Invest in your community and in local business. Think carefully about how you shop and
spend. There are choices
everywhere, in what you buy and in where you buy it. Buy local and it reinvests itself in your own neighborhood
in quality and in character.
When was the last time you came by the Gallery? Do you keep
up in other ways? Do you know
what’s new? Often I hear customers
come in and say, I live just up the road but have never been in. Or, that they’ve come to see the “new”
shop over a year after I moved locations.
Where have you been all year?
What have you been doing?
Do you expect local small business to be still be around when you are “ready”
to take the time. Our income is
directly related to your patronage.
It
can be a long wait on the other side of the counter. I so often hear "where are the Pie Guys?" "There used to be a bookstore here [years ago]," "last time I was here...there was [something else]," "what happened to [name a shop]." If you only come in once every few years, we business owners need 365 x [# of years] customers like you. And did you make a purchase when you came by? If not, add another to the previous total.
When the economy is hit, people
also spend less regardless of what
they make. They expect more deals
from those who might not me able to give deals, from those who have the same
sorts of bills, who have to pay inflating prices for gas to get to and from
work, or to buy food, or housing. Yes, I have a job, but though I go in to work everyday, and every hour,
I can’t rely on a weekly or monthly wage from another party. I hope at the end of the day, and the end of the year, I can look forward to the next one with enthusiasm and energy that will continue to be fed and renewed by the great folks who come through the doors of my shop.
Owning a small business is a choice and a challenge, as
much as choosing to buy from small businesses. Let’s help each other make the right choices.
Thank you,
Amy C. Lund, Handweaver
Studio & Gallery
No comments:
Post a Comment