Celebrating small business: My favourites
October is Small Business Month and we couldn’t talk about small businesses without showing love to some of our favourites - especially when the gift giving season is right around the corner!
So without further ado, here are some of my favourite small businesses.
Blueberry Moon and BBM Next Door
I was on the hunt for an elusive trinket when I first stumbled upon Blueberry Moon in downtown Barrie, Ontario. While I was able to find what I was looking for at the time, I also found much more than that! This is a great spot for finding unique and fun items - everything from stickers, to jewellery, trinkets, books, candles, and much more! They even have a “Menstruation Station.” They’re also big on community and host events like crafternoons.
BBM Next Door is the sister store of Blueberry Moon and it’s not just your average clothing store. It’s a size inclusive clothing store that features slow fashion brands (think the opposite of fast fashion, so ethical, sustainable, etc).
Of course, you can also shop both stores online, so if you want to check them out you can browse and shop for Blueberry Moon here and BBM Next Door here.
Te Koop
Te Koop is a bag and accessories store that is located on Queen West in downtown Toronto, Ontario. Te Koop carries various brands, like Herschel Supply Co., Fjallraven, Matt & Nat, and many more! My personal favourite and the one I encourage you to check out at Te Koop as we move into the holiday season is Baggu! Te Koop’s selection of Baggu consists of crescent bags, fanny packs, reusable bags, keychains, pouches, tablet sleeves, and more - and they’d make the perfect gift because they all come in a variety of fun colours and prints! They even have a selection of items that you can get custom embroidered - How cool is that?!
What really sold me on Te Koop was that after my second purchase, someone reached out to me via email to thank me for being a repeat customer and shopping local. They also encouraged me to reach out if I had any questions. I love that!
Sugarbones
I was lucky enough to discover Sugarbones on Instagram ahead of FanExpo in 2023 and I’m so glad I did because if I hadn’t I may have missed them in the craziness that is FanExpo. But because I knew of them and where to find them I was able to pick up some horror inspired enamel pins that I love!
Sugarbones doesn’t only sell pins, they also sell stickers, keychains, and more - including cute monochromatic tracksuits and their super popular Star Bag!
Hobbry
I discovered Hobbry many years ago when they sold a small selection of stationary and now they’ve expanded their offerings to also include puzzles, games, mugs, and more. If you’ve set foot in an Indigo or even a Staples in the last several years you’ve probably seen some Hobbry items!
They have some super cute items available right now, like this 2025 Berry Organized Spiral Planner.
Looking for more? Check out our blog, Some of our favourite Canadian Small businesses from last year!
Do you have a favourite local small business? Let us know!