Thankful for you.

There is no better time to give thanks and reflect on all the things you are grateful for than Thanksgiving week, and lately, I’ve been doing some thinking. You are the reason Meadow Collective exists, and I’m so grateful for each and every one of you. Without you there is no us… and because of you, we are headed into our 5th holiday season.  

We first opened our little shop in Pinecrest a year before the pandemic. Opening up a new shop is always hard, let alone in the middle of a pandemic. During COVID we had to close the shop for a few months, and I was terrified that my little shop wouldn’t make it.  But because of you, we survived. Throughout the Meadow Collective journey, it hasn’t always been easy or simple. To say that would be a total lie. However, we have made it through everything because of your support. So, thank you!

Every single day when I flick on those lights to our magical little workspace, I am overwhelmed with gratitude to do what I love and feel supported by you, our community. As a personal thank you to you we are offering 10% off online for the rest of the week ending at midnight on Cyber Monday.  

Our brick-and-mortar will be closed on Black Friday— I know that maybe sounds crazy. It seems like Black Friday would be a great opportunity for us. But after five years now of doing this, we have our reasons why we close on Black Friday. 

Spend time with your family this Black Friday!

1. Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is the perfect time to spend the day with your family and the people you love. The very idea of running out to fight for deals in shops after a night of thanks just doesn't sit well with us. We stand for family and community, and the very idea that we would sacrifice that to make an attempt at being more profitable. Well, it’s a no go for us. Sacrificing family togetherness for consumerism… no thanks. 

My beautiful family

2. Big box stores buy huge amounts of goods and gamble with slashing prices way down. But let's be real… small businesses don't have that power. Slashing prices like big box stores do would actually put us out of business. It's not that we don't want to have massive sales and discounts for our loyal community. We do. And we will give where we can, but we can’t compete with giant corporations. 

3. Black Friday is the very representation of greed and overconsumption in this country. The idea that you should get up the day after Thanksgiving to fight lines and crowds for deals doesn't sit well with our values. And don't even get us started on the waste produced from Black Friday. So much of what is bought on this day is quantity over quality and will end up in our landfills. We support sustainable brands. We support sustainably-made clothes, eco-friendly clothes. We support slow fashion, and we prefer to stand for conscious consumerism by selling goods that are quality and won't find their way to the trash bin. And if they do at some point, our goods are made of materials that are not harmful to our beautiful planet.  Instead of supporting Black Friday, we implore you to support Green Friday.

Green Friday is a movement that promotes eco-friendly shopping, and slow fashion. It’s estimated that this Black Friday will produce about 429,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions from product delivery alone. Imagine all the pollution we could reduce by choosing to spend the day after Thanksgiving with your family and friends instead of fighting for “deals.” Learn about other ways to celebrate Green Friday and promote eco-conscious consumerism.

With all that being said we hope you will take a stand with us and in protest stay home with your families on Black Friday, and then on Saturday, come out to Small business Saturday.  

Small businesses are the heart and soul of this country. Sometimes I feel like a warrior fighting to keep alive with all the big box giants just waiting on the sidelines to eat us all up. The thing is… the power is always in the hands of the people. You vote every day with your dollars for the kind of future you want. You can support just a few people at the top, or you can support your neighbor who spends all their money in your neighborhood. We truly hope that the future you envision involves American streets lined with mom and pops. 

Again, we thank you for all of your support. Meadow Collective would not be possible without you. Please support us on Small Business Saturday, and enjoy time with your family on Black Friday.