Written by 2020 Midwest Shop Local Gift Guide
Thank you for using EntryPoint’s 2020 Midwest Shop Local Gift Guide! We at EntryPoint created this guide to help you support small local businesses in the Midwest by providing you with information about these companies and the products they would like to promote as gift ideas – all in one place. On this page, you will find information about gifts for women that are created and sold by small businesses in the Midwest. If you’re looking for gifts for the teens in your life, start here!
Watch the special holiday edition of our weekly livestream series The Cackle to learn more about these companies’ stories, products and services, and what gifts they can offer you ahead of the 2020 holiday season!
SHOP GIFTS FOR TEENS
44 Burrito • Detroit, Michigan
Deep Fried Burritos – Local Pickup and Delivery Only – $9.50
44 Burrito is a restaurant owned by Tara L. Young and located in Detroit, MI. The restaurant specializes in deep-fried burritos, and aims to offer customers Mexican food with a taste of soul.
Angel’s Exquisite Fruits • Detroit, Michigan
Custom Fruit Displays – Visit Facebook Page for Details – $30
Angel’s Exquisite Fruits is a produce business that is led by Founder and Owner Angel Simmons, and has locations in Ypsilanti, Ann Arbor, and Detroit, MI. The business prepares and packages healthy, immuno-boosting produce in fun ways, such as bouquets and infusions. Angel’s Exquisite Fruits offers goods for all events and occasions, including everyday enjoyment.
Ann Arbor Art Center • Ann Arbor, Michigan
The Ann Arbor Art Center is a nonprofit organization led by President and CEO Marie Klopf, and is located in Ann Arbor, MI. The center has been sparking creativity in people of all ages, backgrounds, and artistic abilities for over a century. Their mission is to be a forum for the visual arts through education, exploration, collaboration, and exhibition, and to engage minds, expand perspectives, and inspire growth in students of all ages, teachers, artists, and the community. The Ann Arbor Art Center is empowered to carry out this mission through the support of community members who believe in their work and in creativity’s role in sustaining and elevating the common experience of humanity. In fulfilling their mission, the Art Center serves as a regional hub for the visual arts and prioritizes the long-standing partnerships they cultivate as a keystone for Ann Arbor’s healthy ecosystem of cultural and civic life.
Bee Present Honey • Saline, Michigan
Bee Present Honey is a beekeeping and education business owned by Rebecca Wittekindt and located in Saline, MI. They provide bee-derived goods ranging from honey and beeswax to health and beauty products, all sourced from chemical-free hives located locally all over Washtenaw County, Michigan. Bee Present Honey also engages in community outreach teaching about the importance of bees, pollination, beekeeping, the healing properties of bee products, and, of course, the joy of honey.
Black Girl MATHgic • Detroit, Michigan
Black Girl MATHgic Box – $39.95
Black Girl MATHgic is an educational monthly subscription founded by Brittany Rhodes and located in Detroit, MI. This company offers the first and only subscription box designed to increase math confidence and decrease math anxiety in girls on a 3rd-8th grade math level. Each box is curated to address the phenomena that contribute to low math confidence and high math anxiety, especially in girls.
Colorful Teez Imagine That • Detroit, Michigan
Colorful TEEZ is a commercial printing company that is led by CEO and President Zepora Starts and located in Detroit, MI. The company offers a variety of customized clothing printing options and services, including t-shirts, logos, hoodies, polos, school uniforms, and more.
Cookie Colab • Ann Arbor, Michigan
DIY Holiday Cookie Decorating Kit – $25
Cookie Colab is a bakery that is led by Owner and Cookier Amy Lugo and is located in Ann Arbor, MI. Lugo makes custom decorated butter cookies with buttercream frosting for a variety of events, including holidays, special occasions, corporate retreats, gifts, and everyday enjoyment. In addition to a signature set that is available year-round, Cookie Colab also sells DIY decorating kits, hosts decorating parties and workshops, and offers packages that can be used for fundraising. Lugo founded Cookie Colab in 2019 after years of being inspired by her Aunt Mary’s one-of-a-kind animal cookie recipe.
