If you guys have been following me on Instagram, you will be familiar with these businesses. I love these brands for so many reasons and I hope you guys will too.
- Lemonaid Solutions: Stephanie is one of the sweetest, most inspiring and ambitious people I know. We connected through Instagram about a year ago. I started following her page for daily interior inspiration and decided to utilize her services after a few months of following her! I felt like my room was “organized” but I never really knew why things were put where they were and never felt a sense of purpose when it came to my room’s organization. Since I had been living at home after college for a year, I knew it was time to make a change. Stephanie came over for a free consultation and talked through with me some of the things that we could change. In that appointment, I fell in love with her personality and knew she could bring so much value into my life through organizing my room. After I committed to her, she sent me a link of some organizational tools she felt that my room could benefit from (she mentions these are optional, but advised). I bought a few things to arrive before our session and I am so glad I did! Before the session she asked me to do my own decluttering, which I feel like I do on a semi-regular basis. However, when she physically held up each item, which she says helps declutter even more since the client emotionally isn’t physically attached to the item, it is easier for the client to step back and say “You know what, I really don’y need that.” So, I got rid of a lot more clothes and paperwork (aka crap) than I thought I would! Needless to say, I am beyond grateful for my experience with Stephanie, especially since she leaves each client with the skills and tools to stay organized by showing you exactly how to fold your clothes to optimize space and why everything goes where it is.
- LB Kitchen: LB Kitchen is one of my sister and I’s all time favorite places. We of course have a few favorite things on the menu (I love the harissa hash and she loves the oatmeal) but we know we would love anything that they make. We love both locations (East End, original location and West End in “Good Medicine”) equally, for different reasons and love to switch it up often! In addition to having great food, they also have amazing and healthy drink options as well! One of the reasons why I love LB Kitchen is because everything on the menu is so healthy, so you know that whatever you order it is worth the money and is good for you, so you can’t go wrong! In addition to loving their food, drinks and interior, I have recently developed a deeper love for the brand because of the initiative they have taken during COVID-19. Obviously, it is a difficult time to be a small, local business. Instead of giving up, not only have they pivoted by offering a new “at home” menu with LB classic items that you can order in bulk in addition to their regular menu you can order to go or delivery, LB Kitchen has made a huge effort to donating food to local medical personnel. The first thing you will see on their website is “shop bulk prepared foods” or “donate lunch to Maine Med”. I was completely blown away by this initiative to help those who are on the front lines, when they, I am sure, are barely getting by themselves at the moment. I will continue to support LB Kitchen as much as I can during these tough times, but I cannot wait to get back into the store and enjoy my meals there!
- Florals By Fitsy: Stephanie, from Lemonaid Solutions posted about Michelle of Florals by Fittsy on her Instagram story a few months ago and I instantly fell in love with her flower arrangements and Michelle’s personality! She offers a wide variety of flower and delivery arrangements on her site. I also recently bought her Flora Box, which I absolutely love. There is a candle, smudge stick, bath soaking salts, cookies, and a bar of soap all beautifully and naturally made by some other amazing local businesses. The flora box makes the perfect gift for someone or yourself and helps support small, local businesses at the same time! I am so happy to have discovered Florals by Fittsy and am so excited for the beautiful arrangements that I will get in the future (or maybe even give)!
- Tidal: I discovered Tidal in Rustic Arrow, one of my favorite local, retail stores. I first bought my sister Tidal’s Amber Rose candle, since my sister’s name is Amber Rose! The candle was so aesthetically beautiful and smelled amazing that I had to buy myself my own candle! After burning 2 of my own, I also started to develop love and appreciation for clean products. I have committed to only buying clean candles from here on out because I love candles and burn them so much and it would be horrible to be constantly burning chemicals into my space where I am breathing. I have also bought and love Tidal’s bath soaking salts and lip balm! Each Tidal product is so beautiful, local and clean, so you cannot go wrong with any purchase! Not to mention, Christine, the owner and maker, is so sweet and generous!
- Brownstone & Main: I have been purchasing Brownstone and Main boxes for about a year now. I love the bi-monthly subscription program and mission statement behind Jessie’s company. Brownstone and Main brings small female owned business’s products into the homes of so many more people than they would have impacted if it weren’t for this box. Jessie gives so many women a chance for their products to be seen whom probably would never have tried them if it wasn’t for Brownstone and Main. I love that each box is so different from the next with an eclectic mix of products in each box. My personal favorite is this month’s April box. The theme is Mother Earth and each product is eco-friendly and made sustainably. You can also purchase past boxes and previous products individually that were in those boxes on the site as well as subscribe to the bi-monthly program! These boxes make a great gift for yourself or others, especially during this time, and it’s so nice to know that your money would be supporting Brownstone & Main, a small, local, female owned business, that is filled with products from small, female owned businesses around the United States.