One of things one gets when on InstaPic is postings of things that The Almighty Algo believes you would like to see. One of these - I cannot remember if it was in a rabbit post or just showed up - was an artist that drew rabbits (I know -you are shocked that this attracted my attention). The drawings was simple and told a story. And then there was another one. And another one. It turns out he produced some picture every day. His name is Will Quinn (website here).
He became an artist I subscribed to. Every day he posts a rabbit; every day now I get up looking for it. At one point - in October of this year - he posted that he was selling calendars of his drawings. They are cute and something that I thought would appeal to Nighean Gheal, so I ordered one. In the order I noted that I was hopeful that I could receive it soon, as I was going to see her in a few weeks (for the Master Sergeant's funeral, as it turned out). I waited, the Master Sergeant's funeral passed - no calendar. I was not terribly upset - after all, it was short notice.
The calendar arrived this week. In it was a note from Mr. Quinn, apologizing that he could not get the calendar to me sooner and by way of apology, providing a couple of additional small pictures - so now I have three to provide to each of my children.
The note and offering touched me - not just because of the gift, but that he had taken the time out of his day to care enough to "make good" on something that was merely a request from someone he had never met.
Looking at his note, it made me consider the fact that, on the whole, I find myself dealing with small businesses more and more.
Another one I now purchase coffee from is Binky Bun Coffee. They were originally a find from my local independent rabbit supply shop (yes, such a thing exists). Sure, I can get a great deal more coffee for the price at Costco, but I do not get 15% of my purchase donated to a rabbit rescue. And I do not get personal handwritten notes thanking me for my purchase (and an occasional sticker) Is it less coffee? Sure. But it means that it is something I savor and drink less of overall now (apparently the fancy pod coffee thing that came out with me includes a unit that you can pre-load with your own grind), which - given my blood pressure - is probably not a bad thing.
I compare this with the plethora of packages that have magically appeared at my door over the last two weeks (I have become the receiving destination for gifts): random packages, dumped on my doorstep (sometimes literally in the dead of night) with no notes, no extras. There is no sense of connection; it remains a transaction, nothing more.
Do both options provide jobs? They do, and undoubtedly the people that drop off my packages at some level are not bad people either. But one experience makes me good after shopping; the other just gives me the thing without any joy.
Can I do this for everything that I buy? Likely not of course: we just simply are not longer there as a society. But everything I can do, every small business I shop at, pushes back that sense of soulless commercialism just a bit.
How odd that - once again -something that we used to take for granted has become a novelty
Out here in rural America, it has become downright impossible to shop at small independently owned shops and getting nearly as hard to shop local. The last small business that I regularly frequented closed up about a year and a half ago because the owner, a good friend, wanted to retire and enjoy his last few years of life and nobody was interested in buying his store, a small hardware shop. Short of a couple grocery stores, both multistate chains, the only local places I stop at are restaurants. For everything else, it is a 80 miles drive to the big city.
ReplyDeleteEd, true of the very small town my parents' lived in as well (still a small hardware shoo and grocery store). And moat of the small businesses I write of are either on-line or small shops in a much larger place. So I have to look sometimes, and I am not always successful.
DeleteYah.....options for shopping local are greater in suburbia, more people. There's a bakery a mile away that I visit more (probably too much) since the pandemic started, across the street from them is a mom & pop meat/grocery store that I started to frequent when the new owners bought in years ago. Less $$ going to the big grocery chains is OK with me. It's nice to visit a business where they know your name......:)
ReplyDeleteIt is, Nylon12. And almost every "small" business I have dealt with seems genuinely grateful for the business.
DeleteEven local chains (coffee for me!) seems to have a nicer touch than the megalith Barstucks.
PART of (((Their))) mega plan is to drive every small business out. You will live in a 15 minute area, own nothing and be happy (with Soma).You're only left with their soulless poison. Satan is the CEO, that explains SO much.
ReplyDeleteT_M, I do not disagree that the outcome of modern capitalism and modern government is to stack the deck against small business. That is why it is critical to do what we can by supporting them.
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