Did you know that between Black Friday and Cyber Monday is Small Business Saturday? Skip the lines at the big retail chains, put away your laptop, and shop local in Montgomery County, Maryland.

To get you started, we spoke with five small business owners about how they began their businesses, how they’re uniting the community, and how they can help with your holiday shopping list.

The Family Room: Laytonsville

6820 Olney Laytonsville Road 

The Family Room is a gathering place and retail shop. They focus on offering a space for family and community to come together while enjoying small bites and shopping their collection of specialty home goods. They are open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m.-6 p.m., and Sunday from noon-5 p.m.

Kim Glab, Co-Owner
Q: What is your favorite part about operating as a small business?
A: Serving our community. The mission behind The Family Room was to create a place that the community could meet and enjoy together as well as purchase items to use in creating the same warm and welcoming environment in their own homes. Every day we have the opportunity to create a place that brings a little more happiness into someone’s life and help them do the same for other people.

Q: What products are you most excited about featuring this holiday season?
A: We are very excited about our Holiday Décor and Gift section here at The Family Room. We are bursting with fun and festive seasonal décor for the merriest of seasons! We have hand-picked each decoration and unique gift, and we are excited to share our fun holiday gift ideas with our customers looking for that unique gift for their special someone. We have special gifts for men and women, adults and kids, Maryland lovers, kitchen connoisseurs, readers and puzzlers, and everything in between!

Tabletop: Takoma Park

6927 Laurel Avenue

Tabletop is a boutique that began in the Dupont Circle neighborhood of Washington, DC in 2003 and opened a second location in Takoma Park in 2015. They sell home goods, tote bags, jewelry, and more. Their Takoma Park location is open Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m.-6 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m.-3 p.m.

Daphne Olive, Owner
Q: What was the experience of starting your own business like?
A: We opened our first store in 2003 and we honestly had a lot of fun starting a business. The three partners are myself, my husband, and our dear friend Tai Tsang. We had a vision of what could be a fun store that would allow people to bring beauty into their everyday lives. We were young and enjoyed doing things together. It was a lot of work, but it is a great experience to build something you believe in with people who bring out each other’s creativity.

Q: What products are you most excited about featuring this holiday season?
A: I love finding unique versions of everyday items to offer so people can have the experience of finding the gifts for their loved ones that say, “I understand you and knew this would make you feel special.” Every season, my favorite experience is watching kids come in and pick ornaments. We have so much fun ordering really special ornaments and then seeing how others fall in love with them.

Cottage Monet: Rockville

36 Maryland Avenue # H

Cottage Monet is a gift shop that sells thoughtful gifts, distinctive home furnishings, and carries the area’s largest inventory of Vera Bradly products. They are open Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m.-6 p.m., Friday through Saturday from 11 a.m.-8 p.m., and Sunday from 11 a.m.-5 p.m.

Caya Cagri, Owner
Q: What is your favorite part about operating as a small business?
A: No doubt that being able to be of assistance to my clients is my favorite part. Not only do we feel confident in what we do, we are also pleased to see returning customers as part of our family. I love it when our customer returns to say they had bought the perfect gift from us.

Q: What products are you most excited about featuring this holiday season?
A: The Cottage Monet specializes in out of the ordinary and the distinctive. But for the holiday season, we are best known for our Frasier Fir candles and Vietri ceramics from Italy. I personally love textiles, so we carry a rich assortment of tablecloths and linens. I consider us to be a perfect gift shop. We have everything one would need for all the times you want to tell someone you care.

Artisans Gallery: Gaithersburg

12147 Darnestown Road

Artisans Gallery is a unique gift shop that sells Scout handbags, jewelry, bath and body products, and special wedding, baby, and children’s gifts. They are open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m.-6 p.m., and Sunday from 11 a.m.-4 p.m.

Ginger Armstrong, Owner
Q: How does your business unite the Montgomery County, MD community?
A: From the beginning, I have felt like an old general store in that people meet here, bring their out of town relatives here on the way home from the airport, and run into old friends here! We support many of the local schools with contributions to their fundraisers and run several charitable events every year.

Q: What products are you most excited about featuring this holiday season?
A: I focused on buying special ornaments that you won’t find everywhere and unique menorahs. I am also excited about our holiday tabletop, which features a variety of animals instead of snowmen and Santas!

Red Orchard: Bethesda

10253 Old Georgetown Road

Red Orchard is a gift shop that was started by people who, as the owner describes it, “were young and ignorant… and full of hope.” They carefully curate gifts like colorful vases and drinking glasses to handmade slingshots and hedgehog toothpick holders. They are open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m.-6 p.m and Sundays from noon-5 p.m.

John Helm, Owner
Q: How does your business unite the Montgomery County, MD community?
A: We have a little motto in the shop – “Live well. Do good. Gift it forward.” And since we’ve been here going on almost 20 years, people count on us for thoughtful, meaningful gifting with a little something extra. We have been known to offer a discount to holiday customers who donate to local charities and include a card that outlines their donation with their gift.

Looking for more ways to shop local? Check out these Artisan’s Markets Not to Miss This Holiday Season.