…to go to one of my favorite stores, the West Concord 5 & 10, and buy Valentine supplies for the “Create A Valentine” program that I’ll be running on Valentine’s Day.  The 5 & 10 is the genuine article, funky layout, lots of nooks and crannies, and every possible type of merchandise.  And the prices are reasonable, too.  Many times people ask me why I don’t go to the superstore craft store that’s somewhere west of Harvard, and I reply that it’s a longer drive than the 5 & 10, they probably don’t really have what I’m looking for, and it’s probably more expensive than the 5 & 10.

Given my many years of running a small independent toy store, I’m also a huge advocate for supporting local businesses.  It makes me pretty angry when I hear people complain about dying town centers, and then in the same breath claim that all independent stores have higher prices than the chain and online stores.  Actually, it makes me REALLY angry: a good independent store is highly aware of being price competitive, and is very responsive to its customers’ needs.  Chances are that the product these small stores carry is of far higher quality than what you find in the chain stores, too.  Not to mention the ecological benefits of shopping close to home, since you burn far less fossil fuel driving to a local store (and if you’re lucky enough to live within walking distance, then you don’t have to drive at all).

Since I’ve gotten on this soap box, here’s one more comment: maybe the real problem is that we Americans buy too much STUFF that we don’t need.  How about only buying what you really need, and buying it at a local store in order to preserve town centers?  Certainly Jim and I have been pushed in this direction, due to budget and home size, and now that we’ve gotten into the habit of only buying the essentials, no junk, there’s no way that I’d ever go back.  It’s a cleaner way of living, and also much easier to get a thrill (I splurged and bought myself a magazine the other day, and it felt like a real treat – for only $3.50!).

One more thought: when living simply, there’s much more call to visit your local library and take advantage of all the fabulous free materials available there for you to borrow and enjoy.

And to think that this all started with me talking about buying Valentine supplies.  Does this count as stream-of-consciousness?

…to go to one of my favorite stores, the West Concord 5 & 10, and buy Valentine supplies for the “Create a Valentine” program that I’ll be running on Valentine’s Day.  The 5 & 10 is the genuine article, funky layout, lots of nooks and crannies, and every possible type of merchandise.  And the prices are reasonable, too.  Many times people ask me why I don’t go to the superstore craft store that’s somewhere west of Harvard, and I reply that it’s a longer drive than the 5 & 10, they probably don’t have really have what I’m looking for, and it’s probably more expensive than the 5 & 10. 

Given my many years of running a small independent toy store, I’m also a huge advocate for supporting local businesses.  It makes me pretty angry when I hear people complain about dying local town centers, and then in the same breath claim that all independent stores have higher prices than the chain and online stores.  Actually, it makes me REALLY angry:  a good independent store is highly aware of being price competitive, and is very responsive to its customers’ needs.  Chances are that the product these small stores carry is of far higher quality that what you find in the chain stores, too.  Not to mention the ecological benefits of shopping close to home, since you burn far less fossil fuel driving to a local store (and if you’re lucky enough to live within walking distance, then you don’t have to drive at all).

Since I’ve gotten on this soap box, here’s one more comment: maybe the real problem is that we Americans buy too much STUFF that we don’t need.  How about only buyig what you really need, and buying it at a local store in order to preserve town centers?  Certainly Jim and I have been pushed in this direction, due to budget and home size, and now that we’ve gotten in the habit of only buying the essentials, no junk, there’s no way that I’d ever go back.  It’s a cleaner way of living, and also much easier to get a thrill (I splurged and bought myself a magazine the other day, and it felt like a real treat – for only $3.50!).

One more thought:  when living simply, there’s much more call to visit your local library and take advantage of all the fabulous free materials available there for you to borrow and enjoy.

And to think that this all started with me talking about buying Valentine supplies.  Does this count as stream-of-consciousness?