Business & Tech

Buy Local: Finding Holiday Gifts Online

Although we encourage you to frequent local brick-and-mortar merchants in the Woodbridge area, some local artists and crafters sell their work online on sites like Etsy.

The tug-of-war between small business and big business is often thought of in terms of tiny neighborhood shops versus big box stores, or, in more recent years, tiny shops versus behemoth online companiesΒ such as Amazon.

But not all local shops are brick-and-mortar. When buying local this holiday season, don't forget to support the many independent artists and crafters who find a home on sites like Etsy. Maybe their craft is a hobby that they pick up when they get home from work, or maybe they don't have the resources to rent business space. Maybe they also have a brick-and-mortar shop but choose to extend their customer base by offering their wares online.

Whatever the case, they offer items that are, in many cases, unique, hand-crafted individual expressions.

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So in the spirit of giving these sellers more visibility, here are ten items from local sellers on Etsy:

Harvest Spice Soy Candle in Votive Glass Jar. $3.50. Shop PurePalette.

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