Our Favorite Small Businesses to Support This Holiday Season
The holiday season is here, and with it comes the joy of finding the perfect gifts for loved ones and sprucing up our homes for festive gatherings. At Rory Pots, we know how meaningful it can be to support small businesses—each purchase tells a story and sustains a dream.
This year, we’re shining a spotlight on a few of our favorite small businesses that make the season brighter with their unique offerings. Whether you’re looking for handcrafted treasures, local flavors, or one-of-a-kind gifts, these small businesses have something special to share. Join us in celebrating their creativity, dedication, and the community spirit that makes shopping small so rewarding.
Let us know if you have a favorite small business we should check out—we love discovering new gems to support!
Clay Mohr Lighting
Clay Mohr Lighting is a sculptural lighting design firm that specializes in combining wood and LED technology.
Through his work with lighting and wood, Clay aims to form a bridge between nature and our interiors. Using form, function and materials, the illuminated sculptures exist at the intersection of nature, emotion and the built environment. The materials representing nature and the modern forms paying homage to design. The collection of work provides functionally satisfying pieces of sculptures in unison with nature.
Dust and Form
Dust + Form is a ceramic design and production studio situated between Lake Champlain and the Green Mountains in Burlington, Vermont, USA.
With intuition and a refined visual voice, she and her small team use raw materials to create elegant forms that act as invitations to savor the present moment. She revels in the cycle between process and refinement, thereby seeking to encapsulate the duality of life.
Ergo Pottery
Ergo is the work of artist Dan Siegel, created in his studio in the Old North End of Burlington, VT. All pieces are one of a kind wheel-thrown or hand built stoneware or porcelain, food-safe, and a thoughtful addition to any home.
You can also find Ergo Pottery at Thirty Odd.
Be Zippy
Founded in 2008 by artist Bari Ziperstein, BZIPPY is known for our experimentation and innovation with ceramics. Working tirelessly to develop engineering methods that challenge conventional notions of slab construction, BZIPPY devises creative solutions to both formal designs and technical concerns.
Rackk and Ruin
Founded in 2009 by designer Molly Conant, Rackk & Ruin is dedicated to creating unique jewelry inspired by traditional symbolism and historic art, blending timeless and modern aesthetics.
As a maker-owned operation, we prioritize social and ecological responsibility in every aspect of our design and production process.
Emily Nora Oneal
Emily Nora O’Neil is a textile designer, artist, and educator. She currently resides in Portland, Maine and is faculty at Rhode Island School of Design and the Maine College of Art and Design.
“Textiles are made as thoughtful responses to my environment. Undulating forms from seashells become ribbed fabrics and wandering wild botanicals become lace. The translation is an act of devotion.”
What We Make
What We Make focused on making furniture from reclaimed wood and sustainably source hardwoods while using non-toxic, voc-free, and low-voc finishes. They set out to limit their impact on the world, to limit the toxins most furniture brings into your home, and to make pieces that will last for many generations.
Octave Jewelry
Octave Jewelry is a modern frame for earth's ancient works of art. Every raw stone tells a story, and they cut each one by hand to suit its independent character. They create bold shapes that move with you, telling stories through sophisticated colors and playful sculptural elements.
Degen
DEGEN is a haven for those seeking a unique fusion of artistic expression and community connection. Lindsay's quirky, plucky, and passionate approach to craft invites individuals to embrace the beauty of handmade creations, forging a colorful and inclusive community for creative souls to gather and grow.
In 2022 DEGEN started an online knitting community called KNIT.club to inspire, teach, and create community with like-minded makers.
Nade Studio
While continuing to explore natural dyeing and botanical printing, Maggie has extended the NÅDE STUDIO line to include naturally dyed home goods, clothing, accessories, and plant based paints.
Through Feed Weave - custom fiber installations & weavings, she continues to illustrate the waste nature of the food industry while advocating for slow craft and fighting food waste & hunger.
Slow Process
Slow Process is an independent clothing label established in 2018 building soft & beautiful garments for a modern masculinity. Historical narrative & the integrity of craft inform our clothing, making a product that is personal & enduring.
We sew in small batches. We trust in antique textiles. Our wearer revives their relationship between garment, identity, & utility.
Phoebe Lo Studio
Phoebe Lo Studio’s work is soft and surreal, employing muted palettes,
buoyant shapes, and a rich inventory of texture and symbol.
Not bound by one medium, they offer a multidisciplinary approach to creative problem solving, working with brands, organizations, and communities to bring projects from concept to completion.
