y’all already know I’m a big shop local and small advocate! thanks to how many times I’ve heard people ask how to shop small and local on a budget I decided to make this post. there will be a coinciding YouTube video centered more around small shops going up soon but for this I’ll stick to local shops!
my all time favorite boutique is down in Brookside called EB and Co. they have a bunch of cute hair accessories, jewelry, purses and more! the stores woman run, reasonably priced and adorable as ever. my current faves are their hair scarfs and braided headbands. their scarfs are adorable and silky smooth but stay place on your hair! their braided headbands look JUST LIKE those $200 ones that are all over Pinterest but only cost $12 or so! not to mention their celestial jewelry collection is just too adorable. 
the next shop I recommend is KC Marketplace down on the Plaza! there’s TONS of local vendors that sell their goodies there. this is a definite go to for your KC Native that loves to sport their hometown pride! so many cute KC graphic tees and hoodies; not to mention adorable signs for every little part of the twin cities, including the metro areas. there’s some beautiful botanical goodies sold there as well as a ice cream and a coffee bar! 
last shop I’ll be name dropping is HMK! they started out as a little pop up and are now a certified Hallmark store. they also sell various local artists work, they have an adorable kids line, of course the typical hallmark goodies and even some treats! everything there’s a reasonable price, which is awesome as well!
as for some standard tips and tricks for shopping local:
- follow their socials! lots of shops will post about their current sales
- dig, dig, dig! just like with thrifting you gotta dig through their inventory to find the real good deals
- keep coming back! a lot of local shops will cycle through items frequently to keep business up so you never know what you may find… plus you can keep an eye on what’s been marked down and what hasn’t
- check the reviews! google is your best friend not only for finding good local shops but also for finding out the quality of these shops
- do your research! as great as it is to shop small you got to be weary of up charging–yes every stores gotta make a profit but there’s a fine line between THAT and full blown scamming people
Dani Catherine J 