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Sustainable Goods, Plants, and Unique Gifts

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Every Small thoughtful act can have a big impact

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Minimal Optimist

9230 Kingston Pike

Knoxville, TN 37922

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What's My Favorite Product?

When I decided to open Minimal Optimist, I wanted to help serve others with the knowledge I’ve gained over the last decade of switching to cleaner and more sustainable alternatives for myself, my family, and my home.

One of the things I found most challenging during my personal journey was finding a safer and cleaner deodorant. Traditional deodorants and antiperspirants are some of the worst offenders for being loaded with potentially harmful ingredients like aluminum, fragrance, pthalates, PEGs, parabens, and more.

However, over the last few years I felt like I'd tried all the clean brands (both commercial and locally made) and they either didn't work (no one wants to be smelly) or they left me with a horrible itchy rash. Through chatting with other friends, I realized I was not the only one dealing with this problem.

Then a couple of years ago, I stumbled upon this absolute game-changer of a product and I am thrilled to share it with everyone I talk to in the store and beyond.

Since that first day or trying Little Seed Farm's Activated Charcoal Cream Deodorant, I have been impressed by how well it works and the power of its clean ingredients. All of their deodorants are aluminum and baking soda free and are made without parabens, preservatives, or animal testing.

This stuff even works and helps me feel fresh even while I'm training for my half marathons.

-Tabitha (Owner, MO)

Bluebird Borbhouse

The Birds and the Bees?

It's that time again. Spring is finally here and many birds are starting their nesting season.

The Bluebird Borbhouse from Oak Ridge Bird Man is the perfect addition to every yard.

Bluebirds use natural cavities or nesting boxes to build nests, lay eggs, and raise their young.

While traditional wooden nest boxes have played a key role in bird conservation, their shape and construction material have several major drawbacks: namely, that they are difficult to clean, and offer only moderate insulation from extremes of heat and cold.

Enter: the Borbhouse! 3d printed from 100% plant-based materials, neither the inside nor the outside of the box absorb water. While wooden boxes will soak up rain on the outside and filth on the inside, leading to rot and unhygienic conditions for its occupants, the Borbhouse can be easily cleaned after every clutch, and stands up to the elements for years to come! This unique style of bluebird house is 3D printed locally in Oak Ridge, TN.

The Borbhouse (pictured) was installed in late July last year (2023), and has already had one bluebird family nest and fledge back in August and has bluebirds currently nesting for the spring season. Follow along in our stories on Instagram for more updates on our Borbhouse at @shopminimaloptimist.

The Borbhouse is now available for purchase online. To purchase the mounting kit and baffle, you need to shop directly in the store since it is unavailable for shipping.

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What does Minimal Optimist mean?

Minimal Optimist is a mindset and a way of being that minimizes negative impact.

Small thoughtful acts like shopping more locally, more sustainably, and more ethically can have big impacts for our community and for the world as a whole.

Shop Health & Beauty

  • Confidence in a Better Future

  • Each and every day, our choices have impacts. When you choose better products, you are voting with your hard earned dollars that our earth and its people are worth being maintained and protected.

  • A Better Way

  • The U.S. is the #1 trash-producing country in the world at 1,609 pounds per person per year. This means that 5% of the world’s people generate 40% of the world’s waste. We toss out two billion plastic razors, a million and a half tons of paper towels, and 12 billion disposable diapers annually. We can do better. One way to cut down on our paper towel use is to switch to the endlessly reusable UNpaper® Towels
UNpaper® Towels

  • Shop Local Small Business

  • We currently support 20+ different small businesses/ local makers and artisans by sharing their products in our brick and mortar location. These items include everything from hand-made jewelry, pottery, hand crafted charcuterie boards, hand-made soaps, deodorants, salves and much more. Each item is made with care locally, is made sustainably, and helps support our local economy. When sourcing products made locally we are helping to offset our carbon footprint by cutting down on shipping as well.
Shop local

Confidence in a Better Future

Each and every day, our choices have impacts. When you choose better products, you are voting with your hard earned dollars that our earth and its people are worth being maintained and protected.

A Better Way

The U.S. is the #1 trash-producing country in the world at 1,609 pounds per person per year. This means that 5% of the world’s people generate 40% of the world’s waste. We toss out two billion plastic razors, a million and a half tons of paper towels, and 12 billion disposable diapers annually. We can do better. One way to cut down on our paper towel use is to switch to the endlessly reusable UNpaper® Towels UNpaper® Towels

Shop Local Small Business

We currently support 20+ different small businesses/ local makers and artisans by sharing their products in our brick and mortar location. These items include everything from hand-made jewelry, pottery, hand crafted charcuterie boards, hand-made soaps, deodorants, salves and much more. Each item is made with care locally, is made sustainably, and helps support our local economy. When sourcing products made locally we are helping to offset our carbon footprint by cutting down on shipping as well. Shop local