Nov 30

Nov 30 Shop Native for the Holidays

As the holidays approach and we begin to look for unique and thoughtful gifts for our loved ones, let’s prioritize shopping from Indigenous small businesses over larger retailers like Amazon and Wal-Mart. The quality and beauty of gifts from these small businesses more than makes up for the small inconvenience it takes to do a bit more searching or navigating a new website!

To help you out, we’ve done some of that research for you, and asked our community to tell us about their favorite Indigenous-owned shops. You can find the full directory here, but we’ve also included some of our favorite submissions below! These businesses carry everything from makeup and clothes, to wine and fine art, so you’re sure to find something for everyone on your gift list.

According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, there are over 300,000 Native American-owned businesses in the U.S., generating around $50 billion of revenue a year. The 2022 U.S. Census Bureau also reported that Native American-owned businesses employ 243,523 people, which is about $9.6 billion in annual payroll. And as Forbes noted a few years ago, the numbers on Indigenous-owned businesses are very likely to be undercounted, so their impact on our economy could be even greater than that!

Desert Teeth by Boderra Joe at Abalone Mountain Press

The growth and success of Indigenous-owned businesses is a significant achievement, especially considering the structural barriers to economic prosperity that Indigenous communities face. It’s important to support Indigenous entrepreneurs so they can continue contributing to our economy and their communities!