasing their dreams to deliver said product than to a corporation who the 1% continues to profit off, like Target or Amazon.

Anything you’d like to buy is either being made by someone, or already exists at a second-hand store. In today’s post I will share three of my favorite small businesses and the products they have made that I love.

The first small business I love is called Life Distilled, located in Ames, Iowa. This corner store is my new go-to for holistic health products and other local/natural products.

The owner of Life Distilled blends her own essential oils for various necessities and symptoms. This weekend, I found two of her blends that fit my needs perfectly, the first being an essential oil roller for allergy relief, and another I bought as a perfume replacement. Perfume ingredients are toxic, so when I found her "Date Night" blend, I had to get one for myself, and I’m obsessed with it. I also bought protein powder made in Des Moines and an herbal tea blend for allergy relief.

One thing that stands out about this modern-day apothecary is her option to blend custom essential oils, including ones infused with crystals. Depending on your needs, you can leave with a blend made especially for you.

She also hosts various events/classes in store.

My next favorite small business is Simply Sámone, a Black-owned, organic, vegan lip gloss line. This brand offers all sorts of products such as lip balm, gloss and scrubs. All products are handmade by 20 year old college student, Jassma’ray Johnson. I am especially inspired by Jassma’ray because she started this brand in her college dorm room.

As somebody who has been on Accutane more than once and suffered the insanely dry lips that comes as a symptom of the medication, I found myself “addicted” to chapstick, using it practically every hour.

I stopped using chapstick completely because the big chapstick brands are designed to deliver lubrication, but then dry your lips out more, forcing you to continue buying their products. I would no longer buy any of the lip products I could find in-store and resulted to making my own, which didn’t turn out so great either.

Simply-Sámone was like my saving grace. Her lip line fits all my standards–organic, cruelty free, natural and vegan. I would consider myself a forever customer. As long as she makes these products, I’ll buy them.

I use the lip balm in Vanilla Butternut which smells so yummy and leaves my lips feeling so nourished. This balm doesn’t have those drying after-effects and doesn’t leave you wanting more and more, it just does it’s job. I also love the lip gloss in Peppermint Princess. Even just a drop of this clear gloss gives my lips the perfect shine and plump it needs.

It is almost impossible to bear these Iowa winters without two things: chapstick and hand lotion. Though I haven’t found a hand lotion for you yet, I know exactly where you can find the lip balm you need.

At the very least, check out the Simply Sámone website, she has a great message about supporting, loving and honoring Black women.

The last small business featured in this post is Z.W. Mercantile, a zero-waste shop in Ames, Iowa that delivers sustainable products and alternatives. If you are looking to reduce your waste, this is definitely your one-stop-shop. They offer products for personal care/beauty, home, cleaning, composting, and so much more.

Some of my favorites from this store include the cutest glass straw I got in pink, fluoride-free toothpaste (I’m very picky about what I use and the one they sell has the best ingredient list I’ve seen,) and their reusable net produce bag, but my Z.W. wishlist is long.

One especially unique thing about this shop is their bulk soap option. You can bring your own glass container in and fill it with shampoo, conditioner, body wash, lotion, etc. This is a great way to reduce your waste, after you use your jar of alfredo or drink your kombucha, just wash it and bring it in to be filled with these natural products.

If products from Life Distilled or Z.W. Mercantile are up your alley, but you don’t live in the Ames, both shops have online stores so you can get their amazing products shipped right to your door.

There is a level of love and appreciation that takes place when supporting small businesses that you just can’t get with corporations. That is why I would rather give my money to a person and not a company.

Other ways you can support small businesses are: follow their social media, share their products with your friends, engage with their content and sign up for newsletters. If you want to support more people and less corporations, another tip is to search what you are looking for on platforms like TikTok or Etsy, and chances are, you will find someone who makes/sells that exact thing.

It has been so fun to find different local shops and people who make the products I am looking for, and I would encourage everyone to do the same.

There are so many local restaurants and small businesses I adore, so I’ll definitely be making more posts like this one, and I’m always down to discover new ones.

What are your favorite small businesses?

Love always, Abby Long