A realization

It may be obvious to most of you but this dawned on me just today.  I now wish I realized this years ago…

I was headed home and saw a local fruit and veggie stand on the side of the road and thought it would be nice to stop by and see their selections.  The sad thing is: I have been passing that stand for more than 10 years (!?!?!) and never once stopped.  I’m just so accustomed to buying my fruits and produce at the grocery store… the convenience of throwing it in the cart along with my TP.  No extra stops necessary. 

I greeted the guy and asked how much the fresh strawberries were and he threw a number.  I found myself calculating the price difference, comparing it to the grocery store.  Bam!  That’s when it dawned on me.  Me, a small business owner striving to get her business up and going, standing there calculating if it’s worth the money to buy from a small self supported stand or a supermarket.  What the heck! 

It didn’t matter to me how much I saved or lost (as long as it wasn’t too much, haha!) as long as I was supporting a local self-sustaining small business!  On the drive home, I glance over at the strawberries and Oh My!  They were the reddest and the plumpest strawberries I had seen. The food store ones are pitiful compared to these!  Not the point but… this fresh carton was even cheaper!

Point being:  this helped me realize the importance of us all supporting our local small businesses.  This is incredibly important to the foundation our communities, helping and supporting each other.  Amongst all the big names and convenience, we easily forget this. 

My daughter is only 22 months now but I will be instilling in her this valuable lesson… and yes, my other one too, who is due any day now! 

Next week I will be heading over to the Farmers Market to get wonderful fresh items from people who work hard for their own dreams.  Along with the other shoppers, I’ll be supporting their dreams by buying from their stands. 

To close this, I’m asking:  What can you do to help the small businesses in your community? 

Have a love-ly Valentine’s Day tomorrow!  

Genevieve