Boredom Busting Ideas- Stand With Small Vegan Businesses during Covid-19 - Coronavirus guide to supporting independent, plant based shops! #Etsy #StandWithSmall

Welcome to our blog and thank you so much for reading. We are writing this from our home and we hope you are staying safe. In these strange, uncertain times, it's more important than ever to support what you love. With small businesses facing new and untested challenges, here at Vegan Prose, we were excited to see Etsy stepping out and supporting their shops. 

Etsys' #standwithsmall hashtag encompasses their values of standing behind their sellers and their one-of-a-kind items. Here at Vegan Prose we believe in supporting businesses that spread the word of veganism, love of animals and have compassion for the Earth. We are blessed to have tried and tested some of the most wonderful, unique, hand made products- many of which can be found in our previous blogs, in the archive to the right of this page.

In the blog, we want to share with you some of our ideas on how you can still support vegan businesses, and, most importanly, spead the word to help the animals. We will also showcase some of our absolutely favourite sellers on Etsy, and a slection of their items, all of which share their passion for veganism through one of a kind products. 

You can find a comprehensive list of the Editors Pick Page of StandWithSmall Here.

Together, let's stand with small.

1. Buy, Buy, Buy! 
This is one super obvious thing you can do right now for small vegan shops and businesses, if you are in a position to do so, buy their stuff! With footfall at a complete standstill for most brick and mortar stores in the UK, online is their only way of making money in these hard times. Don't see what your after? Message the shop, many have extra time and may be willing to make a custom order for you!


Jumper


So, apparantly, lounge wear is in- we can't think why! But in all seriousness, here at VeganProse, we have never worn leggings more! TheVeganRecipeBlog and its super-cute Oat Mylk jumper has been on our favourites for a while now- in a stunning array of colours it is just the cure for seemingly never-ending 'work-from-home' days. This is a serious want-slash-need item and this picture offers major inspo for that perfect vegan insta op. 

If comfy-casual apparel isn't your thing, they also have e-book and hard copy recipe books on hand for your kitchen lockdown dilemas, and Hats! 


 2. Share the love! 
Some readers may be in a postion of financial instability, while still wanting to support their favourite vegan businesses, in which case we would whole-heartly recommend liking, following and ...most importantly commenting your support. 

It's one thing to add a little love to their days by being a follower and supporter, but believe us when we say it brings immense joy to get a friendly, loving, supporting comment! They encourage others to do the same and push up the businesses posts on social media platforms!

T-Shirt

This Epic t-shirt by California-based Vegan shop NaturalVeganGuy really spoke to us...in a world of social distancing, coffee has never been more important! We love how animals rightly get top priority in this 'essentials' list. The shop has a whole host of epic quotes and slogans on a range of t-shirts, hoodies, mugs, bags and more so be sure to check them out!

  3. Sign Up! 
If you are new to veganism, you may now have the time to check out the fantastic sites supporting animals rights, including The Vegan Society, Animal Rights UK and Animal Justice Project - these all have low costs memberships or free emails sign-ups for you to learn more about their wonderful work.



Coffee Mug

Speaking of coffee, what an absolutly stunning designed mug to put it in...or tea if that's more your thing- what's your flavour? 
Designed by SundazeStore, this Plant Based mugs has a gothic edge that gets our dopamine flowing! They have a range of designs that border on punky and quirky, including a Vegan Witchcraft mug. 

4. Gift in Time!
Many businesses that have been forced to close during this virus outbreak are in need of love and support, if you have a favourite vegan cafe or shop, check out their socials and see if they are offering gift vouchers as a way to get through these uncertain times- though they would be more of a donation as there is always a chance a business may go under and you loose your money, which is why we suggest only purchasing from your favourite shops!



Necklace

Based in Spain, VeganAranzazu shares a passion for animal liberation, they offer a wide range of gorgeous womens jewellery, but as you don't often see mens jewellery- we thought we'd show off this beautiful piece. They have much more available, '269' stamp products and companion-animal memorial pieces- a wonderful, passionate shop.

5. Donate!
Animal charities are in a tricky situation, they are closed to the public and many make money to support their animals from their cafe sales- The Retreat in Kent, a fully vegan animal sanctuary (that do not serve meat, dairy, eggs or honey in their cafe!) are in need of help and support- please follow them on Facebook for more info.


Ebook


Here at Vegan Prose, we have fallen in love with eBooks. Ok, so they don't have the smell and touch of a traditional book, and they may never replace our worn copy of Alice in Wonderland, but, they are quick and easy to download, cheaper than hardcopies, better for the Earth and are usually instant access! 

They are also a fantastically easy way to support vegan shops- like this ebook by TheVeganActivist - we have it and it's a great in-depth guide on how to be a vegan. They also offer a great sleection of activism stickers, perfect if we are ever allowed outside again!!

6. Auction it off!
If you don't have the money to donate at the moment, maybe you can still help the animals by donating your talent. Sanctuarys such as the Horse and Farm animal sanctuary, based in Wales, hold online auctions periodically to raise vital funds. Their next one is art-specific and is in May, you can find out more here.



Friends Not Food

We were lucky enough to stumble across some of AhhLovely's products in an animal santuary auction, and we have followed them ever since! They produce lovely gifts, many specifically vegan themed, and have top notch customer service. 

7. Design.
If you do have a talent for drawing, why not design a poster or stickers to share the experiences of animals. Many vegans are highlighting the fact that animals in zoos and cages for food feel similar to how we are feeling in lockdown right now. We would love if Covid-19 led to even more people seeing the light and choosing vegan.

We've had more time to look around in our home recently and we are super proud of our vegan prints. They make our house feel special and now is the perfect time to choose from the 97 prints ThePunkyBunny has to offer to add a little vegan pizazz to your home! 

Although we have around 10 prints that we love, including Tarot Cards, THIS HOME IS VEGAN and plant mylks, we'll let you in on a little secret and tell you the next print we have in mind. We are obsessed with Queen and LM Sausages so...it's a given really....

 

Print

 8.Spread The Word, not the Virus!

Don't let veganism slip down your agenda. Instead, find a new passion for veganism...try that recipe you've always wanted too and share the results, read that book or watch that film then write a review about it. There has never been a better time to share your thoughts and let a captive audience see your views on veganism! 

 Something to keep the kids, and adults, busy these long weeks is temporary tattoos! They're easy to cut out and use and these ones from ThingsICareAboutShop are really good quality, we had the special halloween set including Vegan the Cruelty Slayer...there are a few sets available, but, with the drawing on many of our windows at the moment, we thought this set would be most appropriate.

 

Tats
Well, if you'll excuse us, we plan to sign off and eat our weight in vegan food sign up to that online yoga class we saw. Let us know what you think about our choices and your favourite lockdown activity in the comments.
Thank you so much for reading!
Please keep safe and stay at home!
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