I have been passionate about supporting local businesses for a long time and one of the reasons we moved to this particular part of town was its paucity of chain restaurants and stores. I was shopping for a friend's birthday when I happened upon a place called Gotham Park in downtown Winston. It is a beautiful store, far of out of my range and then some; imported-from-europe soaps and dishes and furniture. The most charming part of the visit was spent talking with the owner. I bought a gift that was small, in comparison with all that the store contained, and he spent about 20 minutes carefully wrapping the gift in brown tissue paper that he pulled from an antique dresser, placing it into a crisp white box and tying with a rich dark chocolate ribbon, chatting with us all the while. The contrast between this other much more well-known places of shopping was so stark and this purchase seemed so meaningful. The only problem with many locally owned shops is the steep price range, which is fair for the owner but often limits my ability to partake of their goods. I have come to realize that quality is far superior to quantity, and if my walls are more bare and my closet skinnier because of it, so be it.
Sunday, November 04, 2007
Buy local
I have been passionate about supporting local businesses for a long time and one of the reasons we moved to this particular part of town was its paucity of chain restaurants and stores. I was shopping for a friend's birthday when I happened upon a place called Gotham Park in downtown Winston. It is a beautiful store, far of out of my range and then some; imported-from-europe soaps and dishes and furniture. The most charming part of the visit was spent talking with the owner. I bought a gift that was small, in comparison with all that the store contained, and he spent about 20 minutes carefully wrapping the gift in brown tissue paper that he pulled from an antique dresser, placing it into a crisp white box and tying with a rich dark chocolate ribbon, chatting with us all the while. The contrast between this other much more well-known places of shopping was so stark and this purchase seemed so meaningful. The only problem with many locally owned shops is the steep price range, which is fair for the owner but often limits my ability to partake of their goods. I have come to realize that quality is far superior to quantity, and if my walls are more bare and my closet skinnier because of it, so be it.
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2 comments:
it was a very cute gift!! loved it!
I'm with you on buying local. I think buying local things from people who know and care where they came from is a really great way to shop. Its true that the cost is usually higher. But low priced things are priced such for a reason (I think that if something doesn't cost very much because whoever made it wasn't paid fairly or at all, then it just isn't worth it). This summer we started buying our meat from a local farmer. The cost for a whole chicken is almost 3 times what it would cost at wal-mart but knowing where it came from (a huge happy grassy yard) and knowing the people who raised it really changes the way I think about the chicken. For one thing we eat way less chicken. I am will to pay more and eat less for something that is much better not just for me but for my new farmer friends and in the end for earth. I know that sounds a little tree huggyish but I'm ok with that now. Hmm..this turned out to be less of a "comment" and more of a short essay. Thanks for buying local and caring where your stuff comes from.
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