Shopping Small: Gi Ideas from Barnard Businesses

You have blinked, and it is November. Season of scarves and serenity, this month is the last stop before arrival into December’s winter wonderland, and December means the holiday season! Whether you are a gifting pro or could use an extra hand to guide you in the right direction, The Bulletin has you covered this shopping season. Read on to hear about three Barnard student-run small businesses where you can shop for the perfect meaningful and artistic holiday gifts for your loved ones thanks to each of their budget-friendly and limited creations!

Holiday Shopping: Gift Ideas from Barnard Businesses

by Roxane Carre

Lauren, IG: @laurenpohlee | Etsy: N/A

“Always carrying a camera with [her] as a child on family vacations,” Lauren only recently took on the art of photography with an added layer of seriousness. Evolving from a first-year student to a junior this fall semester, Lauren realized that “[she] really liked art” over the self-explorative period that the COVID-19 pandemic brought on for many. Taking her love for photography a step further and into her academics, she started taking classes offered by Barnard’s art history department, learning camera techniques and model posing. For Lauren, being able to capture a slice of the world through a lens really “opened her eyes to something else.” This led her to start her own photography business early into quarantine, capturing friends, family, and neighboring sights while respecting national and global safety measures. When Lauren “started getting bored of digital photography” as a medium, she turned to the raved-about medium of film photography. She rapidly fell in love with it as she “liked taking pictures and not knowing what she was going to get.” Lauren now develops her pictures herself in Columbia’s Dark Room (which she highly recommends for any fellow aspiring or amateur film photographers), and she could not be more excited that a quarantine hobby of hers has now turned into a small business. It would mean the world to this Barnard student if you showed her your support! To purchase from her collection, please reach out to Lauren via direct message on Instagram. As an aesthetic and inspiring gift to your art-inclined friends or family members alike, any image from this Barnard student’s film photography collection is a guaranteed happy holiday treat.

Photos by Roxane Carre

Photos by Roxane Carre

Corinna, IG: N/A

Etsy: NYCraftCompany

Growing up in a military family, Corinna, BC ’23, moved a lot growing up and found herself “bored” a lot of the time. To cope with (“too much”) alone time, Corinna took on sewing and drawing and to a new level—that of business production. Now selling a variety of handcrafted goods—from adorable animal pins, to soft, satin scrunchies, to rainbow macramé keychains, this Barnard student has her own Etsy shop (NYCraftCompany) and would love your support! As a thoughtful gift to your aspiring crochet-master friend or to your inspiring macramé-knotting sibling, cousin, parent, or grandparent anything from Corinna’s lovely handmade collection is sure to delight!

Rowan, IG: @zayatz_artwork

Etsy: TheMythologyPlace

Starting her art and business career at the age of thirteen by selling self-made ink drawings to her friends, Rowan, BC ’22, enjoys bringing creatures of her imagination to life via digital design, and she just recently opened up her own Etsy shop (TheMythologyPlace) during quarantine! When asked what inspired her to start a business in the creative realm, Rowan shares that she took on painting more willfully during lockdown and really “wanted to do something with her art.” She started placing her art onto stickers, opened up an Etsy account, and the rest is history! This holiday season, why not contribute to a Barnard student’s small art shop and purchase one of their graceful, colorful, and detailed designs for your art-loving friend or family member?

Photos by Roxane Carre