Black Friday has been a notorious holiday shopping day for decades. As a child of the 1980s, I recall images from the news of parents wrestling over limited edition Cabbage Patch dolls or discount toasters. A friend’s mother would wake at 4:30 a.m. — the morning after dishing up an extensive Thanksgiving spread — to be first in line for Fred Meyer’s well-known Black Friday sock sale.
But while Black Friday is synonymous with deals, Small Business Saturday (Nov. 30, two days after Thanksgiving) offers a sense of community over capitalism. The focus of “shopping small” is contribution versus charity, redirecting shoppers from big-box stores to nearby business corridors. After all, local commerce not only enhances a town’s character but increases the tax base, creates local jobs and sparks innovation.
The Skagit Valley — being a patchwork of rural, small towns from La Conner to Sedro-Woolley — champions small business. Per the county’s website, small businesses with fewer than 10 employees — including artisan shops like Ink + Wool and elSage Designs — comprise 84% of the county’s businesses.
elSage Designs
The Mount Vernon Downtown Association (MVDA) augments this momentum with a “Shop Small Saturday” initiative, encompassing in-store events and live music at shops across the downtown corridors. Participating businesses include the association’s collective retail space, Lido Collective, a creative micro-enterprise, incubator hosting 70 different small businesses, as well as elSage Designs.
For the elSage Shop, Small Business Saturday is the biggest sales day of the year. The gift, art and apparel shop is a continual champion for artisan businesses, from potters to leather workers, many of which are created and run by women. Owners Phoebe and Jonathan Carpenter Eells also started Valley Made Market, encompassing seasonal pop-up markets on Mount Vernon’s Riverwalk and two holiday markets at the Vinery at Christianson’s Nursery.
elSage began as a shop and screenprint studio in 2016, moved to Main Street in 2019 and expanded into an adjacent space in 2022. The elSage Shop continues to feature unique gifts, wearables and art — much of which is made in-store.
“Our shop also features a rotating section dedicated to highlighting the work of artists involved in our market series, Valley Made Market,” Phoebe said. “We feature about 20 makers in the space and rotate the lineup every six months.”
Ink + Wool
Anacortes might not organize a designated Shop Small Saturday event, but the city does have a comparably vibrant community of artisans. Ink + Wool stocks various homemade goods from local and regional artisans and produces products as well. It’s an expansion of Isola Handmade Originals, created by co-owner Kali Berg in 2014.
Kali began at the Anacortes Farmers Market with a tent, one folding table and “maybe 10 hats,” then expanded from there. Ink and Wool, the brick-and-mortar shop on Commercial Avenue, opened in May 2022.
Two vendors have been with Ink and Wool since they opened their doors: Diana Kralovic of Barn Cat Creations, maker of soaps and body products, and Kristin Thompson Stewart of Silver Strands Creations, creator of one-of-a-kind jewelry.
“I know both women from the market scene, and both embody the spirit of the region in their handmade businesses,” Kali added. She refers to their small business as a “micro-business” and continues to knit all the hats, whereas her husband, co-owner Justen Berg, has taken on the screen printing department as “head apparel decorator.”
One could argue that elSage and Ink and Wool represent what’s best about shopping local: commitment to community, fierce creativity and a celebration of others’ skills and talent. This is not to say that running a small business is a cakewalk — but what people love about these stores is also what people love about where they live.
“Choosing artists for the shop is my favorite part and one of the most difficult, as we are surrounded by talent here in Washington and the Skagit Valley,” Kali said. “Many of our local artists are literally our neighbors and people we know by name, and often hand-deliver their products.”
What may be gained by sourcing local holiday gifts this year especially? Integrity in work done well, sincere connection and joy are strong enough reasons — and we all need more of these things, these days.
Other ideas for Skagit County Christmas shopping
Anacortes: Elisabeth’s Cottage by the Sea (gifts), The Red Snapper (novelty), Watermark Book Company (books), Pacific Blanket Trading Post (Native American goods), Fidalgo Fudge (sweets), Tides of Anacortes (apparel), Pelican Bay Books and Coffee House (books), Anacortes Oil and Vinegar Tasting Bar (kitchen)
Mount Vernon: Lido Collective (art), PAVÉ Jewelry & Design (jewelry), Perry + Carlson (art and boutique goods), Skagit Valley Larder (specialty food and wine), Dilly Dally Antiques & Collectibles (antiques), Easton’s Books (used books), WildFibers (yarn and crafts), Tri Dee Arts (crafts), Skagit Acres (garden and gifts)
La Conner: Handmade La Conner (bath and body goods), Sempre Italiano (ceramics), Christianson’s Nursery (plants and flowers), Ginger Grater/Olive Shoppe (kitchen goods), Latitude-Longitude (nautical decor and apparel), Seaport Books (books), Bunnies by the Bay (baby and children’s goods), Museum of Northwest Art (art and gifts)
Burlington: Stowes Shoes and Clothing (apparel), Charles Fine Jewelry (jewelry), Suot Farm and Flowers (flower shop), Wild Valley Apothecary (herbs and gifts)
Edison: Hedgerow (gifts and vintage), Book Shucker (books), The Lucky Dumpster (artisan goods)
Jessica Gigot is a poet and writing coach. She lives on a little sheep farm in the Skagit Valley. See her work at jessicagigot.com.
