2018 Feminist Holiday Gift Guide: Small Shop Deals

Are you one of those people that starts holiday shopping around Halloween? Or do you wait until after Thanksgiving?

Here in the northeast U.S., a substantial coating of snow last weekend has got many of us busting out trees and a few Bing Crosby tunes earlier than normal.

My sister is one who gets in the holiday spirit early, and it’s begun to rub off on me. Sometimes it makes me long for those college days when I would finish exams five days before Christmas, and then spend two full days at Macy’s checking everything off my list. There was a beauty in that!

Of course, having kids makes shopping a little more complicated, so I admit to being Amazon dependent most of the time. But I’m lucky to have met some amazing small shops in this tight-knit community, and I’m sure you, too, would rather support these small businesses, than the big corporate guys.

So with that in mind… here’s our second annual holiday roundup: the 2018 Feminist Holiday Gift Guide. (Click here for the 2017 guide.) Each shop has shared deals with us, some exclusive to Think or Blue readers (woot woot!) so do your browsing now. Then you’ll be ready to hit the “purchase” button on Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and throughout the weekend.

(This post contains affiliate links, which means if you make a purchase, ToB may receive a small commission, which helps us to keep the site running. But it won’t change the price up or down. Thanks for your support!)

2468 Kids

2468 Kids features subject matter often reserved for boys – think space rockets, dinosaurs, and robots – reimagined in a way that can be enjoyed by all kids! Their t-shirts and prints come in bright and happy colors. Bye bye, drab olive green.

Holiday Deal for 2468 Kids: Free shipping Friday to Monday, and a special discount for newsletter subscribers.

C is for Consent

This book is a needed lesson for all children, especially during the holiday season. A young boy navigates a gathering of relatives and friends. His parents encourage him to make his own choices about whether to receive and offer physical affection. At the end, he replicates the lesson he’s learned and waits for consent before holding the hand of his female best friend.

For more about the origins and FAQs, you can read the background in their Kickstarter.

Holiday deal: C is for Consent is running a Black Friday promotion on Amazon, and check out indie bookstores on Small Business Saturday for discounts!

Flip the Script Studios:

Flip the Script Studios designs nursery prints and kids décor that you actually want to display in your house! They create art that reflects the diverse interests of girls. No princesses or kittens here – instead you’ll find dinosaurs and diggers, soccer balls and rocket ships, all designed with a modern refined aesthetic that both you and your daughter will love.

Founder Jen is one of those feminists I know I could chat with for hours even though we’ve yet to meet in person!

This science set above is particularly gorgeous, don’t you think?

Holiday deal for Flip the Script: 25% off of everything, from November 19-25 (Monday to Sunday). No code needed.

GenNeu:

GenNeu Store is breaking the current trend of pink princess-ification and macho “boys’ toys.” Fed up of being confronted by a sea of pink and blue when looking for presents for friends’ new babies, nieces, and nephews, GENNEU thought surely there must be some great, less stereotypical products out there, and set about finding them.

Holiday Deals for GenNeu: (1) Shop gender-neutral toys and books in November, and you’ll get the chance to win the Giraffe Bundle pictured above. (2) Also, use THINKORBLUE10 to get 10% off your purchase!

Girls Can Crate:

You may remember seeing Girls Can Crate in our holiday roundup last year. Just can’t help it – when we love it, we love it! Girls Can Crate inspires girls to believe they can BE and DO anything by introducing them to women who made the world better. Your kids will learn about leaders like Bessie Coleman, Marie Curie, and Sally Ride, teaching them about history through hands-on activities, while inspiring them to take on the world!

Holiday Deal for Girls Can Crate: Black Friday get 25% off your first crate in any subscription with code Blackfriday2018 or on mini mailers, get 25% off first mailer in any subscription with code BLACKFRIDAYMM. On Small Business Saturday, get 10% off of anything with code SBS2018.

