In the lead up to International Women’s Day (today), I’ve seen a lot of talk about the day being linked to a movement called "A Day Without Women." The intention is to show the impact of what happens when women don’t show up to work, but the concept just hasn’t sat well with me because, well, it’s a concept rooted in privilege. How many of us can not show up for work without financial and professional implication?
So yesterday, as I was responding to some Facebook chatter on the topic, I decided to throw out a call for awesome women-powered businesses via my personal and Boston Mamas Facebook page. My original intention was to tweet and Facebook tag different businesses through the day, but the response was overwhelming! I quickly realized that I’d be on Twitter and Facebook literally all day if I took the tweet/Facebook tag approach (and as it turns out, Violet is home sick today!) so I decided that the best approach would be a blog post giving everyone link love! So here we are!
Please note that this is a crowd-sourced list. A majority of these businesses are new to me (yay!) so I haven’t personally vetted them and I’m relying on the honor code that the people who tossed these businesses my way adhered to my request for women-owned businesses. Also, be sure to check out the Boston Mamas mamapreneur network for even more businesses you can support!
Beauty + Skin Care
Beautycounter - Safe skin care, makeup, and body products for the whole family
Rodan & Fields (Eve Driscoll) - Life-changing skin care
Rodan & Fields (Leigh Chasteen) - Life-changing skin care
Salone Estetica (Winchester, MA) - A full service Aveda concept salon
Vibrant Dermatology (Norwell, MA) - Board-certified dermatologist
Consulting
Brancaleone Engineering, LLC (Gloucester, MA) - Structural engineering consultants
Brand Enchanting Media - An integrated digital marketing, social media, and experiential agency
PBI Consulting - A social media marketing consultancy specializing in influencer, content, and cause marketing
Sarah J. Consulting - Fundraising, leadership, and entrepreneurship consulting for non-profits
Women Online - Smart, creative strategic communications consulting for digital and in-person campaigns/events (full disclosure: I am the creative director at this firm!)
Creative Services
Ali Edwards Design - Memory keeping rooted in stories, photos and intentional embellishments
Blakely Interior Design (North Kingstown, RI) - Interior design services
Caroline Gravino - Video production + digital media design and consulting
Celebration Boards by Kelly - Hand drawn boards to celebrate any occasion
Colombo Designs (Portland, OR) - Web design and development
Darling Studio - Fresh, friendly branding and creative services
Giese Media - Wordpress web development, graphic design, UI/UX, social media strategy, and photography
Igloo Letterpress - A full-scale letterpress printer and book bindery
Mini-Media - Web design, web development, copy editing, creative writing, social media, and e-commerce
Smartt Art - Print and web design, IT consulting
Trampoline Advertising and Design Company (Glens Falls, NY) - Design, content, and strategy services
Tess & Ted (Reading, MA) - Interior design services
Whipstitch - A learn to sew community
Wicked Art Bar (Beverly, MA) - An arts and crafts studio that offers instructor-led painting and craft classes
Zota Productions - A full-service production company focusing on video content and events
Family Services
Barakat Bundle - A social enterprise dedicated to improving the health of mothers and newborns
Her Next Chapter - A service to show mothers how to form mother-daughter book clubs to teach media literacy to girls
Lori Day Consulting - Private school admission, special education counseling, and parent coaching
Mel O’Drama (Quincy + Milton, MA) - Acting school
Nanny Kate & Co. (Boston, South Shore, Cape and Islands) - Nanny and babysitting placement agency
Skills for Living (Norwell, MA) - Life skill development
SPUR (Marblehead, MA) - Hands-on community service and enrichment programs
The Loved Child (Belmont, MA) - Support and programming for families from pregnancy through adolescence
Fitness
Always Be Dancing Adaptive Movement (Natick, MA) - Inclusive and adaptable movement based on flamenco and yoga for all ages and all abilities
Bikram Yoga Merrimack Valley (North Andover, MA) - Full service yoga studio
Borealis Community Yoga (Medford, MA) - Yoga studio
btone fitness (Various locations around Boston, MA) - Short, intense 45-minute workouts
Buddhaful Souls Yoga Studios (Rowley, MA) - Yoga classes for children & adults
Juliana Bicycles - A mountain bike aimed specifically at female riders
