The Struggle is Real: My 2026 Resolution to Shop Small
What is your New Year’s Resolution?
Mine is simple, yet surprisingly bold: to shop local wherever and whenever possible.
My goal is to give back to our local business owners with the same loyalty and love our guests have shown us. For 26 (soon to be 27) years, our followers have sustained us. Through recessions, fires, floods, and a pandemic, our loyal clients have been there, allowing us to care for them and provide their favorite organic skincare.
Now, six days into this commitment, I’m realizing one major thing: The struggle is real!
I am finding that investing in things as trivial as cold remedies and hair ties is much more difficult when you bypass the big-box retailers. So am I letting these challenges consume me? Absolutely not!
The success of Le Reve isn't the result of just one patron or one single act; it is the accumulation many many acts by an entire community of "Le Revies". Similarly, building a thriving local economy isn’t about one perfect purchase—it’s about the consistent effort over time that creates an environment where small businesses can truly flourish.
Community is my "Why"
Everything starts and ends with the communities we support. As a business owner, I eat, live, and breathe community at work—but as many of you know, I live and breathe it at home, too.
My family was literally created out of a community of amazing people. As a foster mom, I worked alongside social service professionals who hustle daily to make a positive impact. These "angels" deserve the support of small businesses more than anyone. The emotional weight they carry demands that our community invests in the specialized care and restorative environments that only local, heart-centered establishments can provide.
My family was literally created out of a community of amazing people. As a foster mom, I worked alongside social service professionals who hustle daily to make a positive impact. These "angels" deserve the support of small businesses more than anyone. The emotional weight they carry demands that our community invests in the specialized care and restorative environments that only local, heart-centered establishments can provide.
My first child came to us in dire condition, having barely survived extraordinary circumstances from birth. Through that journey, my family saw firsthand the miracles performed by our local medical specialists in Santa Barbara. These experts help secure a bright future for our "lil's," regardless of their start in life.
These angels also deserve our very best. They deserve a community that invests in itself. So, while finding local hair ties and cold remedies might be a struggle today, I’m sticking to my resolution. Because when we shop small, we aren't just buying a product—we are weaving the safety net that catches us all and investing in a community.
Heres to 2026 and seeing how much of an impact this girl can make in a year. Whos with me?
"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step", Chinese philosopher, Lao Tzu
