You hear it all the time: "shop small!" This simple sentiment represents the movement to spend money locally, prioritizing small businesses in towns and neighborhoods all around our country. In Avondale Estates, GA, the small business owners in town are your neighbors, your friends, sometimes your family! Shopping at our businesses directly supports us as community members, and it keeps downtowns like Avondale teeming with vibrant, unique businesses that can't be replicated anywhere else. That's what makes small businesses so great!
Dollars spent mean so much to us business owners, but by stocking local vendors suddenly the ecosystem blooms into something incredible! Shopping local means supporting a whole host of local artists, makers, and vendors who have products in our shop. It's amazing! At Weithaus we're lucky to have a growing roster of local Atlanta vendors with products on the shelves, and it's more than inspiring to see our local shoppers supporting local vendors.
Let's meet some of these amazing vendors!
Tawny Kempf of The Lion's Drawer
I met Tawny through her connection to another Avondale small business (Hi, Garage Door Studios!) and it was love at first quilt. Tawny makes the most incredible up-cycled quilted garments for infants and toddlers (my personal fave are teeny tiny purses), and her work is detailed and thoughtful and fun! And because she sources all the vintage textiles herself, each mini collection is designed to compliment the quilt and styled to maximum effect. As gifts, her pieces are truly one of a kind. We have sent many home with happy customers, and I look forward to each piece Tawny brings into the shop. Her brand, The Lion's Drawer, is available at Weithaus in store and online, as well as at Artists' markets across Atlanta.
Diane Pomberg of Minka's Closet
Diane Pomberg has been a resident of Avondale Estates since 2012, and has been handmaking children's toys, clothes, and accessories since the birth of her granddaughter Minka! Diane sews and crochets a lot of different items, from stuffed toys to bonnets. She's currently working on some matching sets that I cannot wait to see.
Her pieces make great gifts because they are completely one of a kind, and they look and feel so special to someone receiving them. It's such a joy to have her pieces in the shop.
Nancy Weitnauer
Nancy is a longtime Decatur resident and artist, who also happens to be my mama! And quite possibly my favorite person on earth! She is a visual artist who uses a wide array of mediums including watercolor, paper collage, and pen & ink drawing to achieve whimsical, playful designs.
In the shop, she has traditional art pieces perfect for a nursery, as well as handmade cards that immediately become keepsakes. Nothing makes me happier than getting to work with my mom and support her art.