Daddy’s Diner and Cream CheeseCakes • Detroit, Michigan
Cream Cheesecakes – Visit Facebook Page for Details – $5
Daddy’s Diner & CreamCheeseCakes is a food service company owned by Taneisha Register Muhammad and located in Detroit, MI. The company specializes in their signature CreamCheeseCakes, as well as other grab-and-go foods. Daddy’s Diner also has a food truck and engages in many vending opportunities.
Dribble Stick Training • Flint, Michigan
Dribble Stick Training is a basketball training system created by Luke Lloyd and based in Flint, MI. The training system is designed to help basketball players of all ages perfect the fundamentals of the game. The Dribble Strick Training package consists of Michigan-made hardware in the form of the dribble stick itself, access to one-of-a-kind mobile app technology with video guided workouts, and a basketball workbook with coaching tips to hold players accountable.
Empowerment Plan • Detroit, Michigan
Empower Detroit Unisex Black Crew Neck – $60
Empowerment Plan is a social enterprise that is led by Founder and CEO Veronika Scott, and is located in Detroit, MI. Empowerment Plan produces a durable and innovative coat that transforms into a sleeping bag. The company aims to provide employment opportunities to the homeless and to ensure that each person they hire is able to earn a stable income, find secure housing, and regain their independence.
Genusee • Flint, Michigan
The Roeper – Blue Light Filter Glasses – $99
Genusee is an eyewear company led by Founder and Owner Ali Rose VanOverbeke and located in Flint, MI. Genusee crafts eyewear from recycled plastic water bottles as a response to the impact of the Flint Water Crisis. The company’s mission is to create jobs while turning the surplus of plastic waste caused by the man-made water crisis into closed loop products. Genusee aims to upcycle single use plastic into products that have more value and purpose, and are able to upcycle 15 water bottles with every purchase.
God Got Me • Farmington Hills, Michigan
God Got Me OG T-Shirt – $14.99
God Got Me is an apparel company owned by Travis Wilder and located in Farmington Hills, MI. They offer clothing products branded with the “God Got Me” slogan. God Got Me aims to promote a lifestyle guided by the idea that, no matter what life throws somebody’s way, they can rest in the fact that God always has their back.
Good Cakes and Bakes • Detroit, Michigan
Good Cakes and Bakes is a bakery that is led by Co-Owner and Pastry Chef April Anderson and is located in Detroit, MI. The bakery specializes in producing quality baked goods made with organic ingredients. Good Cakes and Bakes also identifies itself as a triple bottom line company, as they are also committed to providing jobs to the community and returning citizens.
Halo-Heart Designs • Cleveland, Ohio
Halo-Heart Designs is a jewelry company that is owned by Lindsay Flack and Amanda Foley and is located in Cleveland, OH. The owners believe that, sometimes, the right words at the right time can have the power to unlock a person’s best self. As such, the business focuses on designing jewelry that means something, such as a personal commitment, an inspirational message, a reminder of intent, or an empowering mantra. Halo-Heart Designs is committed to manufacturing their products in the United States of America through a handmade process, and also sells their products all around the world. They also believe in giving back to the community, and have partnered with celebrities and nonprofits to provide handmade, personalized jewelry gifts that highlight and amplify their message.
Hudson Music Center • Dexter, Michigan
The Hudson Music Center is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that is led by President and Founder Gordon Darr and is located in Dexter, Michigan. The long-term vision of the center is to provide “Music. For Everybody.” The Hudson Music Center prepares people of all ages to enjoy the expression and appreciation of music. Their highly-qualified teachers are professional educators and musicians in their own right. Many of them operate their own music studios. The Center offers private lessons, group classes, ensembles, and is the producer of the Dexter Community Choir. The Hudson Music Center also engages in fundraising activities to expand music opportunities to all people everywhere.
Lettering Works • Chicago, Illinois
Just My Type of Lettering Book – $20
Lettering Works is a design studio that is led by Owner and Designer Chelsie Tamms and is located in Chicago, IL. The studio offers vibrant, high quality art products that spread positivity and build community. As a modern-brand studio, Lettering Works also specializes in customized artwork, visual branding, and designs for artists, creatives, and small businesses.
