It’s been an amazing month for Small Shops, Big Hearts. This month has featured creative owners with bold hearts, ranging in talents from graphic design to painting. I’m always amazed to see the range of talent out there in the world, each person with their own approach and style.

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Without further ado, here are the lovely shop owners of August:

Meg, owner of Rivers and Roads Shop, started her shop last year following a long-time dream to have a print shop. In college, she started out in graphic design before switching her major to interior design. But her heart still belongs to graphic design, and it’s now a future pursuit. Ultimately, her shop is a place for her to use her creative skills and share them with others!

♥ Favorite Shop Item: Meg lives in Tennessee and her shop shares a beautiful mix of photography and graphic design inspired by her region. I love the sunset photography that her shop has, but my ultimate favorite is her graphic design ‘Let’s Go to the Mountains’. Beautiful!

“I have so much more respect for small businesses and shop owners now that I have a small shop of my own.  I never realized how much work you had to put into it until I started setting up my own space.  Being a small shop owner means hard work and dedication, building relationships with other shop owners, and time devoted to creativity. One thing I want to remember as I continue on this print shop journey is that I don’t want my dream to become a bother. I want to remember to keep things fun and fresh even when things are tough. And as an encouragement to myself and to all you shop owners out there, remember that this journey takes a lot of time and patience. Most shops do not make it big overnight and that’s okay. Keep working hard and doing what you love!”

- Meg { shop / blog / twitter / instagram }

McKenzie, owner of Oliver and Abraham’s, was a homesteader raising a jumbled assortment of sheep, while struggling to make ends meet, when she opened her shop. She always loved drawing, and creating a small shop where her blog readers could purchase illustrations, cards, and handspun yarn was really empowering.

♥ Favorite Shop Item: All of McKenzie’s illustrations and photographs are stunning, but I fell in love with her customized birth announcements. There’s so many ways to announce a new baby nowadays; I think McKenzie’s handcrafted cards are a beautiful way to introduce a new little to friends and family.

“I don’t make a lot of money compared to a lot of people, and I certainly don’t survive off the revenue from my shop alone. I have multiple income streams right now, and I’m thinking I’d like to keep it that way in some shape or form. I’m a family photographer (getting into some super chill wedding photography too), I hang my art in coffee shops, I draw pictures for people who will cherish them forever just because I made something specifically for them, my boyfriend and I have a band where we play kalimbas that sound like music boxes… life is just pretty spectacularly awesome and I wish everyone the same amount of joy that I get from it. In my story, having a small business (or multiple?) is a means of paying the bills and staying happy.”
– McKenzie { shop / blog / facebook }

Despina, owner of The Little Fox, began painting as a child. Despite her love for painting, she pursued and attained a degree in Architecture. After graduating, she realized she wasn’t going to be fulfilled in that path, and the rest happened quite instinctively. Growing up as an only child, Despina had always crafted her own comic books + illustrated stories for amusement. Most of these stories are still with Despina, and formed the basis for The Little Fox.

♥ Favorite Shop Item: I’m a big fairytale lover and a far-off, magical world is so alluring to me. All of Despina’s paintings are beautiful, whimsical, and have just the right touch of magic. While I adore her range of childhood story characters (from Snow White to Alice in Wonderland), how could you not pick this beautiful deer loving painting as a favorite?

“My shop grew organically from the very beginning, and I have always followed my instincts. I think working as an artist/creative, no matter how well you think you are prepared, you are always learning, (many times through trial and error), and you have to be able to adapt constantly to that new knowledge acquired. Be prepared to work really hard. I know everyone probably says this, but it couldn’t be more true. In a sense you have to dedicate yourself to what you do, and find a balance between that and your everyday life. You have to constantly push yourself, and you have to be patient and resilient. There will be times when you will doubt what you are doing, and this is a great opportunity for re-evaluation of your work, or of your strategy. Do not be afraid to change everything, but stay true to yourself.”
– Despina { shop / facebook }

What do you love about small shops?
What small shop finds have you stumbled across?