You hear, “Buy local.”
You think, “But why?”…
Amazon is one click and two days away.
From pottery to furniture…
Jewelry to pie…
Honey, to soap.
What is it about a handcrafted gift that warms the heart?
Spending hours creating,
Ignoring the economy of scale and time,
The human creators in your community invest time and energy,
Where many corporate bodies cut corners.
Your local artisan focuses on beauty, form & function,
Producing tastes & tools that bring a spice to your life,
Prioritizing presentation over profit.
From the smooth beauty of wood’s natural grain, to the precise proportion of nutmeg to cinnamon in a multi-grain. These cottage industries bring a unique dimension to life.
Heart prints
It’s the artist’s perspective and creative expression, that leaves heart prints on a physical item. The process of subtly shaping and forming. Often secret methods combined with the instinct that only comes from devoted hours. The experience of drinking from a hand shaped mug that could have been spun generations ago. Stirring with the soothing grain of a wooden spoon that could be even older. Was this item made 150 years ago… or just last month? I can’t tell. It’s a wonderfully timeless experience that strikes a resonate chord deep in the soul. Simply put: “You can’t buy this at Walmart!”
Have you ever given a gift and someone had the wise audacity to ask for the same gift again? What if 11 friends did? Either I have the most audacious friends, or the Christmas 2016 hit the bullseye.
I shared the process that my family used to create handcrafted homestead soap. Along with this nostalgic process, I shared a bar my wife’s favorite soap made by a family farm near the grounds of my formative years in southern NJ. This soap is amazing. The intense smell of peppermint essential oil combined with a naturally refreshing clean that leaves a soft smooth moisture that only comes from natural ingredients. Not a store bought chemically stripped clean with a clinically dry finish.
This soap was an experience for those who received it.
What made people request more?
The initial smell?
The silky feel?
The clean result?
Or maybe, just maybe…
It was the collective inspiration from the first experience that gave anticipation towards the next. A revived joy in a daily procedure that the post-industrial era minimized over time?
What if your whole community experienced more inspiration in their daily grind?
Why shopping with your local Mom & Pop strengthens your community?
- You are greeted by name – not a number
- It’s very personal (unlike like like an ATM Machine or Amazon)
- Your purchase is appreciated first hand, on a human level. (not a percentage point on a loyalty card database a world away.)
- Your product has the creative twists and heart prints of the family that applied their skill & effort. (not clinical factory precision like the million that came before yours).
- You get an uncommon commitment to service – (vs. “Dude; I’m on break, try isle 63″)
- You become a member of their family and your community grows even closer.
There’s is a prerequisite to earning the name of Mom & Pop. The name inherently indicates that multiple generations are collaborating. Working together to bring value to their community… drawing on previous generations, Mom & Pop, usually, have sons & daughters. A progeny is continuing the tradition. For the kids, It may start as a family job, but the journey towards maturity reveals the joy of implementing the wisdom of the previous generation with the desires of the next generation.
Here’s the #1 reason I shop with Mom & Pop:
When you shop with Mom & Pop, while enjoying all of the artistic benefits, you are building the future of each future craftsman. In a post-industrial homogenization of the retail experience, you are investing in what makes art and life so beautiful… People!
Look for the Mom & Pop Shops in your community; some have storefronts while many are from homes like yours… the corner of a basement or may have taken over the whole garage. No matter where they originate or what they produce, your zest for life and love for your community is better because of their heart & their art.
A few thoughts to ponder:
- What unique value does your family provide in your community?
- If you stopped producing, would people call and request (even demand) more?
- What skill are you passing to the next generation that you received from your great-grandparents?
Want to experience the world’s best peppermint soap first hand?
Visit: Shepherds Watch Farm
I love the term heart prints, it so aptly portrays that unique ingredient that goes into the hand created product. Often costing more than mass
produced, I like to think of the extra as one of my charitable donations.
Karen,
With all the heart-print trails you’ve left over the years,
an investigator would have no problem tracking them to the source!
Thanks for all that you do!
I love local mom and pope places! Here in Flagler Beach and Bunnell there are quite a few Mom and pop places and they do so well because most of the tourists who come here have been coming for years and there is nothing that says I appreciate your business more than someone remembering you from year to year when you visit. I also love that when I go to these places they know my name and that’s makes you feel included! Have a Merry Christmas Bill and family and keep these awesome posts coming my dad and I really do enjoy them!
So good to hear from you, Kimberly! Sounds like an awesome place to visit… and even better place to live. So glad you & Dad enjoy the posts. I think the world of you all. Much love to your family from mine.
Tried to shop locally until eye surgery and hand problems made it harder to drive so I had to switch to the internet. We are doing well and getting ready for the gathering of the family on Christmas Eve here at the cabin. Merry Christmas to you and your family and a warm and healthy new year. We miss seeing you but we’ve gotten so many new people we are full and the parking lot is packed. Hugs, Helen