The Village (North Shore, MA) - Outdoor recreation and fitness
Food
al FreschCo (MA/NH) - Meal kit delivery
Belly Wine Bar (Cambridge, MA) - Offering a wine list produced exclusively by female winemakers
Curio Spice Co. (Cambridge, MA) - Organic spices, spice blends, and culinary gifts
Herd Nerd SPICE (Arlington, MA) - BBQ spice rub
Jodi Bee Bakes (Salem, MA) - Vegetarian bakery and cafe
Olives & Grace (Boston, MA) - Small batch foods + handmade gifts
Seta’s Cafe (Belmont, MA) - Mediterranean cafe
The Castle (Beverly, MA) - A board game cafe
Vitamin J (Plymouth, MA) - Individual meal service delivery
Wicked Good Cupcakes (Hanover, MA) - Cupcakes
Networking
Bump Club and Beyond - The nation’s largest social event company for moms and moms-to-be
Massachusetts Conference for Women - The largest women’s conference in MA
Photography
Anelise Paduch Tubinis Photography (Melrose, MA) - Photography services
Anna Sawin Photography (Stonington, CT) - Bright, natural, lively photography capturing weddings and families
Beth Ann Fricker Photography (Belmont, MA) - Wedding and family photography
Chickey Boston Photography (Dedham, MA) - Fine art portrait photography
Eventide Photography (North Shore, MA) - Fine art portraiture
Irish Eyes Photgraphy (East Weymouth, MA) - Photography services
Jen Bolitho Photography (Medford, MA) - Lifestyle, portrait, and event photography
Nicole Baas Photography (Boston, MA) - Wedding photographer
Pencil & Lens - Essential communication tools, tips, and templates for photography businesses
Professional Services
FreshRN - A service to help new nurses grow into safe and confident bedside care providers
Globiana - Cross cultural training and ex-pat coaching
Lisa's Hands of Time (MA) - Personal concierge service
Master the Time (Boston, MA) - Personal concierge service
Mompreneur Soul - Helping mothers realize their full potential as women, mothers, and business owners
Real Estate
Kristy B.- Real Estate Design, Design & Inspiration - Staging and real estate services
Retail
Anaya - One of a kind, handmade artisan products
Bawdy Bookworms - A romance genre subscription box meets virtual book club
Bharat Babies - books inspired by India
Brave New World Designs - Stylish, cool advocacy oriented t-shirts (full disclosure: this is my collection!)
Enclothe Boutique - Unique, affordable clothing and accessories
Hatched (Jamaica Plain, MA) - Gifts and goods for kids
Fonbooth - Hands-free cell phone fixtures
Katalina’s Boutique (Northbridge, MA) - Unique women's apparel, accessories, and gifts
Leslie Graff - Fine art
Little Pickle Stories - Media for a better world
Little Pretties - Bracelets
LOOP Consignment (Swampscott, MA) - Children's clothing, toy, and equipment resale
Mom Life Must Haves - Apparel, accessories, and housewares
Princess Awesome - Clothes for girls
Sheila Corkery Jewelry - Simple, elegant, organic-form jewelry
Snowy Mountain Designs - Unique handmade jewelry
Sparkle Athletic - Sparkle running skirts and accessories
Stripes Gear - Polypropylene base layers for the whole family
Tapered - A modern, feminine apparel collection
The Planning Collective - Daily planners
Tiny Hanger (Brookline, Wellesley MA) - Baby clothing,shoes, and gift boutique
To The Market - Survivor-made goods
Websites (Including Apps + Podcasts)
510 Families - A guide for parents in the East Bay
Broadscast - A national radio show + podcast for broads (and bros)
Cool Mom Picks - A site focused on gear, style and design
Edit Your Life - a podcast dedicated to editing your life so you have room for awesome (full disclosure: this is the podcast I co-host!)
Go Jane Go - An app to connect women in real-time when we travel for business
Hello Mamas - An app to help moms connect locally
Hula Frog - Local events, destinations, and deals for families
iFundWomen - A crowdfunding platform for women-led businesses
Misadventures in Mommyhood - A site focused on baby products and parenting tips
My Brown Baby - A site for parents who love their brown babies by parents who do the same
Rookie Moms - A site focused on creative ideas to help you get out of the house and have more fun -- with baby in tow
Suit Up - A Facebook group formed to identify solutions for issues women confront in their communities
The Broke Ass Bride - A site focused on budget wedding planning
Winnie - An app sharing parent perspectives on local restaurants, parks, activities, schools, and more
Wellness
Elena Sonnino Life Coaching - Life coaching
Hullistic Health (Hull, MA) - Integrative wellness center specializing in personalized detoxification programs
Lauren Bellon - Essential Oils - Essential oils
Palo Alto Smart Therapy (Palo Alto, CA) - Therapy and personal development
