Watched the news just now and they featured clips from around the nation that had shoppers pushing and shoving one another at department stores early this morning. Black Friday, of course. Scenes of a guy being taken away in a police cruiser after a fight with a lady over a $5 Barbie at some distant Walmart just don’t seem that unusual on this day.
Good grief, as Charlie Brown might say.
I only mention this because I am urging you to shop locally and shop small this holiday season. Tomorrow is Small Business Saturday where shoppers are urged to do just that– support their local, small businesses. It’s a concept that is very important to me as I am a small businessman, as is every artist. I create work that is art first. But after the creation, the distribution of this out into the world is not unlike that of all other products, requiring packaging, shipping and advertising, among other things.
And every gallery that I sell my work through is a small business and all have been anchors in their local business communities for many years. For example, the West End Gallery has been a fixture on historic Market Street in Corning, NY for 38 years now. They show the work of over 50 local artists and craftspeople– glassworkers, jewelry makers and fine woodworkers. All are small businesses who buy most of their materials locally and who spend the bulk of their income locally, supporting other local small businesses in both ways.
It is this cycle of small business that gives communities like Corning that vibrancy makes them beautiful places in which to live. This is a purely speculative statement but I would guess that most comfortable and livable communities, big and small, around the country feature a foundation of strong small businesses. After all, who can best serve the local needs? The answer is small businesses with a stake in the community.
So, this year, please try to shop locally and shop small. You are feeding the lifeblood of your community when you do so. Besides, is a $5 Barbie really worth a beatdown or an arrest?
Redtree Times 