While there is lots of talk about us helping local businesses, many of us don’t want to get out of our safe spaces to do so. Below are four strong holds of their field who would love to ship an order to you or create for you! You don’t have to live in Texas to patronize these companies, check them out!
A staple in the Houston and the American music scene, Cactus has been serving fans of all genres for over 30 years. They carry a large and eclectic variety of titles on vinyl new and used! Cassettes? Yep! Cd’s? Hell yes! New and used. They have a cool logo with lots of T styles. They have rock pins, memorabilia, and kitschy gifts. Rare Record Store Day Vinyl? Of course! They have a diverse staff with vast music knowledge and are always reaching out to help the community. Known for their awesome FREE in-store concerts, usually accompanied with FREE beer, they are a great meeting spot and reliable space to find inspiration, a smile and a new groove. Thankfully, this awesome store is ONLINE and they are ready to ship to you. Check them out on their website, on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. They are lively and fun on the socials and interact quickly. Let’s keep this Houston institution alive and well!
![The New Abnormal [LP]](https://shop.cactusmusictx.com/Photo/418462320037:500)
Keeping Houston literary since 1996, Blue Willow Bookshop brings in authors of all ages, hosts book clubs and readings, and hosts both Tweens Read and Teen Book Con annually. These conventions give hundreds of tweens and teens the opportunity to meet dozens of top-notch authors at absolutely no cost! Just visit their store to see the autographs of authors and illustrators who have been there over the years. The staff is up on what’s hot and new, and are honest about what they think you will like, and what might not be worth your hard earned cash. Besides just being a great dang store, Blue Willow also interacts with its community. They bring authors to schools and community centers and are involved in numerous charitable works. Give them a call or check out their website. You will not be disappointed! Let’s read great things and support a hub of culture in Houston while we do it.
Owner Ann Brooks went into this business to unite the two halves of the artistic process. She supports local artists and prints their work as they’ve created it, and she also provides artists to round-out clients seeds of ideas. They have been in the trenches of the street art movement, concerts around the city and even have mobile printing screens to print on-site for events, parties or weddings. They can print on canvas, fabric, paper, leather and of course make the coolest T’s around! They helped me to provide T-shirts for the kids in our Skate Park program at the Aldine Library! Do you have a group that you’ve always wanted shirts? Koozies? Hats? Posters for? Give Ann a call or email. You’ll be amazed at the quality, kindness and efficiency of this uniquely Houston company.
This Houston-based video production studio has a passion for crafting visually stunning and unforgettable videos. They offer the entire video production experience, including concepting, scripting, storyboarding, shooting, editing, motion graphics and visual effects. They are an experienced crew! I first met Alex Luster after his Houston street art film Stick ‘Em Up! came out. He had years of experience under his belt working for television. He introduced me to Tom Gandy and Jena Moreno, the creators of another awesome documentary, Stitched: the Movie about the weird and wonderful world of quilting.
They have production experience, reporting experience, creativity, charisma and humor to boot! Their skilled storytellers will learn about your business or product, develop your message and create a video that will engage and inform your audience. Check em out! If you need animations, live streaming, drone footage, editing, training videos or photography, contact, The Storyhive at jena@thestoryhive.com and 281.658.1235.
HipMamaJenn 