Welcome
My poor, sweet husband. He was caught a little off-guard when I told him that “my” New Year’s
photo by Anthony Jinson
resolution to shop local actually meant “our whole family’s” New Year’s resolution. It’s more fun when you do these things together, don’t you think? Reluctantly he agreed and it was going fairly smoothly until January 2 when our coffee maker died. That was our first test.
In the past, Aaron would take this as his cue to start what I describe as “the hunt”. The next few weeks would be spent in heavy research. Aaron would familiarize himself with every single coffee maker currently manufactured on the planet. By the time he would be ready to make the purchase, he would know all the specs, consumer reports, rankings and even random reviews and opinions from total strangers. He would know who sells it and where he can get it for the best price. He would have all this information internally catalogued. I’m not exaggerating. You could put him up against anyone, doesn’t matter who it is. It could even be someone who sells coffee makers for a living. He simply knows more. That’s my man!
But this time his “hunt” was simplified. He made a decision to support local business owners, even if that meant he wouldn’t’ get exactly what he wanted. Aaron went to Tallulahs. He said he knew almost instantly which coffee maker would be right for us: the Capresso Cafe A la Carte. Thank you, Mary and Melissa. It brews the most fantastic cup of joe. A few days later Aaron came to me and said, “You know, this whole shop local thing may not be too bad after all. Do you know how much time and energy I saved finding the same quality coffee maker.”
When it comes to pre-purchase research, I am Aaron’s complete antithesis. I don’t care much for the details. If I were to replace the coffee maker (pre New Year’s resolution), I would simply drive to the nearest retailer and grab the first one I saw, or during a trip to the local megamarket I’d track one down and throw it in the
cart. Convenience…the quickest route to a problem solved was always my modus operandi.
But I finally realized when I put effort and action into supporting local businesses I feel better about myself, as a person. I feel like I’m helping and serving others, which is a blessing for me.
Moral of the story: shopping local is not just good for the local business owners; it could be good for you too.
Betsy Bell, Publisher
