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To celebrate Women's History Month I spent the entire month of March shopping exclusively from woman-owned businesses. With the exception of food at the grocery store, I attempted to buy EVERYTHING from a woman-owned business. What I learned is that while it was difficult, it is entirely possible.
Shopping woman-owned required pre-planning, research, and figuring out which businesses in my area are woman-owned. But I did the heavy lifting so you don't have to. I wanted to openly share with you the process I went through to find woman-owned businesses and how I saved them for reference later to ease the shopping experience so that you can do the same in your area.
At the bottom of this blog post you will also find a list of some national brands that are woman-owned.
Google is your great tool. Through google you can search for woman-owned businesses, see which businesses identify as woman-owned, and pin these places for easy reference later on.
Google for business allows business owners to add labels to their about section that appears when you look up the business. There are several helpful labels, including "Identifies as woman-owned".
Finding woman owned businesses in your area can be as easy as googling "woman-owned restaurants in my area". Google will do the rest and all you need to do is look for the label in the businesses about section.
The map that you see pictured above is a pinned list of over 150 woman-owned and co-owned businesses in the Atlanta area. All of the blue pins on the map indicate a woman-owned or co-owned business. Once I discovered that a business was woman-owned it was easy to save this to a list.
Each business with a google listing will have the option to save that specific business. Once you click the save button you can add it to a list.
You can see the lists that I've created for myself here. I have 153 woman-owned businesses pinned in the local Atlanta area. This is a great tool for easy reference to pick a place to shop, go out to eat, or make other purchases. You can name the list whatever works best for you and can make multiple lists to stay organized.
You can flag each business as "Want to go", "Favorites", "Travel Plans" or "Starred Places" these are default actions on google. Otherwise, you can create your own unique list and name it whatever you'd like.
While google is a great tool, there are several woman-owned businesses that have no yet utilized this handy google label. Another simple way to discover women's businesses in your area is to check out their website. Most businesses have an about page on their website that will list the owner(s) of that particular business. If the owner is a woman, you can follow the same steps as above to add the business to your saved list so that it will be easy to identify as woman-owned when you're shopping later on.
In the age of technology we can sometimes be afraid to get on the phone, I've also found some great women's businesses in my area by simply calling and asking if they're women-owned. Don't be scared to pick up the phone and ask some of your favorite spots about their ownership.
Whatever method you choose, I want to encourage you to spend the few extra minutes it takes to research small business and woman-owned business. Each purchase you make from these businesses will be fulfilling a business owners dreams. It's much more rewarding than purchasing from large corporations. If you find an incredible woman-owned business, I encourage you to share them with me.
As promised here's a list of national woman-owned brands to get you started.
Lively - Bras, Undies, and Swim
Savage X Fenty - Lingerie by Rihanna
Gigi Pip - Hats for Women
W by Crystal White - Athleisure, Ships Nationally
Away Luggage - Suitcases, Bags, and Accessories
Avaline Red Wine - Can be found at your local grocery store
Apothic Wine - Can be found at your local grocery store
Barefoot - Head wine maker is a woman
Kaleidoscope - Haircare Products
Parachute - Everything you need for a good night sleep
Ruggable - Machine washable rugs
HoneyPot - Plant-derived feminine care
Aunt Flow - Menstrual Products
Semaine Health - Balanced hormone supplements, also available at Target
Piecework - Jigsaw Puzzles
Summersalt - Swimwear for all body types
Skinnydipped - Candied Almonds, Available at local grocery stores
Glossier - Skin first makeup brand
Rent the Runway - Clothes you can rent for special occasions
Candy x Paints - Nail polish, Available at Anthropologie
Some ways you are able to support woman owned businesses without buying their product or service are:
Write a character review
Share their content on your social media platforms
Tag friends in relevant posts from the brand
Invite women business owners to speak on your podcasts
Share their website within your network
Collaborate with woman owned businesses within your own business or job