Heart Be Your Guide

the september list 📍 chicago, for very specific occasions

the restaurant you go to when you want it to feel like you have a standing reservation, even though you haven’t been in six months. the bar you go to when you said one drink but knew you were lying. the bookstore you disappear into for an hour. the shop for the friend who is impossible to shop for.

restaurants, bars, bookstores + shops for exactly the occasion you didn’t know you needed a recommendation for.

save this one for later ♥️

Meet Ostrich Moon 🌙

Founded by Annie Tinsman in Chicago’s Ravenswood neighborhood, Ostrich Moon is a one-woman jewelry studio celebrating individuality, self-expression, and the beauty of standing apart. Every piece is created by Annie using high-quality, unexpected materials and a slow, intentional approach to making. The result is jewelry that feels less like an accessory and more like something personal, meant to be worn, lived in, and connected to.

A very good reminder that the things we choose to wear can say a lot about who we are. ✨

Read the entire journal article over on the site 🔗

Small business spotlight 🌱

Meet Trellis, the operations consulting duo helping small and growing retail + creative businesses build the structure behind the vision. With 20+ years of combined experience and firsthand knowledge of what it takes to grow a local business, Adina + Taylor help with everything from operational leadership and HR to bookkeeping, employee training, and the systems that keep a business moving.

Their philosophy? Before making a reactive decision, take a beat and think through at least five possible solutions.

Very good advice for business and, honestly, life.

Meet Trellis + explore more on Heart Be Your Guide 🔗

Small business spotlight 🕯️

Meet Keap, the Kingston, New York candle company asking a much bigger question: what if the things we bring into our homes could help us reconnect with ourselves and the natural world? What started as a simple ritual of lighting a candle at the end of the day has grown into a decade-long experiment in building a more regenerative business. Think nature-inspired scents, candles poured in-house, vessels designed for a second life, plastic-free packaging, and a philosophy that goes beyond sustainability toward giving back more than we take.

We love a small business that makes something beautiful while rethinking the systems behind it.

Meet Keap + explore more on Heart Be Your Guide 🔗

We have Substack strategist and Nourishing Creativity founder Carla Contreras joining Heart Be Your Guide as one of our founding professional members and answering a few of our burning Qs. Highlights include:

✍️ Why the willingness to not be perfect is what separates the people who talk about launching from the people who actually do it
💌 Building a Substack as an intentional digital home, not just another place to publish
🍵 Writing an entire ebook about tea
✨ And bringing a background in coaching, meditation, and Reiki into the way she thinks about creativity and business

Meet Carla + explore her full profile on the site 🔗

There are some places that stay with you long after you’ve left them. Las Mujeres and the Driftless region of Wisconsin are one of those places. 🍎🍷🌿

For our latest Heart Be Your Guide feature, we’re visiting Elise and Tony of Las Mujeres, a farm and winery creating naturally fermented ciders and wines from organically grown fruit sourced from their farm and partner growers throughout the Wisconsin Driftless. We talk about leaving the city to get their hands in the soil, the wildness that inspires their work, why every bottle is an experiment in time and place, and what they’re committed to protecting as Las Mujeres grows.

Meet Elise + Tony and read the full story on Heart Be Your Guide 🔗

We have copywriter, creative strategist, and Compost Hands Creative founder Kate Puhala joining Heart Be Your Guide as one of our founding professional members and answering a few of our burning Qs.

Highlights include:
☕️ An espresso & tonic, please
✍️ Why “every touchpoint should have one clear message” is advice she’ll always stand behind
🌱 Being a professional gardener and trained arborist when she’s not busy finding exactly the right words for brands Meet Kate + explore her full profile on the new site 🔗

Things we like, things we want, things worth knowing about ♡

This week’s little roundup of people making good things and putting them out into the world. Shop small, tell your friends, keep good things going.

See you next week with more things we think you’ll love xx

Small business spotlight 💐🍸 Meet Bottles & Bouquets, the Chicago-based floral design + bar programming studio founded by Adina Fried and Eddie May.
The concept is as good as the name: Bottles for custom bar programming, Bouquets for floral design, and both for a very good party. What started as a way to combine Adina’s background in flowers with Eddie’s love of hospitality has grown into everything from private events and corporate activations to floral deliveries, preserved bouquets, and weekly flowers for your home.
Meet Bottles & Bouquets + explore more on the new site 🔗

Are you a service provider helping small businesses grow? Or know of a good one?

I’m building a founding network for the Heart Be Your Guides Professional Directory—a curated community connecting entrepreneurs with trusted experts.
Looking for: Bookkeepers, HR Consultants, VAs, Designers, Marketers, Ops Pros, Tax Experts & more with proven results.

If you’re passionate about helping businesses streamline, grow, and thrive—I’d love to connect.
Tap the link in bio to learn more!

https://www.heartbeyourguide.com/biz-owners

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