Sunday Best: Supporting Small Businesses
& November's Remarkable Reads
It’s Black Friday weekend! &, Listen, I’m not going to pretend I don’t love a deal, especially in the run up to Christmas. It’s how I manage to afford to treat my loved ones with the gifts I know they really want.
However, this pretty damning report from consumer magazine Which? really puts things into perspective. As if we didn’t already know how much the corporations that often run these Black Friday deals were exploiting us! 🤦🏽♀️
The most unfortunate element of Black Friday is how small businesses often get forgotten about because so many of them can’t actually afford to do huge sales. Perhaps because they work in a sustainable way that prioritises quality, ethical supply chains and worker welfare over profit margins.
This is why I’m using this issue of Sunday Best to throw the spotlight on some of my favourite small businesses.
&, After 10 years of freelancing and 6 months on Substack, I’m also celebrating my own “small business” by running a huge discount on paid memberships.
It’s a whole 20% off for all subscriptions to The Ampersand - yes, even the yearly subscriptions that are already 12% cheaper than paying monthly. That means you can now become an access-all-areas member for just £4 a month or £42 a year. How’s that for a bargain?
As one of the afore mentioned small businesses keen to maintain a high standard and not exploit the labour involved (me!), this is something I’m only doing for a very limited time. Mostly because I know some of you are keen to subscribe but need to watch the pennies. In the new year, however, there will be a small increase in subscription cost purely so I can continue making this publication the best it can be. If you’re already a paid subscriber, this won’t affect you. But if you’re not…
This special discount is available for the next 48 hours so you have until Tuesday to take advantage of it.
Elsewhere in this issue of Sunday Best, we have a list of the absolute best writing I had the privilege of enjoying on Substack this month, with Remarkable Reads from
, and.Let’s get into it…
Supporting Small Businesses
Marvellous Makers
A mainstay of the Manchester Maker’s Market scene, this family run business has my whole heart. Their gorgeous bags, clothes and Christmas stockings are a visual delight and the patterns are all block printed by hand. Plus, so many of their products - from PJs to jackets - are reversible, which makes it feel like two for the price of one! I own a few of their make up bags, a couple of their large holdalls and one of their beautiful gilets so I can seriously vouch for the quality and durability of their products.
Roslyn is a North West based glass artist who sculpts beautiful and unique jewelry. Her colourful creations come at an accessible price point and I adore how playful and inventive each piece is. Every ring, necklace or set of earrings is made to order and knowing that no two items are the same makes them extra special. I bought two pairs of her earrings around a year ago and I never tire of them (or the compliments I get when I wear them!).
On a whim, my fiancé and I bought a few of Mama Sood’s incredible chutneys a few weeks ago and we’ve been fans ever since. I’m particularly addicted to the Limited Edition Lemon & Lime which seems to be the perfect addition to… well… just about anything, sweet or savoury. We also enjoyed the Limited Edition Winter Warmer Pickle and the Date and Tamarind Chutney. Another family business (a mother and son collaboration), I feel like you can actually taste that their products are made with love.
Fragrance Faves
As regular readers will know, my fiancé launched his perfumery brand a few months ago. So far, the response has been phenomenal. In reference to his premiere fragrance Mausam, popular perfume critic Dan Rothschild said he could not “praise this perfume highly enough”, describing it as “electric from start to finish”.
The lovely presenters of the On the Scent podcast (listen from 18:43) also adored Mausam (pronounced More-sum), calling it “beautiful” and expressing that they were “absolutely blown away by it.”
His recent workshops also went down a storm, with attendees saying they were “obsessed” with the fragrances they’d been coached through creating and describing the experience as an “incredible day”. I couldn’t be more proud!
Mausam is now available to buy but stock is very limited. Or, if you want something bespoke, you can book a personal consultation.
Led by scent genius Sarah McCartney, 4160 Tuesdays are an established, London-based perfumery who have always remained true to their niche roots. All of their perfumes are made in small batches of just 50-200 bottles so, whatever you buy, you can rest assured it won’t be a scent everyone else is wearing. Whether you’re into floral fougères, woody chypres, citrus scents or more gourmand fragrances, 4160 Tuesdays’ huge range has got you covered.