Mindo Chocolate Makers • Dexter, Michigan
Mindo Chocolate is a chocolate-making company owned by Barbara Ann Wilson and located in Dexter, MI. They are one of the very few companies worldwide that makes micro-batches of chocolate. Mindo begins by purchasing cocoa beans in Ecuador and roasting, stone-grinding, and making small batches of very high quality, pure, heirloom certified chocolate. The company only purchases organic cocoa and uses organic methods throughout their process. Mindo makes chocolate both in Ecuador and in Michigan. They sell chocolate bars that have a very high cocoa content. The company also makes tasting squares, baking chocolate and cocoa powder that is purchased by Zingerman’s, Michigan By The Bottle, Tasty Bakery, Sandhill Crane Winery, Unity Vibrations, Vinolgy and other various restaurants, bakeries, wineries, breweries – most of which are located in Michigan. Mindo also sells their chocolate bars at Plum Markets, Busch’s, Argus’s, and Agricole.
PBA Royal Performing Arts and Training School • Detroit, Michigan
Performing Arts and Sports – $30
PBA Royal Performing Arts and Training School is an educational institution led by Director Pageant Atterberry and located in Detroit, MI. The school services the Cody-Rouge District of Detroit’s west side, providing students with after-school classes in dance, music, acting, modeling, cheerleading, and sports. They work with youth aged 4-18 and also provide them with academic tracking services. Students attending classes Monday-Friday are provided with supper and snacks.
PedalCell • Chicago, Illinois
PedalCell is a technology company led by CEO Adam Hokin and located in Chicago, IL. PedalCell aims to address a problem common among cyclists: keeping devices powered. From keeping a phone charged for navigation or, worse, having a light run out of juice mid-trip, cyclists everywhere had issues keeping their batteries alive. PedalCell’s CadenceX allows cyclists to stay safe and connected by powering smartphones, lights, GPS, and other USB devices through rider motion. The product mounts in minutes on nearly all bike designs. CadenceX‘s proprietary generator clamps onto a bike’s front fork. The generator converts motion from the bicycle’s wheel into electricity. The Smart Power Hub contains two USB-C ports and can be mounted on the handlebars or on the frame. PedalCell’s patented electronics stabilize charge, no matter a rider’s speed may be.
Produce Puns • Ann Arbor, Michigan
Produce Puns Positively Journals – $24
Produce Puns is customized products company led by Creator Mary Lemmer and located in Ann Arbor, MI. The company specializes in creating hand-drawn food pun illustrations, and applying those illustrations to a variety of products, including journals, t-shirts, mugs, and more gifts.
Pure Orchid Aesthetics • Warren, Michigan
Pure Orchid Aesthetics is a personal care company owned by Ashante’ Williams and located in Warren, MI. The company is committed to providing customers with natural skincare products made with quality, responsibly-sourced ingredients that they recognize. The mission of Pure Orchid Aesthetics is to craft products that will boost customers’ confidence and leave them feeling beautiful in their uniqueness. The company believes that natural skincare shouldn’t be a luxury, but an affordable staple in every skincare routine.
Rachel Fisher Creative • Chicago, Illinois
Rachel Fisher Creative is a brand design service that is led by Owner and Designer Rachel Fisher, and is located in Chicago, IL. The service specializes in developing strategic, thoughtfully-crafted brands for entrepreneurs who believe in their businesses.
realLINGUA • Ann Arbor, Michigan
realLINGUA is an educational service led by CEO Keith Phillips and located in Ann Arbor, MI. The service is a language-learning platform that helps students learn a second language just like their first. Using authentic native-speaker conversations, it eliminates the need to memorize a dictionary’s worth of vocabulary or regurgitate grammatical rules ad nauseam when trying to learn another language. Its immersive foreign language-learning delivered via a patent-pending approach in a self-directed learning app. Rooted in descriptive linguistics and implicit learning, realLINGUA exposes the language-learner to high-frequency language from actual native-speaker conversations as it is really used in everyday dialogue – unscripted, in-context, at-speed – making their approach as close to the way humans naturally learn language as possible! realLINGUA pairs that content exposure with “linguistic mirroring” practices through memorization, retention, and pronunciation activities.
