HOUSTON – If you know Courtney, you know she LOVES shopping, but not just anywhere! She enjoys spotlighting the wonderful small businesses around Houston she comes across.
Recommended Videos
That’s why Courtney has curated the perfect stocking stuffers list -- from fashion to food and beauty products, she’s sharing one of her favorite local items for women, men, teens and kids to help us all shop small this holiday season.
Make sure to tune in every day to not miss out on the ultimate stocking stuffers list!
DAY 1: YOUNG, WILD AND FRIEDMAN
Young, Wild and Friedman, a sensory play business, launched in 2018 by Houston mom Julie Friedman. After her daughter Evie was diagnosed with a speech disorder called Apraxia of Speech and a doctor recommended sensory play, Julie began innovating to create sensory kits to take on-the-go which included homemade scented dough, and items like gems and cookie cutters to inspire Evie’s creativity. Evie had an immediate positive response - and so did moms around her. With a standard kitchen mixer in her home and with some help from some friends Julie started YWF. Today, YWF is a sensory play subscription kit with monthly themes ranging from a pizza parlor theme to holiday themes! Every box has three scented play dough balls and a variety of textured objects for kids to create a scene and use their imaginations. She also outgrew her kitchen and operates in a 18K sqft warehouse space where she employs over 30 Houston women. The biggest challenge for Julie’s family has become one of the greatest blessings!
YOUNG, WILD AND FRIEDMAN HOLIDAY KIT
- Price: $39 per kit
- Get in the holiday spirit and ignite a child’s imagination with a fun and interactive holiday sensory kit from Young, Wild and Friedman.
- As always, each themed kit comes with three balls of homemade scented Sensory Dough for kids to create and explore with.
- Christmas Tree Kit: Kids can decorate a Christmas tree with pine scented dough and miniature decorations, make cookies for Santa and so much more!
- Gingerbread Cookie Kit: Kids will have the best time making gingerbread men, Christmas cookies and gingerbread houses with this super sweet kit! Create a gingerbread man, complete with gum drop buttons, or make a candy cane lane that leads to a beautiful gingerbread house.
DAY 2: MODERN VINTAGE
Modern Vintage was born out of a decade’s worth of recipes, creative journeys, and the process of building a life together. Led by a husband and wife team, who hand produce and bottle cocktail mixers. Husband, Adrian, spent the past decade perfecting his recipes in the catering industry. When the catering industry was turned inside out last year like many industries, Adrian found himself looking for his next step. Wife Laura has nearly two decades of experience in marketing and design and has long been inspired by product packaging and branding. They invested in 100 bottles and decided to bottle one of his mixers to make some Christmas cash. The Spiced Old Fashioned launched on November 18, 2020 via a Facebook Group post in their neighborhood and by the end of the weekend they were sold out. They decided that maybe THIS was Adrian’s next thing. In the past year Modern Vintage has grown to include 4 year-round flavors with exciting seasonal flavors at stores like Berings, Urban Eats, Relic General Store, Manready Mercantile, and more across the state of Texas.
MODERN VINTAGE GIFT SET
- $30
- Contains half sizes of the brand’s year round flavors: Spiced Old Fashioned, Spicy Strawberry Basil, Ginger Margarita, and Grapefruit Lemon Basil
- Includes eight recipes
- Makes over 20 cocktails or mocktails
DAY 3: LINDSEY LEIGH JEWELRY STOCKING STUFFER
Lindsey Schultz is a native Texan with a lifelong love of fashion, design, and jewelry, especially diamonds. With her concierge jewelry service, Houston Diamond Girl takes the mystery (and fear!) out of the jewelry selection process. While engagement rings are her biggest market, she can help with wedding bands, custom remakes, other rings, necklaces, bracelets, and earrings.
- LLJ Jewelry Cleaner Pen: Regular price - $16
- LLJ Jewelry Cleaner - $18
- Small Jewelry Zip Case - $115
DAY 4: PARIS TEXAS APPAREL CO.
Paris Texas Apparel Co. is based in Houston and was founded in 2012. It started out of the founder’s garage, and now they have two retail stores in Houston and an e-commerce site. It features a collection of men’s gifts and apparel including their own t-shirts and guayaberas plus over 75 brands from across Texas and the US.
DAY 5: COURTNEY BARTON
Textile designer Courtney Barton has built an interiors brand that stands out. In addition to soft goods, Courtney stocks her shop with antique furnishings, art, apothecary products, home décor, and fashion accessories ethically sourced from around the world. Courtney’s mastery of mixing the unexpected is evidence that our homes can be at once refined, livable, and fun.
COURTNEY BARTON’S MAGIC MOROCCAN LIPSTICK
- $10
- The lipstick reacts to your pH to create a pinkish-cranberry lip stain unique to your body’s temperature
- It’s made from plant pigments and enriched with beeswax and Moroccan argon oil
- Even better, the more you apply, the brighter your lips will be
DAY 6: VINGLACÉ
Founded by local husband and wife duo Colton & Alyson Haas. Vinglace is the elegant way to keep wine and champagne chilled. Their products were created so that beverages of all types could be enjoyed at the proper temperature. From wine chillers to drinkware Vinglace is portable, light weight and perfect for any occasion.
