Intentionalist is proud to celebrate three years of elevating, celebrating, and supporting small businesses and the diverse people behind them.
Intentionalist officially launched in April 2018 with 500 listings, an Instagram following of 340, and an average of 1,200 monthly users.
In year two, we expanded our directory, increased our reach, and built the foundation for a platform that helps consumers who care find, learn about, and #SpendLikeItMatters at diverse, small businesses.
Year three, as we navigated the devastating impacts of the pandemic, our monthly user community tripled, and the amount of money moving through our platform to small businesses increased by 10X. Yet despite our growth and momentum, we know we are only scratching the surface of what is possible when it’s easy to find and support the diverse, local businesses at the heart of our communities.
“As we celebrate our third anniversary, our mission is even more relevant than when Intentionalist began,” said Intentionalist Founder and CEO Laura Clise. I continue to be inspired by the grit and creativity of small business owners every day, and it has been exciting to help them connect with our growing community of consumers who care.”
Here are three ways to celebrate Intentionalist’s anniversary:
1. We all scream for diverse local businesses, and Intentionalist is partnering with Sweet Alchemy and Fuji Bakery on a limited edition ice cream flavor, Opera-tunity Knocks.
Inspired by Fuji Bakery’s Opera Cake, coffee ice cream, chocolate ganache, and Fuji Bakery lady fingers take center stage to celebrate Intentionalist’s 3 year anniversary.
Pre-order your pint(s) via the Sweet Alchemy website from April 16-23.
2. Join us for an intentionally intersectional dinner and virtual event!
Each meal for one includes:
- 2 mini Tamales from Frelard Tamales – Chile & Cheese and Sweet Potato Mole
- Salad from Terra Plata – Baby Gem Lettuce with Pickled Spring Vegetables, Sheep’s Milk Feta, and Aleppo Spiced Walnuts
- Main Dish from Salare – Meat option: Berbere spiced beef meatball, tomato chutney, braised kale, Ralston white rice, black beans // Vegetarian option: Za’luk vegetable stew, eggplant, chickpeas, golden raisin, San Marzano tomatoes, tabbouleh
- Cheesecake from Hood Famous Cafe + Bar – Passion-Orange-Guava
Pick up your four course meal on Friday, April 30 between 2-5 PM, and then tune into the virtual celebration from 6-7 PM, including a panel discussion with the incredible people behind the food and a fireside chat hosted by inclusion strategist, author, and educator Ruchika Tulshyan.
Place your order by April 23 – we can’t wait to eat and celebrate with you!
3. No $$$? No problem! Celebrate your favorite local business via social media.
Don’t underestimate the difference you can make by using your digital voice to elevate and celebrate small businesses. On April 30, we invite you to change your social media profile picture to celebrate a local business you love.* Whether you feature the logo, owner, a favorite dish, or recent purchase, temporarily changing your profile picture will get people talking and creates an easy opportunity to share why you believe the business makes our community better.
*Shout-out to Rebekah Bastian of OwnTrail for this awesome idea.
Celebrating Intentionalist’s 3 Year anniversary is as easy as 1-2-3!
Thanks for all that you do to #SpendLikeItMatters! Discover awesome brick + mortar small businesses in your community, suggest your favorites, and be sure that you’re following us on social media (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter).
Intentionalist is built on one simple idea: where we spend our money matters. We make it easy to find, learn about, and support small businesses and the diverse people behind them through everyday decisions about where we eat, drink, and shop. #SpendLikeItMatters