There’s something so incredible about shopping local and supporting businesses within our community. It’s something we’re extremely passionate about here at Detroit Mom. Buying local gives back to our community and, I don’t know about you, but that’s something I want to be a part of. For our Detroit Mom-Approved Holiday Gift Guide, we’ve made it super simple for you to shop. The majority of these businesses have the option to purchase online and ship anywhere. In honor of shopping small this holiday season, we’ve compiled a list of local businesses we think are worth checking out. It’s safe to say that we’ve tried every single one of these businesses ourselves. Check them out!
EXPERIENCES
Give a “zoonique” holiday gift that supports the animals at the Detroit Zoo and life-saving animal rescues. You’ll get a supply of Vitamin Z as low $105. Plus, get a free wolf plush!
Each membership gift includes:
• Daytime admission and parking at the Detroit Zoo and Belle Isle Nature Center
• Discounts at Zoo gift shops
• Seasonal members-only entrance, and more
Three ways to purchase:
• Go to detroitzoo.org/membership
• Visit our onsite Membership Office
• Call (248) 541-5717 and press 3
This holiday season, give your kids (or grandkids) the gift of education!
It’s easy to open a Michigan Education Trust (MET) 529 prepaid tuition plan online – and start saving for college today! Through December, MET is offering a $100 match and waiving enrollment fees for the first 300 contracts* purchased.
Enroll today at SETwithMET.com or call 800-MET-4-KID.
*See website for additional rules and eligibility.
FOR KIDS
Modern Natural Baby is a is a 5,000-square-foot brick and mortar store in Downtown Ferndale just north of Detroit. We can complete your entire baby registry for your modern natural baby including cloth diapers, baby carriers, wooden toys, strollers, clothing, high chairs, car seats, furniture, and so much more. We are currently only open for online shipping and curbside pickup.
Healthy Roots Dolls is a toy company that creates products that empower young girls. Our first line of dolls are all about curl power and teaching girls how to love their curls through hair play.
Meet Zoe! Zoe is the first Healthy Roots Doll and she is far from average. The Zoe doll’s hair is specially-designed with curl power that allows it to be washed and styled in any way you can think of. Kids can use real products and try out countless styles from puffs to box braids! Zoe learned to love her hair after she did the big chop with her mom. Together, they learned step-by-step, how to love every single one of her curls. Now she’s here to help other girls learn to love their curls! Sized at 18” in height, Zoe is the perfect companion with hair that is bigger than life.
Their mission is to teach girls girls to love themselves just the way they are.
Wild Little Fawns is fit for the organic, vintage, and whimsical lifestyle of modern parents and their children. Sizes available are children NB-7 and Women XS-XL.
“A book with a message that could influence a generation!” Grow LOVE is a children’s book that is needed now more than ever. Said to be “a book blessing,” Grow LOVE spreads the message of giving love away to keep it growing. Kimberly’s goal is to equip young people with the 4 super powers needed to be a global citizen in an everyday global world. Kimberly’s books are driven by impact, not profit and are ethically sourced and produced with respect for people and the environment. Kimberly is also the author of “You are my baby. I am your mommy.” lovingly referred to as the Baby Mommy book by thousands of adoptive families.
Little High Flyers brings organic, eco-friendly, and fair-trade items for the metro Detroit kids. We believe you do not need to sacrifice the fun style to be socially conscious and we guarantee one-of-a-kind gifts for your little one.
With a background in social work, Corina Baldwin started this boutique in 2016, bringing the idea of social equality and environmental sustainability into fashion.
She has been creating a community around her store with free events and charity collaborations.
DownPup Yoga is a local leader in kids yoga for ages 2-12 and their families, making yoga accessible and fun for all ages! We are now bringing our engaging and playful kids yoga into your home in these cold winter months! Our monthly Yoga Box is filled with fun and engaging yoga games, props, activities, craft kits, books, and more – all carefully designed to get kids breathing, moving, relaxing, plus learning skills to cope and find calm, in an age-appropriate way. Add a package of 4 virtual classes for an even deeper yoga experience!
MORE FOR KIDS
FASHION + ACCESSORIES
Fashion is a trend, style is eternal. At Ferne Boutique, we carefully select clothing to help women dress with confidence. Whether it is a little black dress for a night on the town, or a casual tunic and jeans, we want our customers to have access to unique styles that make them feel beautiful. Providing exceptional customer experiences is our main goal. We want everyone to be a repeat customer!
