Saying yes to the Mom and Pop Store

sweetgeorgia makes me think of orange yams and yellow sweet potatoes growing in the warm brown soil in the south eastern state of Georgia. sweetgeorgia is actually the name of a blog and Yarn shop owned by Felicia Lo in Vancouver BC. She produces handspun, handdyed, handpainted yarns and fiber for spinning. Last winter I bought some of her Speed Demon sock yarn. Yesterday I bought some silk lamb, made of merino wool and silk. It is part of her supernatural line made from "organic, sustainable and renewable sources that are hand-dyed with natural and plant dyes. " 1% of the profit from this line is given to a network of environmental organizations.

Its not all the natural processes used to produce the yarn or the fact 1% of the profits is given to environmental organizations but simply because sweetgeorgia is local or as local as one can get in our largely empty country of Canada.

The yarn I got is one of a kind. Made in small batches it means no one else will have it.

In the same vein I would rather shop in local boutiques, farmers markets, garage sales and thrift stores. Local boutiques sell unique items made in smaller batches. The locally produced food available at farmers markets is fresher and tastes better. Garage sales and thrift stores can be combed over for the better quality goods, made several decades ago, that have endured the test of time are still in good shape, possess classic lines and are worth keeping. The fringe benefit is I meet other customers who share similar ideals. The shop owners are friendlier and give me insider info on where and how their goods were produced.

Contrast this with the bland ubiquity of a chain store. The sales people are young and bored. if they deign to even listen to any of my questions they fane ignorance or is it indifference? The store is artlessly arranged with displays of homogenized goods placed in the very center of each aisle making the quick trip to the opposite end of the store, for the black socks priced at three pairs for ten dollars, more annoying than it should be. Finally there's the interminable wait as the cashier rings up each customers item, smiles and says have a nice day.