VINGLACÉ WINE GLASSES
- $34.95 each
- Stemless Wine Glass
- Elegant and classic
- The Wine Glass is stainless outside - glass inside - no more metallic taste or smell
DAY 7: ONE HIP MOM
Founded by local mom Vicki Robinson. One Hip Mom aims to find pieces that make you feel and look hip. From clothing to accessories and even products for men, she makes her boutique the one-stop shop for moms on the go.
DR SQUATCH
- Soaps are $7 a bar
- Soap Saver $15
- The Dr. Squatch mission is to change the way men approach their personal care
- An all Natural Soap Company for Dudes
- You can choose from heavy grit, medium grit or no grit soaps
- Get your guy several bars to try and don’t forget the handmade cedar block soap saver to extend the soap’s life and reduce soap scum
DAY 8: PEPPERLOU GIFTS
Founded by Valerie and her daughter Ellie in 2018. Pepperlou Gifts is a unique gift shop highlighting gifts, stationery, and home decor from small businesses in the community. Whether you’re looking for seasonal gifts, from candles to food and barware, books, puzzles, gifts for baby, kids, home and her this is your one-stop-shop for the enitre family.
SUGAR MAMA SHIMMER
- $15 - Shimmer
- $12 - Stir Sticks (pack of 4)
- The perfect addition to your holiday cocktail
- 100% edible drink glitter made from all FDA approved ingredients
- The shimmer comes in several colors and is textureless, flavorless, and each sparkly container will dress up about 30 drinks
DAY 9: SWITCH2PURE
Founded by Estela Cockrell. She was faced with mysterious symptoms and diagnoses from food allergies, autoimmune disorders, and even Lyme disease. Estela took a closer look at the everyday products her family used and discovered the ugly truth: health-harming parabens, gluten and phthalates. On the hunt for safer alternatives she decided to create Switch2Pure!
Switch2Pure is a pure wellness destination committed to clean beauty, skincare services and wellness. They formulate pure, non-toxic performance-based skincare rooted in powerful natural and organic ingredients.
CLEAN + DETOX BUNDLE
- $12
- Great for boys
- The Detox Bar effectively extracts, detoxifies, and purifies the skin
- Safe to use daily, from head-to-toe paired with your Charcoal Konjac Sponge to gently exfoliate and remove dead skin cells
- Excellent for blemish-prone and impurity laden skin
CLEAN + NOURISH BUNDLE
- $12
- Great for girls
- The Nourish Bar provides long-lasting moisture, nourishment and conditioning
- Safe to use daily, from head-to-toe paired with your Rose Konjac Sponge to gently exfoliate and remove dead skin cells
- Excellent for dry, parched or problematic skin.
SWITCH2PURE’S MINI ROSE QUARTZ CRYSTAL FACIAL ROLLER
- $21
- Releases toxins from the skin with continued use
- Perfect for those smaller areas around the eyes, mouth and nose to release tension or stress, specifically around the lips
- Store in the freezer overnight. Use cold in the AM to depuff the skin.
DAY 10: GRIFFY
BRACELET & NECKLACE
- The bracelet, $40 is a set of three mixed media beads strung on stretch elastic cording
- The necklace, $100 is an enamel box chain adjustable length chain necklace with an enamel dog charm
A lockdown start up, side hustle and creative outlet for a mom of 3 small children. GRIFFY began as a handmade jewelry line that has evolved into bespoke goods ranging from custom market totes to hand embroidered gifts and other home accessories. GRIFFY aims to bring whimsical, nostalgic, happy colors and messages into every day.
DAY 11: VERDEGREENS FARMS
Located in Acres Homes in north central Houston. Started in 2016 by a chef, a restaurateur and a winemaker who decided to step back from the end result of food and instead get closer to the source where food is grown. They produce healthy, nutritious, pesticide and herbicide-free leafy greens, herbs, and mixed vegetables
THE VERDEGREENS FARMBOX
- The FarmBox program, was started during the pandemic as a way to make everything that one might find at a farmer’s market available for purchase online
- The FarmBoxes feature hand-picked living lettuces & greens from the farm and a selection of organic produce & premium mushrooms from local producers
- It contains everything that a family might need for a week or so of cooking
- Comes in three different sizes
- The standard FarmBox on set feeds 3-4 people for a week, $45
- The perfect gift for people who have everything -- everybody’s gotta eat!
DAY 12: HOPE FARMS
Hope Farms grows affordable fresh produce for Houstonians. They train and mentor new urban farmers -- including veterans, and provide a place for everyone to learn about and celebrate food, supporting Recipe for Success Foundation’s efforts to educate our children to make healthier decisions. The farm also offers regular cooking and gardening classes for children and adults, weekly produce deliveries to subscribers, weekly onsite markets and pop-up produce markets in the community.
HONEY & TEA
- 12 oz jar of HIVE Bee Farm Raw, Unfiltered Honey and Flower Child Hibiscus Tea
- $59
- Additional cost for wire basket presentation