Spend $45 with a Small Business, Not Amazon

If you’ve got around $45 to spend this holiday season, consider this your friendly nudge to put it somewhere it actually moves the needle.

Shopping on Amazon is easy. One click, two days, done. But let’s be honest — that $45 disappears into a global system most of us can’t even picture.

Now imagine a different path for that same $45:

When you spend it with a small business or independent artist, it flows through real human hands. For us painters at Trailside Expressions, $45 might buy:

  • Fresh paper and paint for an upcoming trail session

  • Time in the studio creating new landscapes

  • A few emotional-support lattes (just part of the craft ☕)

But the impact goes far beyond brushstrokes and caffeine.

Choosing small means choosing:

🎨 Artists instead of algorithms — supporting creative livelihoods, not automated recommendations.
🌎 Local communities instead of overseas warehouses — keeping dollars circulating in the places we live and love.
♻️ Less plastic, packaging, and emissions — most small makers ship thoughtfully, waste less, and create in smaller batches.
💰 A stronger economy from the ground up — small businesses are proven life-changers when communities support them collectively.

At Trailside Expressions, our work is created outdoors on trails, mountains, and open roads, rooted in respect for nature and a belief in being present instead of plugged in.

So no, you’re not just buying art — you’re voting for:

✔ Curiosity over convenience
✔ People over corporations
✔ Sustainability over mass production
✔ Creativity over mindless consumption

And we see you doing it. Every purchase, share, save, and follow helps us continue painting the places we care about without compromising the planet we’re painting of.

If you choose to spend your $45 here this season, just know this:
It genuinely improves lives — ours, our community’s, and the landscapes we work so hard to protect.

Thanks for taking the small path with us this year. It matters more than you think. 🌲

— Kery & the Trailside Artists

Back to blog