38: Small World
AI bunnies, a new dictionary, and shopping mall real estate.
Welcome to Small World, a series where I share all of my favorite things from the last month.
Good morning! I’m back with a new Small World. In today’s letter, we’re talking about AI bunnies, a new dictionary, and I have a new edition of Small Print for you.
The 2025 Small Fry Gift Guides begin launching this Sunday (11/2), so mark your calendars. And if you have requests of your own, let me know!
I really want to make these soot sprite inspired brownies
Soup season is here and this was my inaugural recipe
I <3 being an AI hater:
This ad from Merriam Webster (yes, the dictionary) is perfect
Dazy Chains (a genius) made this incredible pillow cover inspired by how they were tricked by the AI bunnies on a trampoline video
I made my first quilt last week and now I think I’m addicted to making quilts
I am particularly excited to have found a use for all of my scrap fabric I also (kind of) participated in Inktober until I got obsessed with making the quilt above, but you can see what I drew here
Small Print is the section of Small World, where I share all of the latest small business news from the last month.
I feel like a broken record talking about tariffs:
I’ve been noticing a huge spike in small business owners discontinuing imported products because of the insane price increases, and it seems that they’re not alone.
As big box stores feel the negative effects of tariffs, small businesses are seizing the opportunities of vacant spaces in malls.
Meanwhile, HubSpot introduced AI “teammates”, (which makes me want to claw my own eyes out) and it made me wonder if the same small business owners mentioned in the Axios article above will pivot to this type of service. I would personally be very concerned about customer data being leaked or compromised. And as a consumer, I would not want any of my personal data being handled by an AI “teammate”, whatever that even is.
It’s the most wonderful time to be shopping small: “The holiday season is the most critical time of the year for small businesses, accounting for up to half of annual sales for 60 percent of owners.”
Have a shopping request? Ask Small Fry. You can shop all of my Small Fry picks here. Follow me on Instagram and TikTok, and if you’re enjoying Small Fry, you now have the option to leave a tip.
All photos above are courtesy of respective brands unless stated otherwise. On rare occasions, I may make a small commission from certain links.
