You may or may not be familiar with the concept of “voting with your dollar,” but it’s something I believe in. The valley provides plenty of opportunities to do this— to support not just local businesses, but specific causes they align with. This is a list of a couple ways I like to do that. For instance, the only thing that makes a cupcake from Urban Cookies sweeter is the knowledge that they help provide birthday cakes for children in foster care.

Bars that give back

Gracie’s Tax Bar regularly holds benefit nights for progressive social causes. I like to follow their Instagram to learn when these events are scheduled.

Arizona Wilderness brews certain beers for causes, giving proceeds for their sale to predetermined organizations. Overall, they focus on environmental causes and water access, but they’ve partnered with a range of causes.

Cider Corps in Mesa does a lot for veterans, and is veteran-owned.

Supporting local artists

Looking to see some visual art? First Draft Book Bar and Strip Mall both decorate with a rotating selection of different local artists. MySpace is a mini gallery that’s constantly putting on events.

Alwun House is my favorite venue for seeing art and attending events like their annual Banned Books reading.

Looking to see local performers? The Womack has a great rotation of different types on different nights, whether you’re looking for music or comedy. I also recommend following nonprofit venue Trunk Space for diverse kinds of shows.

Valley Bar, Crescent Ballroom, Yucca Taproom, and The Rebel put on shows with local artists as well.

If you’re more of a reader, Changing Hands and the Phoenix Public Library both put on great free events with local authors.

Minority-owned businesses

There are so many fantastic minority-owned businesses in the valley, I couldn’t possibly limit this to one post. Instead, here are my favorite resources for discovering them:

Yelp— they provide collections of restaurants and other businesses that are minority owned, and allow you to filter your search preferences to find them

AZ Asian Chamber— a fantastic resource for finding asian-owned businesses

Local First AZ— to keep updated about local businesses and the issues currently affecting them

Downtown Phoenix is great about posting businesses when it’s Pride Month or Black History Month, so you can always scroll through and find past recommendations on their feed.

There’s no excuse not to

If you’re a fan of women’s sports, you can’t miss Title 9, a sports bar built around that focus.

Looking to get more plant-based? Follow thatVeganSocial and check out their events.

Plant based and involved with heat relief and assistance for our unhoused neighbors? The Coronado is a great restaurant and their offshoot Dark Hall Coffee has your caffeine fix.

I always love the pizza and the drinks at Luana’s, but I loved them extra for helping raise money for local businesses impacted by this year’s fires in California.

If you’re looking for a place to shop for gifts, check out Local Nomad. Their list of local businesses is always excellent, too. I love their commitment to supporting the Phoenix community and speaking out for the rights of everyone who lives here.

Want to buy your sweet treat from a business that’s spoken lately about supporting immigrants and knowing your rights? That’s The DinerSaur. Their sandwiches are criminally underrated.

All in all, there’s a lot of great ways to support local businesses and make a statement while doing it.

If you have a resource you like for finding and supporting socially involved businesses, please let me know!