You know the one.
You love to go there just to get that delicious loaf of crunchy French bread, heavenly cookies, specialty salads, herb infused olive oil, the perfect toy for your new niece, the homemade ice cream or the whole bean coffee freshly roasted locally just a day or two before (unbelievable – you gotta try it!), the Holiday gift that you will never see elsewhere, the little figurine your mother is going to love . . . and the list seems endless.
(special note from the author, Annie Jennings, tell us where you shopped and what you got in the comments section below)
And life is good for us, one specialty purchase at a time.
But life is not so good for that little shop around the corner that we visit occasionally for that little something special.
Most people shop online when they know what they want or want to see a big selection of products. We are generally not small shop browsers. Although it’s fun to do. Usually, after a lovely day in town, we always make a promise that we have to do this again, but we don’t. And nobody is to blame.
It’s a recession. Money is tight. Time is tight. Kids need to go here. Chores need to be done there. We tend to forget about the small businesses in our lives.
For today, LET’S BE the miracle the little shop in your life has been hoping for.
Today, Saturday, November 24th, is Small Business Saturday. Let’s stop our fast track to the big box stores. Let’s not press click.
Here’s how it works: Set aside one hour. Go to one of your local businesses and buy something. It does not have to be expensive, but it just has to be bought from a little shop around the corner.
MY DREAM for today . . .
My dream for today is for every shop, mom and pop store and local small business that is suffering from the recession, struggling to make ends meet, and praying for a miracle, GET IT.
As you may remember the iconic movie featuring George Bailey (played by actor, James Stewart) , called It’s A Wonderful Life, who every day takes care of the townspeople but winds up feeling isolated, alone and that nobody cares if he lives or dies. Well, he almost ended it all . . . (and hopefully you know what happens next). In the end, the townspeople, the ones he has served all of his life, come to his rescue with their hard-earned money and with their hearts.
Today is the day to make someone’s dreams come true. Think George Bailey.
And the next time “It’s A Wonderful Life” comes on TV, you can smile to yourself knowing that you too helped a George Bailey in your life.
SPECIAL NOTE FROM ANNIE:
If you shop local today, be sure to tell everyone what you bought and from what store in the comment section below! Hmmmm, I wonder what I will get today. Check the comments later to see!
Annie Jennings is the creator of JenningsWire: The World Of Success