Homegrown Studio:

If you ever see my Instagram stories, you know that my kiddo and I have been absolutely loving “Preschool Explorers,” an open art 5-week session for kids at Homegrown Studios, a local studio in my town. From playdough to paint to unique sensory bins, we adore the creative but low-pressure environment that owner Meredith fosters.

Homegrown Studios has open-ended play materials in their Etsy shop that all kids will love, like this awesome playdough kit I’d like to grab for my daughter. Even better, Meredith is dedicated to an anti-bias approach in teaching and parenting, as evident in her book, “Open Hearts, Open Minds,” which is on my OWN wish list!

Holiday deal for Homegrown Studios: Check their shop starting on Friday for Black Friday sales on the entire Etsy shop!

Little Justice Leaders:

Little Justice Leaders makes it easy to teach your kids about social justice. You know that we’ve tried and absolutely loved their monthly boxes, including ones addressing race and feminism. Shelby, the founder, is so dedicated to sourcing her materials from socially conscious, small businesses owned by women and people of color. Not only do they make it fun and easy to talk with kids about social justice, they donate a portion of proceeds from each box to a nonprofit working on that social justice issue.

Holiday Deal for Little Justice Leaders: Get 10% off for six months on the physical and sibling boxes on Black Friday with code BLACKFRIDAY10X6

LiveGirl:

LiveGirl is a nonprofit that empowers girls through year-round leadership development and mentoring that builds self-confidence and fosters diversity. They have partnered with Shattered Glass Tees Company to design and produce some fabulous t-shirts “for girls, by girls” including this amazing Live Brave shirt by Sophie Westfall. Use this shirt to sign (language) to the world that you are brave.

With LiveGirl, you can shop and feel great knowing that you are helping to fund the female leadership gap! They’re a Connecticut group that I adore.

Holiday Deal for LiveGirl: Start your Cyber Monday shopping today. Use code “LiveGirl” here to get a 10% discount.

Modern Rascals:

Modern Rascals boasts incredibly colorful clothes with fun prints and patterns. Founder Jana from Toronto is committed to organic materials that are ethically made. They’ve also branched out into well-made toys, especially wooden and colorful. And I love that her son regularly wears dresses. Need I say more?

Holiday Deal for Modern Rascals: Go to Modern Rascals’ Black Friday page here for the code, which will be live on Friday. You can start browsing the collection on Thursday! If you want email alerts about the sale, sign up here.

Not Just a Princess:

Not Just a Princess sources and shares real women’s career stories while creating aspirational organic t-shirts for girls that directly challenge the usual messages they hear. All t-shirts are organic cotton, with sizes 6 months to 8 years. And wherever you are, they’ll ship worldwide!

Holiday Deal for Not Just a Princess: Get 10% off everything Thursday to Monday with code SHOPSMALLNOV18

Raising a Powerful Girl:

Raising a Powerful Girl has developed a unique online platform called www.empoweredgirlapp.com that teaches personal development, mindset, mindfulness, and other life skills needed for success. It also shares inspiring stories of every day girls and women cultivating creativity and curiosity.

I’ve been lucky enough to peruse the new platform and founder Maria has thought of everything! One of my favorite features is a word of the week, with words like “moxie” that are sure to get your kid fired up.

Holiday Deal for Raising a Powerful Girl: Get 50% off their yearly or founder subscription with coupon code: ThinkorBlue111 through the end of November.

Seagoat Soul:

Founder Tara is warm and supportive, and I love her outdoorsy, down-to-earth feminist vibe. You’ll love this shop that empowers girls to be true to themselves, and supports bravery, empathy, and seeking adventure. You won’t want to miss some of their “Mommy and Me” sets that are brand new to the shop like this awesome one below:

Holiday deal for SeaGoat Soul: 25% off the entire store from Black Friday to Cyber Monday. Shop her Etsy shop here.

Okay friends, that’s our 2018 feminist holiday gift roundup! Hope you love these incredible shops as much as I do and that you nab some of these primo deals for Black Friday and Small Business Saturday.

This holiday season, shop local and shop small!