a gift guide

Written By Adriana Akintobi

of philly local and/or Black owned and/or POC owned shops

this blog was originally posted on 11.01.2020.

Hi folks!

Earlier this month, I got the idea of putting together a small business gift guide for the holiday season  with an emphasis on Black owned & Philly local brands/people/shops that I genuinely love from experience &/or have on my wishlist. My hope was to write out cute little blurbs about each & maybe tell a story about a time I connected with them...but just like 2020 things didn’t quite plan out as expected... 


And with Monday’s announcement in Philly of new restrictions, shipping & delivery woes, and more than enough insta posts being shared about supporting small business [because clearly of government & City doesn’t have their/our backs like they should], I wanted to make this little public sooner than later. 


Some spots have stories or blurbs & some don’t. But each shop / idea / brand / real human putting something good out there in the world was chosen because I love & spend my dollars on their things or have had them on my wishlist for a minute. 


This list is unfinished & far from exhaustive but I hope it helps you shop small + Black + Brown + Indigenous this holiday season [and all year long <3]



🖤  Black owned  🥨  Philly Jawn  😍 on my wishlist


Candles & Incense & Good Smells/Vibes

  • Mishal [indie fragrances - candles, incense, perfume oil]

    • so i started obsessing over Mishal fragrances before i realized they got writeups in Vogue & Vanity Fair *fancy*  Keep an eye out for their unique vessel sales on instagram, where you pick your vessel [i chose a circular gold jawn] + your scent [I picked coconut Sienna].

    • @thebrandmishal

    •  🖤 🥨  


  • realignd.co [candles]

    • The name realignd.co may ring a bell because we collaborated together on the dreamiest, sweetest breathe & rest candle set collab. Candles are crafted with apricot soy wax & reiki infused. They fill the house with the perfect amount of scent but don’t overwhelm. 

    • 🖤 🥨-

  • Azu Botanicals [herbal wands that don’t use sage!]


Well-Being


  • CeCe Rex [the best massage therapist]

    • I take my bodywork seriously & as a deeply interoceptive human who knows spends a lot of time nerding out on movement & the subtle body and let me just say CeCe is *THE BEST*.

    • Text: 267-414-8693

    • 🖤 




  • Blk + Grn

    • Thee one stop-shop for natural Black-owned products

    • @blkandgrn

    • 🖤 

  • Cook Proper 

    • CBD products are a dime a dozen with some of those dimes being duds & I know because tbh I’ve tried soooo many of them. And Cook Proper CBD Sore Muscle Salve is the goat. Seriously, I have tins of it around my house, in different bags, by the kitchen sink. It’s that good. I use it for sore muscles, menstrual cramps, and relief for pretty intense TMJ & neck tension. The owner Cimone is nothing short of a gem. If you were the Angels Heard on High Fundraiser for Camp Excellence or my 2020 Visions & Vibrations class, Cimone donated all the CBD to make those events happen. And even a place to donate so that her magical CBD cream can get in the hands for folks who need it but is out of budget. 

    • @cookproper

    • 🥨 



Art from you local artist 

I have pieces from all 3 artists in my home. 


Hair & Beauty

  • Marsh + Mane [natural & curly hair products + body/skin/lifestyle for all]

  • I can’t quite explain the feeling of stepping to Marsh + Mane for the first time. I never thought a beauty shop could make me feel so seen & held & met with a wide array of choices for my hair and knowledge and sweet folks behind the counter to help me out. 

  • @marshandmane

  • 🖤 🥨 



Skincare

  • Base Butter [THE moisturizer]

    • for the skincare minimalist, Base Butter is such a phenomenal moisturizer that I’ve gifted it before. Idk, is that weird? I’d be excited. I mean there’s a reason Beyoncé had BB on her list this summer. 



  • for the skincare maximalist, Sabbatical Beauty products are meticulously crafted & are packed with their active ingredients so they WORK. I’ve had some SB products sweetly gifted to me in the past & have spent my $$ on the items I *had* to reup on like the Coconut Serum, the charcoal mask [for spot treating mask-ne] and the  Moar Honey Serum [for the skin around my nose now that it’s snotty season]. I love that they sell small travel/sample sizes to see what works for you before investing more and am always impressed with how long they last!

  • @sabbaticalbeauty

  • 🥨  , 


  •  Freedom Apothecary 

    • @freedomapothecary 🖤 🥨 

    • & @thespawitch for virtual skincare consultations

      • I swore of facials until I got one with Allyson Glluckman, @thespawitch and all though one-on-one irl treatments are on hold, I just booked a virtual consultation & am super excited to get insight into my shifting skin.





Body Care:

  • Sade Baron

    • @sadebaron

    • Sade Baron reached out to me over the summer to collaborate & so glad I did because these body care products are divine.  The body butter & body oil have been my fave. Code adriana20 [should still work & i don’t get a kick back or anything <3]

    • 🖤 




Dream closets… I mean vintage shops / upcycle / apparel shops:




  • Grant BLVD [sustainable fashion]

    • Grant BLVD is so high on my wishlist this season. 

    • @grantblvd

    • 🖤 🥨 😍





  • Room Shop [giant scrunchies, masks, etc.. from deadstock and locally sourced materials]





Homegood & Lifestyle & some other stuff

  • YOWIE [for a lot of things]

    • YOWIE is as they say….a lot of things. To me, YOWIE is a vibe of expansive joy in visual form. I was reading one of many glowing articles about YOWIE & founder Shannon and the way she explained her perspective on design shifted something within. GAH, I wish I could remember.  Anyway, I’m currently lusting over the recent YOWIE x Fred Segal collab, especially the Nalgene [like um tysm for this throwback] designed by Say Less Studio [another design mega-crush of mine].

    • @helloyowie

    • 🖤 🥨 

  • Moon + Arrow [home things, body things, clothing, jewelry]

    • there was an at leeeast 10 month long period where if you got a gift from me, it was from moon + arrow. 

    • @shopmoonandarrow

    • 🥨  




Jewelry




Booooooks [buy them from Black people & not amazon, k?]



Books I’d Recommend:

Adriana Akintobi
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