It’s that time of year again, when we’re all looking to support the small businesses our communities hold dear. Purchasing goods and services from the pillars of your favorite neighborhood is the best way to show your support.
Here’s the quick list of Crafted in Carhartt’s favorite Women Owned Businesses (in order of appearance above):
- Messner Bee Farm
- Woodward Throwbacks
- Seattle Urban Farm Co.
- Homestead Wisconsin
- Blue Marble Ice Cream
- Sustainable Crafted Wooden Goods by Alexandra Climent
- Sculptures by Amber Jean
- Circa Ceramics
- Greta de Parry Design
- The Little Flower Soap Co.
- The Elk Coffee Shop
- Amaltheia Dairy Farm
- Pewabic Pottery
- Live Edge Detroit
- Five Marys Farms
Below you can find out more about these 15 Women Owned Small Businesses. If you shop online this holiday season, don’t forget these incredibly hard working folks.
1.) Messner Bee Farm 
Rachael Messner of Messner Bee Farm in Kansas City spun her hobby into a flourishing business. Her operations began as a 900 square foot urban farm. Over years of never giving up despite what different seasons showered upon her, Rachael and her family now live on a full-fledged bee farm. You can even stop by for a tour if you’d like to know more about where your honey comes from.
“Honeybees pollinate over one-third of all the fruits and vegetables we eat. Of course they also make honey! The best way people can help bees is by minimizing their use of pesticides, herbicides and fungicides, and supporting other organizations that do the same. Buy local honey, support your local beekeeper.” –Rachael Messner
“My dad is a general contractor back in New York and when I was younger I used to go on some of the sites with him. I believe that is when I truly became fascinated with the idea of being able to design and build.I started re-purposing found wood back in college but it became a serious hobby once I met Kyle. We used to bike around the city exploring different neighborhoods and during our excursions we noticed an abundance of wood from illegal dumping sites. We combined our love for the city and the idea that taking materials found in the street would also help clean our neighborhoods.” -Bo Shepherd
Through their website you can shop salvaged doors, custom made and reclaimed furniture, and handmade goods. Read more about Bo’s story here.
3.) Seattle Urban Farm Co.
Hilary Dahl is co-owner of Seattle Urban Farm Co. and host of the Encyclopedia Botanica podcast. The podcasts are quick lessons in farming, each one is easy to access—you can listen to them online and read the highlights.
Seattle Urban Farm Co. offers many services, and they differ from customer to customer. Their knowledgeable team can plan, build, and maintain the urban farm you always wanted but never thought you could personally manage—perfect for those of us who may not have a green thumb, but love the idea of homegrown tomatoes.
If you are an aspiring farmer or gardener, browse the different webinars Seattle Urban Farm Co has to offer on their website, ranging from soil health to harvesting techniques. These online lessons are a great gift (for yourself or loved ones).
Read more about Hilary’s story here.
4.) Homestead Wisconsin
Brit McCoy is a woman of many talents. She’s a full time farmer, runs her own flower business, and works at her family’s business, The Wood Cycle. Making strides in her career alongside her family is the most challenging and most fulfilling part of the job
Brit majored in Landscape Architecture at Iowa State University. Upon returning to Wisconsin, she and her husband Matt founded their own farm, first selling their ethically raised meat, eventually expanding their reach.
“My business started just like my father’s, to make our hobby our career. I started raising livestock as soon as I could afford to feed them.” -Brit McCoy
You can order a box of their fine grass-fed beef and lamb here. Read more about Brit’s story here.
5.) Blue Marble Ice Cream 
Ten years ago, Jennie Dundas and Alexis Gallivan, opened Blue Marble Ice Cream in Brooklyn. Their products are entirely organic, made from only high quality ingredients, and absolutely no hormones, antibiotics, harmful pesticides or artificial additives. Manufacturing in New York with ethical and sustainable practices is crucial to this woman-run company.
“Nobody can really be sad eating ice cream, can they?” -Susan Jo, Ice Cream Chef
Ship Blue Marble Ice Cream straight to your front door here. Read more about Blue Marble here.
6.) Sustainable Crafted Wooden Goods by Alexandra Climent
Meet woodworker Alexandra Climent. She operates out of her own shop in Brooklyn. Her passion for the extraordinary wood she found in the jungle lead her to teach herself the trade.
All of the products Alexandra makes are set apart from other wooden goods. She sustainably sources her materials from the jungle, befriending locals and working with each regions’ governments along the way. The wood she harvests and brings back to her shop is ancient, packed tightly over years and years.
“The wood I use is some of the most dense in the world. When you put it in the water it sinks and termites can’t even penetrate it. It’s like working with steel, and it breaks pretty much any blade.” -Alexandra Climent
Shop Alexandra’s one-of-a-kind creations here. Read more about Alexandra here.
7.) Sculptures by Amber Jean
From giant sculptures made from entire trees to carvings that fit in your hand, the interplay between humans and nature is the driving force behind Amber’s work. She put herself through college, finding work in the great outdoors that fueled her passion for earth and art.
