While under quarantine in recent weeks, I’ve been feeling increasingly torn between the need to keep my family safe at home and my desire to support local businesses that are struggling. Of course I have been ordering food and other supplies – including whatever I can find to keep my five year-old son entertained in a city apartment – but I am ashamed to admit that I have mostly been supporting giant corporations who are getting richer during the pandemic (and not protecting their workers adequately) instead of supporting small businesses that are struggling to survive. I’ve been wishing for more convenient ways to order from local businesses and get things delivered or shipped to us safely without going to each individual store’s website.
Fortunately, it looks like my wish has been granted…just in time for Mother’s Day shopping! A group of 12 women shop owners in Brooklyn joined together to launch BetterTogetherBrooklyn.com, a shopping website that operates kind of like Amazon – except instead of supporting Amazon, you will be supporting beloved local Brooklyn businesses:
- Annie’s Blue Ribbon General Store
- Bend and Bloom
- Bhoomki
- BodyTonic Pilates Gymnasium
- Citywell
- Diana Kane
- D’mai Urban Spa
- Lucky Rubber Ducky
- Sara June
- The Clay Pot
- Union Beauty
- Zuzu’s Petals
On the website, you can browse a curated selection of goods from each shop – currently limited to seasonal and gift products for Mother’s Day – and then check out and pay for everything at once, rather than shopping at each website individually. (Many of them do have more items for sale on their website if you are interested in a larger selection of products.)
I look forward to trying out this new way to support these businesses and I hope that more local businesses continue to be added to the website, since there are so many that are struggling right now – and I am missing so many of them! The products are not only better together, but they are also better and more thoughtfully curated than what you’ll find on Amazon.
We can thank local business owners Tara Silberberg (The Clay Pot), Swati Argade (Bhoomki), and Jennifer DeLuca (BodyTonic Pilates) for coming up with this wonderful idea that embraces the spirit of coming together and helping each other get through this challenging time. I am thrilled to have a convenient way to support favorite local businesses AND purchase new products to brighten our quarantine lives – including great gifts for moms, dads, and the rest of the family – all while remaining safely at home.
Do you have tips on ways to support local businesses? Please share them with me at margel@achildgrows.com.
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Margel Nusbaumer is a local writer and mom in Brooklyn. Thoughts? Reach out to margel@achildgrows.com.