Kendra, the owner of the The Blonde Mom is a Practical Fashion Stylist. Her services include but are not limited to closet audits, style sessions, styling parties, and personal shopping. The best part? She’s a budget-shopper by nature and will pass along all discounts. Your savings will far exceed the cost of services.
If you have a special someone in your life who would love this, grab a gift card! What better way to surprise the one you love?
Rebel Nell exists to provide employment and transitional opportunities for women living in shelters by creating one of a kind jewelry using fallen street art. Each unique piece is a testament to the woman who made it, and is a reminder that you are one of no other kind.
Detroit Mom exists to connect and support moms through motherhood + life. We’re here to make sure no mother ever feels alone through this journey. Sport two of your favorite things: motherhood and Detroit.
Simple. Classic. Chic.
Kiloh + Co. is a woman-owned apparel for the local lovin’. We have all the holiday gifts for the Michigan + Detroit lover. From game day, to cozy nights in, we’ve got you covered!
Mend on the Move is a 501(c)(3) non-profit social enterprise serving Metro Detroit that empowers and employs women survivors of abuse through jewelry making. Our workers take pride in seeing their creations being admired and sold retail. In selling and promoting our products, we strive to increase awareness of the injustices that silence and hold captive the women we serve. We currently travel to our workers and set up shop where they live while they are in recovery, but to serve our women more efficiently, we are raising funds for a mobile studio with dual purpose as a creation station and a retail space.
KaraLyn Street loves to design and create jewelry that is stylish and unique, yet effortless for the everyday woman to wear. Their “Feel Good” gift boxes are composed of their handcrafted jewelry as well as other products designed to lift spirits and warm souls, all at a discounted and bundled rate! Send one to your mother, your sister, a struggling friend, your child’s teacher, your favorite brave nurse or doctor, or yourself because you deserve to feel good too!
Madison Boutique is ready to help find fashions for moms that make them feel good! We’re located right in downtown Plymouth, always open online, and travel for private parties. We offer a full service styling and shopping experience to make sure you’re as trendy or timeless as you’d like to be. Come check us out, we’d love to meet you.
Better Life Bags is a missional business located in Hamtramck, MI. We hire women from our community to make our custom leather and fabric handbags and accessories. The Alicia bag is a popular everyday bag. This particular one is designed with all leather, but each bag can be customized and designed by the customer on our interactive website. You pick the leather colors, the hardware finish, and any fabric accents to represent you and our talented locally hired women will make it for you!
MORE FASHION + ACCESSORIES
SELF CARE+BEAUTY
ATD Medspa is about people. Amazing people. And aging, acne and other skin conditions can stop you from feeling like your most amazing self. At ATD Medspa, they revere natural beauty and their job is to build on it using science and technology to help you put your best face forward.
*** Mention Detroit Mom and get $20 off a service.
Natural Red was started by Karen Guilmette, a single mom of five, who was searching for products that were all-natural, worked well, and could fit into her budget. After a fruitless search, she decided to research, experiment, and make products for her family that met those criteria. After her divorce, motivated by her need for income, she realized that other moms were also searching for products for their families like the ones that she made for hers. So, she started Natural Red, and began offering personal and family care products that are safe, effective, and affordable.
Elle Jae Essentials was born in 2017 to provide clean beauty products for women that are safe, effective, and make women feel good! I have an array of scars on my body from having both Crohn’s Disease and eczema. What I was made to believe were embarrassing imperfections, I have chosen to embrace. I want every single woman to have this energy!
Ayurveda Hydration is a female owned and operated team of mobile nurses that come to you to provide IV hydration and vitamin therapy. We are focused on keeping you balanced while boosting immunity, energy, metabolism, and recovery. Our highly skilled nurses come to you where ever and whenever you need it most.
*** 20% off IV drips for first time patients.
HOME DECOR
MackenzieJoan Designs offers unique and timeless hand-lettered ornaments that will be treasured for years to come. With a variety of styles and materials, there are endless combinations to make an ornament that truly speaks to you. Personalized ornaments make wonderful gifts, from grandkids’ names for grandma to “Mr. and Mrs.” for that newly married couple to your family name—you can truly choose anything your heart desires. All pieces are lettered by hand in Mackenzie’s Metro Detroit studio and come carefully packaged in a kraft paper gift box with crinkle paper. We can’t wait to see what you choose!
