Shop Different is focused on small steps that will make big differences in how we all purchase things, support our neighbors, live happier lives, and stand up against injustices around the world. Our primary focus is on quality with secondary focuses being on small, handmade, artistic, and local (around the midwest) business.

Many of the ideas share origins with minimalism in that we would rather buy fewer, but nicer, things. Buying quality allows your things to last longer, staying out of landfills, and really making them yours over time. Buying from artists, local, and small business keeps money in the community where you work and live and supports regular people, keeping your money from working its way up the chain of a large corporation where it is distributed in ever-decreasing portions to hourly workers, both here and abroad.

We are not against purchasing from large companies and realize that in our modern world, it will be difficult to find the things you need without visiting some of them. However, it is absolutely impossible to match the pride of ownership you will feel when buying from an local artist with anything you will find from those large corporations.