As people on the left of the political spectrum (whatever label we choose for ourselves), generally we agree that supporting small business is better than giving our money to big box stores. It’s even better when said small businesses are run by other lefties, and our support helps keep their livelihood going. Many big businesses work against our best interests, using their profits to fund right-wing legislation via ALEC (the American Legislative Exchange Council), etc., and exploit their workers (*cough*Walmart*cough*), and lack the personal touch you get working with a small business owner.
To that end, I’d like to talk about the Kos Katalogue. For those unfamiliar, it’s a categorized list of Kossacks (or friends/family of Kossacks) offering their goods and services as an alternative to big box stores. We have many talented members, many of whom rely on their business for their livelihood. Everything from quilt work to children’s clothes to jewelry to woodwork to music to web services … I could go on. One of the major benefits of using the Katalogue is the ability to request custom work — I wrote back in 2013 about the many gifts I bought for family from the Katalogue, and more than a few of those were custom made — the seasonal table runners from Sara & Ann, the custom hat/glove/scarf set from LoreleiHI, etc.
