Shop Small Business

As we arrive upon the last couple of weeks of November, I wanted to mention a few things before I dive into this blog post about shopping locally and shopping small business.

Don’t forget that #scottsentme2022 ends at the end of the month. With that, please make an effort to hit up as many shops as possible to try to win that contest.

Also, in light of the Thanksgiving holiday with many people traveling to see family, it’s a great time to see some shops outside of your usual territory.

And lastly, while I am talking about Thanksgiving, I want to wish you, your family and your friends a great holiday.

Now, I want to take some time to plug the small local retailer of which there are many in the fabric arena. There are so many good reasons to shop local and that is especially true after the last couple of years we have experienced with covid wreaking havoc on even the most seasoned proprietors. Unfortunately, small business was hit hard.

There are loads of good reasons why we should be supporting the local and small retailer. Let’s review some of those reasons below:

Love thy neighbor. Let’s start there.

Wouldn’t you like to support someone in your community who you might or might not know? But also, wouldn’t you have liked to be supported by them if you owned a business too? The local store is like a living breathing human being especially as compared to a big box store which is faceless. It isn’t like when you think of a local big box store where you can actually picture a person that greatly cares about your pleasure and satisfaction.

Thy neighbor provides excellent customer service.

Yes, as a general rule, local shop owners provide excellent customer service. When you boil it down, they need to stay in business so they need to hustle to survive. They need to do whatever it takes to keep customers happy and coming back for more. In other words, they have a very vested interest in your satisfaction.

There is a sense of community when buying locally.

For this example, I think of a local quilt shop. I have visited many over the years and what never gets old is the camaraderie that one can observe when all the locals get together for a class or an event. You can hear the humming of the communal banter and that is a really nice feeling. That’s the local feeling.

The local retailer carries quality products and a diverse array of products. Where the big box retailers have a home office buying for all the stores and products are geared towards the mass appeal. They are also geared at being as low priced as possible which sometimes can have a negative impact on the quality. Don’t forget that you get what you pay for.

On the other hand, local stores will have more local items and locally sourced items. This provides you with that homey small-town feel. Think of a local market that offers products from local farmers or a quilt shop that has locally handmade items. That’s the stuff you can get local and that’s the good stuff if you ask me.

On top of all that, when you shop locally you will feel good about it. You helped that neighbor and that was a good thing. Your neighbor will appreciate you for that.

With that, I sure hope you all have some time to visit your local quilt shop retailer between now and the end of the year. That way you can see for yourself why you should be shopping local and small.

Wishing you all Happy Thanksgiving and a great finish to another crazy year called 2022!