October 25, 2026
Samantha Barlow-Beamer, founder of Little Small and Co., at her display in the Wee Faerie Village exhibition at the Florence Griswold Museum in Old Lyme on Wednesday Oct. 21, 2026. Cal Cary/The Day
From Skyscrapers to Fairy Houses
When Samantha Barlow-Beamer was a child, her grandfather told her that fairies and elves lived in the roots of trees. If she wanted them to be her friends, she could build them little houses out of sticks and leave them crackers and berries.
Today, Barlow-Beamer is the founder of Little Small and Co., a business that has turned her childhood fascination into a career. With 70,000 followers on TikTok and customers across the country, she sells handmade tiny fairy houses, jewelry and other whimsical creations.
However, it took time and a change in careers that disappointed those she loved.
She said her grandfather’s story sparked her imagination and creativity as a child, but as she grew older, she began to abandon that side of herself to pursue the life she thought was expected of her.
"Unfortunately, sometimes imagination doesn't pay the bills, so I eventually left it all behind and I moved to New York City," Barlow-Beamer said.
In New York, she had a successful career working corporate jobs in sales, business development, corporate consulting, market research, and web design.
By Gianni Salisbury, Staff Writer at The Day
It wasn't until she lost her job in 2019 and was forced to move back home that the idea of a career in the fairy world ever became a possibility.
"I really felt like I had left behind the little nature girl in Connecticut and thought this is my chance to make a mark for myself in the tech world," she said. "And just as quickly as I felt settled, it was all completely taken away from me. I tried to stay in New York, but everything was pushing me back here."
Little Small & Co.
Welcome to the
Whimsical world of
A suite of brands by New England Based Artist, Entrepreneur and Author, Samantha Barlow-Beamer
One-of-a-kind pieces made by hand by a single artist, using natural materials gathered in New England.
Shop for artworks
Learn to make whimsical artworks like Samantha’s from materials in our neighborhoods with an artist-led workshop.
Gather at Workshops
Collect from Global Artisans
A collective of artisans discovered by Samantha who also create eco-friendly works. available in stores.
Akin to having coffee with a friend, Samantha’s podcast features nostalgic stories everyone can relate to.
Listen to a Podcast
Samantha’s community of over 70,000 on TikTok made Little Small & Co. a globally recognized brand. On this social media platform, Samantha engages crowds from around the world in conversations about art. life, tv & film and the paranormal.
TikTok is where she embraces her most authentic self while Instagram is a platform focused exclusively on Little Small & Co.’s art portfolio.
Join the online Community
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Little Small & Co.
The history behind the internationally known brands and community
Samantha, the owner and artist at Little Small & co. uses art, gatherings and social media to build meaningful connections between people nature, globally.
The best thing to do is simply to begin…
Little Small & Co. officially formed in 2020 but with a modest premier into the art space. The buzz around Little Small & Co. began more meaningfully in 2023 at The Autumn Arts Festival in Madison Connecticut. Samantha joined the community at Spectrum Art Gallery for a two-day event and sold out all of her fairy houses and most of her jewelry during the first day. She had mainly worked on a commissions basis prior to the festival but saw that small gift items under $150 in fine retail settings might be well-received with a keen-eyed audience.
At first, her inquiries to add inventory to existing stores were declined at large. The concept of selling a fairy house was new and many retailers were reluctant to add something so fragile to their shelves. But with every slam of a door, alas, a window opened! The entire trajectory of Little Small & Co. as an artist-led brand and Samantha as an artist were transformed overnight by David Rau, The Director of Guest experience at The Florence Griswold Museum.
After over a year of pleasantly persistent emails from Samantha to David, he returned her messages in 2024 after reviewing her portfolio. The pair strolled the grounds of The Florence Griswold Museum in search of a spot for her first ever art installation for the museum’s not-t0-be-missed event, “Wee Faerie Village.” As they chatted and tossed black walnuts into her pocketbook that had fallen from the trees on the grounds, David suggested Samantha speak with Kyle Gregoire, Manager of Visitor Engagement and curator of the gift shop with regards to selling some of her artworks during the event.
I think this is what they refer to as, “Your Big Break.”
Over the last three years with strategic guidance and patron feedback from Kyle, Samantha has carefully curated and evolved Little Small & Co. into a brand that patrons and collectors alike can trust for innovation, creativity, quality and fun. Shortly AFTER SETTING UP AT THE MUSEUM, Beth Peno-Bubie, the owner of Riggio’s Garden Center and curator of The Essex Gift Shop agreed to carry the full lineup from Little Small & Co, in her gift stores. Beth is also Samantha’s visionary Plant partner for the “wee Faerie Village,” for which Beth detests accolades but deserves them completely. As a cherry ion top with roaring support from her hometown, Dee and Allen who own the iconic old-fashioned toy store, Toy’s Ahoy! agreed to support and distribute Samantha’s all-inclusive, “DIY Kits” which give children everything they will need to follow simple instructions and use natural materials to create a fairy house or magic wand of their own. No screens, No Artificial Intelligence and NO batteries. Just good old-fashioned creativity and roughly 15 minutes of silence for the supervising adults! Just enough time for a cup of coffee. Emmy Carr who owns, “Emmy’s on Main” also carries Samantha’s line of perfume oils!
At the same time Samantha was building up Little Small & Co.’s retail division, she also launched her events division which offers workshops to people of all ages to learn how to use natural materials to make whimsical artwork. She has since conducted over 50 workshops and presentations all over New England in public libraries, community centers and schools.
IN 2025 she took full advantage of her former experience in the relentless and cut-throat corporate world of New York City and decided to use her skillset to uplift other women. She launched her global artisan collective, “Once in a Little Blue Moon” which highlights fellow eco-friendly artisans who make all of their own works. The collection is available in stores.
in 2025, Samantha went viral on the social media platform, TikTok and has since earned a following of over 70K.
Best known for her unscripted, genuine conversation starters, Samantha’s content centers around her experiences living in a haunted house, sharing paranormal experiences from people who send her their stories to be part of her series, “A Little Scary Story,” theories about the Netflix phenomenon, “Stranger Things,” paired with a behind the scenes look at running her company, her audience is comprised of highly engaged, intellectual people from around the world who love connecting over shared experiences. Due to high-request, Samantha also launched a Podcast, “A Little Story” which features easy listening Storytimes about nostalgic moments still inspiring a positive outlook today. As if 2025 wasn’t a big enough year already, Samantha pushed herself even harder and wrote and self-published her first book, “The Faeries of Carolyn Wood,” a children’s book about adventure, hope, communication, family dynamics and bravery.
AS we approach 2027, Little Small & Co. and Samantha are preparing for interviews with the press, guest spots on Tv shows and podcasts and trying to catch her breath! None of this would be possible without the support of her husband, James and their little ones who love to tell everyone that, “mama makes magic wands and fairy houses for her work!” Samantah is very touched by the support she has received from the community members and businesses in her hometown and hopes to make everyone very proud by demonstrating what happens when you uplift determined, young(ish) women and what they can make of themselves even when you don’t.
learn MORE ABOUIT Samantha’s STORY BY CLICING HERE.
