Sometimes it can be hard to feel truly “at home” when you’re renting. Neighbors come and go, leases end—and you yourself may not know how long you’ll stay in one place.
But one way to put down roots anyway? Get to know the local businesses in your neighborhood, and maybe even become a regular.
While shopping online or at big-box stores tends to be the cheapest and most convenient option, spending your money at small businesses can help you feel more connected to the place you live. You learn your neighborhood and build relationships with the people around you—on top of other benefits like boosting the local economy and reducing carbon footprints.
Shopping local shifts your dollars away from corporations like Amazon with documented labor concerns, large-scale contributions to climate change, law violations, and profit off of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations.
And, importantly, it doesn’t have to be an all-or-nothing switch. You can find a local business you love to support and still get your groceries at Walmart.
If you’re looking to shift some of your shopping to local businesses, here are five spots in Phoenix offering everyday essentials.
Arizona Hiking Shack
3244 E. Thomas Road
Hours: Monday-Friday 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Lots of people turn to Amazon or big stores like REI and Walmart for their outdoor equipment and apparel. But the Arizona Hiking Shack offers something unique: a deep knowledge of Arizona’s wilderness, cultivated by its employees since opening in 1972.
Upon entering the shop, I was greeted by two very friendly workers, and the manager Jon took me on a tour while sharing the company’s history. While much of its business comes from its rescue gear and training, the Hiking Shack continues to stock items like backpacks, sleeping bags, and hiking boots out of love for the backcountry.
Employees can help fit customers for backpacks and shoes—and can even stretch them if need be—and they can direct customers to helpful gear and maps for a specific trip. And if you’re a newcomer to a hobby and not ready to buy everything just yet, the store also rents equipment.
The store also offers classes on backpacking, wilderness survival, prepping, and navigation to help people feel confident outdoors. And if you visit in person, you can see the shop’s cool display of vintage climbing gear.
Fetch Natural Pet Market
6058 N. 16th St.
Hours: Monday-Friday 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Sunday 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Fetch is stocked with natural pet foods and treats, along with brands that tailor to specific allergies and diets. Besides food, the store also carries pet products like toys, scratchers, collars, harnesses, bowls, litter box deodorizer, and CBD oil and chews.
During a recent visit, I connected with Diana, who took over the business last year with her husband. She has a background in naturopathic medicine, which drives her passion for decoding ingredient lists and finding the right brands for pets, especially if they have special needs. She loves chatting with people about their animals, and she feeds the pets of her fellow local business owners in exchange for their services—talk about community!
Desert Refillery
5016 N. Central Ave.
Hours: Closed Mondays, Tuesday-Friday 1 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday-Sunday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
If you’re driven to shop locally for environmental reasons, you’ll especially love this family-owned spot. Desert Refillery allows customers to bring in their own containers to fill with shampoo, conditioner, hand soap, dish soap, cleaning spray, laundry detergent, and more. They also have aesthetically pleasing containers on hand for purchase, or empty containers that they’ve cleaned for customers to use for free.
There are lots of other low-waste items for sale, like bar soap with no packaging, reusable dusters, period underwear, and Swedish dishcloths. The front of the store also houses a small consignment shop, where people can receive cash or store credit for their old clothes—and the items that don’t sell either go back to their owners or into a quarterly clothing swap.
Changing Hands Bookstore
300 W. Camelback Road, plus a Tempe location
Hours: Monday-Friday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Sunday 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Amazon began as an online bookstore, so if you’re looking to support more local businesses, a bookstore is a fitting place to start.
Changing Hands is stocked with books from all genres, including children’s books, cookbooks, and graphic novels.
But they’ve got so much more. The shop carries puzzles, games, toys, notebooks, gag gifts, greeting cards, and socks that are fun to browse through. There are also plenty of treats to pick up for yourself or a loved one, like flavored olive oil, bottles of wine, looseleaf tea, and fun kitchen gadgets.
Changing Hands also elevates the in-person shopping experience with the First Draft Book Bar, which serves coffee, tea, beer, wine, and snacks—and has plenty of lounging space to settle in with a new read before heading home.
If you’re concerned about cost, know this: Changing Hands offers stamp cards that get marked off for every $10 you spend. Once you fill a card, you get $10 off your next purchase. These can really come in handy, especially during holiday shopping.
Six Points Hardware
1409 N. 19th Ave. and 10009 N. 19th Ave.
Hours: Monday-Friday 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., closed Sundays
Six Points Hardware has been open in Phoenix since 1946 and has remained in the same family for four generations. It carries plenty of items to help with home and outdoor needs, from paint and storage containers to shovels and shop vacuums.
Six Points also offers services like paint color matching, custom cabinetry, key and glass cutting, and knife sharpening. And, in case you get hungry while shopping, there’s free popcorn at the front of the store.
So is this list sounding like an itinerary for your next shopping day? Next time you’re going to add an item to your online cart, consider checking out one of these local businesses—you may find a product you like better and feel more connected to where you live along the way.
