If your Instagram algorithm is like mine, you can scroll on your FYP and see one post celebrating Amazon.com (Cute clothes! So convenient!) and then immediately see another telling you to avoid it (I’m sure you remember this report of horrid working conditions from a couple of years ago). I’m not here to tell you to abandon retail giants entirely, but I do want to share some compelling reasons why choosing to shop small can make a big difference.
Mae Threads offers both the convenience of online shopping and the customer-centric experience of a small shop. Can we offer the selection of Amazon? Of course not. But what we can offer is a slower, more thoughtful shopping experience—one that values quality, connection, and purpose over sheer quantity.
Personal Connections, Not Just Transactions
We love that we are a small enough business that we often recognize your names when they come up in an order on an Instagram comment! When you respond to our Instagram polls, Nikki, the owner, sees your feedback right there on her phone. It’s cool to know instantly what you, the customers, like, and be able to make quick changes if there are concerns about the way things are run.
And it goes the other way too–we’re a small team, so it’s easy for you to get to know us. If you ever want to know how an item fits or have a question about our return policy, we’re just a message away! No customer service team to wade through and get passed around until you get answers. Nikki is the customer service team, the owner, the packager, the marketer, and the model, all in one!
Supporting Our Local Economy
When you shop at a small business like Mae Threads, you help keep money stay in and strengthen the local community. As one finance expert explains, “Independently owned, local businesses are estimated to circulate three times the money back into their local economies than ‘big box’ or chain businesses.” Especially right now, this is a great aim to help with.
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Resisting Fast Fashion
As a small business, high quality products are non negotiable. We carefully select vendors who believe, like us, that clothing should be made to last. By offering thoughtfully chosen, durable clothing, we aim to break the fast-fashion cycle of wear-and-discard that’s harmful to both the planet and your wallet.
Curating a Closet You’ll Love
You can hop on Amazon.com and search “vintage stye blouse” and over 1,000 options come up. It’s nice to have lots of options, but there can be disadvantages; this is known as “The paradox of choice.
“The paradox of choice suggests that an abundance of options actually requires more effort to choose and can leave us feeling unsatisfied with our choice.”
Small boutiques like Mae Threads obviously bring in much many fewer pieces as a much slower pace that Amazon. “According to estimates as of March 2021, Amazon held a market share of approximately 11.5 percent of all apparel sales in the United States. In addition, Amazon's share of the U.S. online apparel market was estimated at 34.5 percent.”
Fueling Passion Through Your Support
Every purchase from Mae Threads is a step toward making a dream a reality. By supporting this small business, you’re directly contributing to a vision of empowering women with beautiful, practical, and thoughtfully selected clothing. You’re helping a mom, a dreamer, and a doer turn a passion into a livelihood. Thank you for being part of our story.
At Mae Threads, we don’t want to just sell clothes—we want to create connections and offer you pieces that truly add value to your life. Shopping small isn’t just a transaction; it’s an investment in something bigger.
Ready to slow down and shop with intention? Explore our collection today and discover pieces that are as unique and thoughtful as you are. Your support means the world to us!