Shop Small, Shop Carmel, sponsored by Allied Solutions, will take place on Nov. 25 from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Over 20 of Carmel’s small businesses will be participating, many of which are located in downtown Carmel. Coordinators of the event encourage shoppers to visit participating small businesses, browse and buy items. While supplies last, participating businesses will have swag bags, courtesy of All Things Carmel. All Things Carmel will also function as the welcome center with cookies, drinks and store merchandise. 

One of the participating businesses is Indiana Artisan. The store carries the work of around 145 artists and food and beverage makers from across Indiana who have earned the designation of Indiana Artisan. During the event, they will be giving samples of Indiana-grown popcorn made by one of their newer artisans. 

Director of Indiana Artisan Ros Demaree said, “(Shop Small, Shop Carmel) is a good day for us to introduce ourselves to new people, to reconnect with people who have been here before,” Demaree said. “We feel very close to Shop Small Saturday because everyone we sell for is a small business. We’re like a mall of small businesses and we’re not the only ones.”

Sophomore Winni Owens, an employee at Honey, another small business in Carmel said via email, “I think small businesses are important because they offer products most large companies don’t offer,” Owens said. “They also usually have higher quality products since quality is everything when you aren’t a huge company.” 

Senior Alexis Bunting is an employee of The Olive Mill. Bunting said the store places a large focus on creating items that are difficult to find as a large consumer base.

“We do specialized gift baskets, we really listen to our customers,” Bunting said. “I think at its core, people recognize quality items so we try to give the best quality items with the most [appeal].”

Bunting said she tries to buy from small businesses as much as possible, especially when it comes to gifts. 

“I know the holiday season is really big so I try to go local, look for shops that have unique items and things like that. I think a community like Carmel that’s growing so much. It’s important to keep our roots and kind of what keeps us as a city and our uniqueness,” Bunting said. “I know the Olive Mill is really trying to support Carmel in a lot of different ways. We do a lot of nonprofit organizations. So by supporting small businesses, you’re just supporting the culture that our city has and I really love that.”

Bunting also said small businesses foster a sense of community among themselves.

 “The Olive Mill supports [Juniper on Main] and they support us back, which is kind of a really unique little duo, and I just really love going there because we know them and it’s just really special to see two businesses kind of collaborating and making the best out of it,” she said.

Owens said employees get first-hand experience of the hard work these businesses put in.

 “After working at a small business, I am much more likely to purchase from small businesses,” Owens said. “After seeing what goes into every sale, it means a lot more to a small business than a larger one.”

As for how the community of Carmel can support small businesses, Demaree said, “(The community of Carmel) can support any local maker by thinking of us for a gift.”