Urbanum Detroit has quality provisions for city homes. It is a curator of distinctly Detroit and city-driven design, with merchandise combining the familiarity of industry with the comfort of found objects. The Urbānum experience exudes warmth, graciousness, and hospitality, providing our community avenues to express this in their own home, in their own way.
AmandaMade: Custom Illustration creates one of a kind digital art to commemorate the special people and moments in your life. We specialize in portraits, including individuals, families, pets, and can even illustrate your home. Hand-lettering can be added to any illustration. Clients are able to customize every aspect of their art piece by choosing size, background, color palette and discussing with the artist to bring to life what they are envisioning.
Pingree Detroit is a worker-owned, triple bottom line design and manufacturing cooperative that hand-makes accessories and footwear here in Detroit with leather upcycled from the auto industry.
When car seats are turned into coasters, your drink always has the best seat in the house.
Each Corktown Coaster is handmade in Detroit by our team of Veterans and Detroiters with leather upcycled from the American Auto Industry. We unite this durable automotive leather with cork crafted from leftover wine bottle corks. We then hand-emboss our logo on each coaster. It’s a great gift that smells like a new car — because it nearly was.
Handcrafted art tiles like this 6×6 Tannenbaum from Motawi Tileworks make beautiful home accents and gifts. Motawi has art tiles for all seasons and a special collection of holiday designs. Tiles are compatible with frames, easels and wall hanging. Shop online at motawi.com or in Motawi’s Ann Arbor gallery.
Motawi Tileworks was founded in 1992 by Nawal Motawi, who originally began making tile in her garage to sell at the local farmers market. Motawi art tiles are now sold in more than 300 locations in the U.S. and Canada, and Motawi tile installations grace homes and public spaces worldwide.
Acorn Handmade Co. specializes in crocheted and hand-lettered gifts and home decor. Whether shopping for yourself or for a gift to give, you’ll find items that are unique and completely made by hand. Our blankets are crocheted with the softest yarn and are available in a wide variety of colors and patterns. Our chalkboard signs are modern and practical – whether you’re displaying your weekly dinner menu, or want to add just the right amount of festive cheer to your home. We know the feeling of being gifted a handmade item – and we’d love to make something for you!
I’m That Wife is an online community that believes stories matter. They share relationship and experiences of self-discovery. They’ve recently released mugs and tumblers to encourage women everywhere.
The Naughty and Nice gift set is a dual set of 2 candles; The Naughty List and The Nice List.
The Naughty List is hand poured with pearl glitter and scented as a spiced gingerbread blend with a black glitter “gift box” (lump of coal) on top. Comes wrapped and boxed in a black box with a Naughty List card of what the candle is scented as.
The nice list is a pearly glitter blend and is scented as a peppermint vanilla candy candle with a red glitter candy cane on top!
Liv a Little is a local, woman-owned business. We hand make wood signs and curate other home goods and products for you to feel at home. All of our wood signs are hand made with different variations of knots or markings, which adds uniqueness and characteristics. Every product is a one of a kind and no two item is the same! We also curate other products from other small, woman-owned businesses.
Stay Rooted Shop is an online shop, rooted in Lansing, Michigan, that offers houseplants and handmade plant accessories. This holiday season we’re offering Kid’s Terrarium Kits. We want to introduce people to plant parenthood and help guide them along the way. We’re excited to help you along your journey!
Ashley & Jerrell are wife and husband massage therapists (owners of Nicole Allen Massage Therapy) and we added Nicole Allen Candles as an extension of our massage business. We wanted to create something that had the potential to reach more people than just those that we service through massage. Our goal is to have our candle company around long after our days of massaging are over. We wanted to develop a candle that would stand out, and we did this by finding a unique container (paint cans), and using a naming system inspired directly by our culture.
FOR FOODIES
2019 Detroit Mom-Approved Foodie Gift Guide
Stay tuned for the updated Detroit Mom-Approved Foodie Gift Guide
We hope you love these local businesses as much as we do! They are truly some of the best gems in Detroit. You’ll find something special for everyone on your list. 2020 is the year to shop local, shop small, and support our community. We know just how much our favorite small businesses appreciate you! Stop by or shop online, and tell them Detroit Mom sent you!
I love what you have created. I am going to share several of your links on my Real Estate site if you will allow that. @stephaniesaccosellsrealestate