Growing a small business is no small feat — but finding loved brands and labels to buy from may be just as tricky. And in the age of aesthetics and “cores” galore, that can make navigating Black Friday shopping especially overwhelming.
This Black Friday, take some time to explore independent retailers, especially if you’re on the hunt for something truly unique. Indie shops are perfect for discovering standout pieces in fashion, art, and design. From handcrafted clothing to limited-edition prints and thoughtfully made accessories, these stores offer items with a story and a personal touch. Shopping small not only supports creativity and craftsmanship but also helps you find treasures that go beyond the ordinary.
We’ve picked some of our favorite indie retailers — powered by Shopify — for you to discover this holiday season that you can purchase straight from the Shop app. The app also offers personalized recommendations, updates on new drops, and a seamless checkout experience with Shop Pay, including 1% Shop Cash back on all purchases made in app. For shoppers and merchants alike, it’s a go-to tool for your holiday shopping.
Komune is a curated online and IRL boutique for emerging fashion brands, bringing one-of-a-kind pieces straight to the fingertips of shoppers. Created by passionate creatives for passionate creatives and fashion enthusiasts, the platform showcases innovative designers from Isa Boulder to Pearled Ivory. “Authenticity shapes our store curation, events, and media. Brands we stock simply because we like them, events we host purely for enjoyment, and experimental videos we create to exercise our creativity often resonate most with our audience,” says co-founder Alex Tao.
As a smaller retailer, visibility is important to stay afloat amidst major players — and with the help of Shopify, Komune can connect with new, curious audiences, organize inventory and grow its presence.
Krink is all about highlighting creativity. That’s why the small business converted from an ink and paint marker company to an artists’ material brand and creative studio, aiming to provide a 360, supportive approach to emerging artists. As an independent company, Krink relies on the power of connection — maintaining close relationships with its creative customers.
Founder Craig Costello expresses, “Small businesses do not have the power of big business. We do not have the ability to buy everything we want. It's mainly from our connection to customers that we succeed.” Shopify helps Krink to strengthen those connections, making purchasing easier than ever through the Shop app.
Mannahatta is based in the heart of downtown NYC and creates custom hats and apparel — reworking classic Yankees hats and more, putting its own spin on each. The shop has built a close-knit community of fashion-forward folks, embraced by stars from Lil Baby to Offset. This community was able to grow and flourish further with the help of Shopify.
“It was a big challenge for us to compete with people who offer proxy or third-party e-commerce site,” says Director Joe Hwang, “By using Shopify, we are able to offer customers easy access to all the products we have in-store to make their experience easier and smoother.”
Funboy brings joy from Venice Beach worldwide. The summer essential brand provides pool floaties, beach towels, inflatables and more — fueling the inner kid in us all. “As our company has grown and we’ve expanded from summer products into holiday decor and kids air beds, the common thread is creating products that bring people together to have fun,” says co-founder Blake Barrett.
Funboy uses social media to foster connections with customers but expressed that Shopify helps resolve many of the challenges that arise for independent business owners. “Shopify has been the backbone of our e-commerce presence since day 1. The platform has really scaled to meet our needs no matter how much we’ve grown.”
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