Inspired by the cosmos and her Phoenician heritage, Lebanese-British perfumer Mabelle is certainly one to watch. With an extremely artistic approach to olfaction, it’s clear every part of her branding is incredibly well thought out. I love the sleek and simple design of her bottles and her fragrances are truly stunning. She’s been lauded by the Institute of Art & Olfaction and her scents have been finalists in the UK Fragrance Foundation Awards. Plus the customer reviews on her website are outstanding.
Coffee Worth Craving
When I first met my partner, I was a total coffee philistine. “Coffee’s coffee,” I remember saying, shrugging my shoulders. Since then, I’ve had a real education and, while I still can only handle a maximum of one cup a day (two at a push), I’ve really learnt what I like and what I don’t.
A couple of weekends ago, I went to my third coffee festival and, as always, it was a great opportunity to find a new brand to love.
Moments before we left, I sampled a few speciality coffees by Nottingham-based roasters Cartwheel and they turned out to be my favourite of the day. Their cool, cosmic branding is awesome and their approach to sustainability is admirable. Plus their logo happens to be one of my favourite and most used emojis🤸🏽♀️.
We left with a bag of their Bookkisa (wild cherry, strawberry, jasmine) and one of their Fuyan beans (apricot, parma violet, lychee) - both of which are an absolute delight.
My family home is in North Wales and, after my Dad died in September 2023, my partner and I started spending a lot more time back there. Together, we discovered the expanding indy coffee scene along the coast. Warm, friendly coffee shops and cardboard cups taken on long walks soon became a real comfort during an extremely sad and difficult time.
Having already tried Heartland’s beans via my cousin’s huge collection, I was glad to have the chance to check out their roastery in Mostyn. It goes without saying that it smells fantastic inside and they also serve their wonderful coffee there. Well worth a visit if you’re ever in North Wales or you can, of course, order their range online.
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Remarkable Reads
“the BRAT Summer wave that companies were nut-riding made me wanna do a staring contest with a greek gorgon. these corporations feel so compelled to somersault onto cultural bandwagons. pulling their sassy little clap-backs at each another. multinational clout-chasing. more-time their CEO’s and executives are probably hoarding wealth as the bulk of their employees tread water beneath the breadline.”
A rant about capitalism that makes me laugh? Sign me up! I loved every minute of this sharply observed, endlessly witty, brilliantly written piece by the very talented Inigo. If the commercialism of this weekend has already made you sick to your stomach, this could not be a more timely read for you.
Can’t wait to read more of Inigo’s writing - especially any essays that seek to dismantle illusions about the failing systems we live within.
“Sometimes I think the world expects us to be heroes, to wear survival like a badge, as if making it through each day after everything we’ve been through is a victory.
But how do you celebrate survival when it’s built on the ashes of everything and everyone you’ve loved?
Survival isn’t about being strong; it’s about clinging to whatever pieces of yourself haven’t been shattered yet.”
This piece broke my heart. I’ve always wondered how anyone could continue living after losing their home, self-determination, livelihood and entire family. I don’t think I’d have that kind of strength.
Mohammed is a journalist and writer from Gaza City and this piece so beautifully captures what I feared might be completely beyond words - the true plight of the Palestinian people and why so many choose to go on despite the horrific atrocities committed against them.
I pray every day for an end to the genocide and that those responsible are held accountable. We must keep protesting, boycotting and educating. This cannot continue.
“It’s an adult woman
that can wrap,
fearlessly,
a snake round her fist;
offer it a rat.
What if the answer to all this
is not how to swallow, or hold tight
but how to bite.”
I loved this stunning poem, full of quiet rage. I had a visceral response to reading it, recognising something so familiar. Since then I’ve binge read (is that a thing?) so much of Susannah’s work and she has a real skill for getting right under the skin of things. Incredible stuff.
That’s all for this month’s edition of Sunday Best. Thank you, as always, for being here.
With love,
xK
Wow!!!! I’m over the moon to read this!! Thank you so much!!!!! Heart doing flips with joy!! ❤️
thank you very much for mentioning me and my weird lil rant 🤭 feel very honoured!