Amber helped build the Continental Divide Trail, was part of the first all female crew at the Forest Service in Bozeman, fought forest fires in West Yellowstone, and was the first female wilderness ranger based out of the West Yellowstone District.
Amber was the first woman to carve in the country of Bhutan for the Prime Minister. She’s created many large scale works that have earned her great recognition in the art community. And she even gave a Ted Talk about her work.
“I never wasted energy grumbling at, whining about or looking for prejudices. I just got to work, stayed curious, made lots of mistakes, and kept after it.” –Amber Jean
Shop Amber’s sculptures here.
8.) Circa Ceramics
Nancy Witt and her husband Andy have been making their wares in the Chicago neighborhood of Ravenswood since 2001. Their signature style is iconic in the windy city, with their Chicago flag items constantly flying off the shelves.
Browse their online shop here. See behind the scenes into their studio here.
9.) Greta de Parry Design
Greta is a classically trained woodworker and sculptor in the Chicago area. She’s been designing and making furniture since 2007. Her collection consists of clean lines and minimalist touches.
Shop Greta’s furniture here. Read more about her story here.
10.) The Little Flower Soap Co.
Michigan florist, Holly Rutt, started making soaps as a hobby. Combining her love for nature and interest in healing plant extractions and essential oils, she and her husband created a line of body care products. After realizing how much steam her side gig was gaining, Holly decided to devote the majority of her time to The Little Flower Soap Co.
“The maker movement is in full swing there has never been a better time to start your own small business. If you think your life would be better as your own boss in a creative field than get started and stick with it.” —Holly Rutt
Shop Holly’s body care products here. Read more about Holly’s story here.
11.) The Elk Coffee Shop
This charming coffee shop in the West Village of New York is owned by Claire Chan. Five years ago, she took over the space, renovated, and reopened with her grand vision in mind.
“I feel so proud of the all women-run businesses I see popping up, especially right now. At a time where women’s rights and female empowerment is more relevant than ever, it is important to express your ideas and exercise your values so that others will be encouraged to do the same. There’s strength in numbers, and it feels amazing to surround yourself with like-minded and strong women!” -Claire Chan
If you’re in NYC, you can order The Elk’s offerings straight to your door here. Read more about The Elk here.
12.) Amaltheia Dairy Farm
Amaltheia Dairy Farm in Montana is a family run operation.
“We have had our farm for over 20 years. We love the Bozeman area and our goats get to enjoy beautiful scenery and seasons we have here. It’s beautiful every day. The best thing about what we do is to provide nutritious, delicious organic goat cheeses, pork, and vegetables to people. Those people appreciate being able to get great food and are thankful. It is a symbiotic relationship.
We have been making cheese for 17 years, certified organic for 12 years. We are sustainable farmers and try to utilize all of our resources and byproducts responsibly. We use the whey from the cheese to feed organic hogs and compost and use all of our manure for fields and gardens.” -Co Owner, Sue Brown
Ship some some of the famous Amaltheia Dairy Farm goat cheese straight to your front door here. Read more about the family here.
13.) Pewabic Pottery
Pewabic Pottery in Detroit was founded in 1903 by Mary Chase Perry Stratton. Her ceramics were nationally renowned, landing her a spot in the Michigan’s Women Hall of Fame. Mary went on to win several awards and established the ceramics department at the University of Michigan. The touch she had on Michigan and the arts and crafts community will always be remembered. The shop is still operating to this day and is now a National Historic Landmark.
Shop some of their trademark Pewabic blue pieces here.
14.) Live Edge Detroit
In 2016, Jenny, her brother Joe, and her dad Mike founded Live Edge. They now salvage the trees that Mike’s company removes. Once the wood has been cut and taken back to their warehouse, the crew mills them into new usable material.
“Our vision for Live Edge Detroit was to develop a branch of Mike’s Tree Surgeons, Inc. that focused on salvaging our local resources and making them available for the community to enjoy for many more years to come. Our long term goals are to uphold that initial vision and to see it bloom into a more sustainable and profitable branch of the family business. We aren’t planning to take over the world, but we want to make a difference within the community, and we feel that starts right here in our own backyard.” -Jenny Barger
Shop Live Edge’s offerings here. Read more about the family business here.
15.) Five Marys Farms
A few years ago, Mary and her husband Brian were high-powered Silicon Valley lawyers/entrepreneurs who traded it all away to live the Carhartt way of life. Armed with a strong work ethic and the fearlessness to ask lots of questions, the couple and their four daughters who all share the first name of Mary – but who go by their middle name to keep things “simple” – have proudly become a fully-functioning ranch that sells its meats all over the country.
“I am so proud of the life we get to give our girls living and working together on the ranch,” Mary beams when talking about being the mother of four young farm girls. “I don’t think I gave my girls enough credit before we moved here,” she continues, “I made their lunches and filled their water bottles and did all of their laundry, not really expecting them to do too much. By necessity, when we moved to the ranch the girls had to step up to the plate and start helping more, and they are so much more capable because of it.”
Shop Five Mary’s here. Read more about this amazing family here.
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