Rebel Nell • Detroit, Michigan
Rebel Nell is a jewelry company led by CEO Amy Peterson and located in Detroit, MI. The company began in 2013 as a social enterprise with the mission to employ women facing barriers to employment in Detroit, educate them on financial management, life wellness and entrepreneurship, and empower them to transition to a life of independence. These women are hired as Creative Designers and are taught to craft unique, wearable art from fallen layers of graffiti, while providing services to support on their way to self-sufficiency.
Rosemarine Textiles • Detroit, Michigan
Charcoal Cotton Gauze Bandana – $24
Rosemarine Textiles is a sustainable textile studio owned by Meghan Navoy and located in Detroit, MI. The studio makes home goods and accessories using the rich, complex colors of plant-based dyes. Each piece is made by hand in the studio using processes that take many days to achieve the perfect color. Rosemarine Textiles is committed to environmental sustainability, and utilizes what would otherwise be waste material, including working with local restaurants to acquire dye-producing food scraps and florists for day-old blooms. The studio continues to experiment with dyes and innovate processes to contribute to an expanding collection of textiles.
Sensory Box Family • Zeeland, Michigan
Sensory Box Family is a handcrafted retail business founded by Rachael Windemuller and located in Zeeland, MI. The company seeks to bring affordable joy into the daily life of all families, especially those who are differently-abled, have sensory challenges, or live with mental illness. The Windemuller Family is no stranger to the unique needs of children with autism and sensory processing disorders (SPD). In fact, Sensory Box Family was originally sprung from the desire to provide meaningful work for their oldest child, Jay. Living with autism, anxiety, and depression, can make working outside the house challenging on the best of days. But, passionate about art, amazingly creative, and looking to earn money, they started looking for things to create. Jay’s artistic sense, combined with a mother with a knack for crafts, and a father with a love for woodworking, and Sensory Box Family was born.
Tactile Craftworks • Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Tactile Craftworks is a leather crafting company that was founded Sarah Heck and Anna Warren, and is located in Milwaukee, WI. This woman-owned and operated company was founded in 2014 and partners with over 200 retailers nationwide. Tactile Craftwork specializes in handcrafting leather pieces that are inspired by the idea of place and emotional responses to both home and travel. The company strives to make pieces that are durable to use, beautiful to look at, and satisfying to hold.
The Butters Hygienics Co. • Ypsilanti, Michigan
Cozy Comforts – Autumnal Body Moisturizer Collection 2020 – $34
The Butters Hygienics Co. is a personal care company led by Jerome Stuart Nichols and located in Ypsilanti, MI. The company offers a full line of 100% vegan personal care products for skin, hair, mind, body, and soul to solve unique hygienic problems.
The Getup Vintage • Ann Arbor, Michigan
The Getup Vintage is a retail business owned by Kaylan Mitchell and located in Ann Arbor, MI. The shop was founded in 2005 and specializes in vintage clothing, shoes, jewelry, and accessories from the 1950s through the 1990s. The Getup Vintage believes that vintage styles are for everyone.
The Nut Button • Detroit, Michigan
The Nut Button + The OK Boomer Button – $14.99
The Nut Button is an eCommerce brand that was founded by James Reina and Davis Harari, and is based in Michigan with online sales and shipment available nationwide. The Nut Button was originally a sole product developed as a response to a viral meme – an electronic button that, when pushed, will say “nut.” The success of this product has enabled the Reina and Harari to extend the branding to apparel, as well as to develop a new “Ok Boomer” button.
Thom Zahler Art Studios • Timberlake, Ohio
Warning Label Collection – $25
Thom Zahler Art Studios is an art company led by Thom Zahler and located in Timberlake, OH. The studio creates cartoons for a variety of purposes, including cartoons for comics, illustrations, and advertising. Additionally, they sell all of Thom Zahler’s original comics work, including My Little Pony, Love and Capes, and more.
1 comment