[JessFinds] A Soapbox

We are in a tough time. I just talked to my RBFF (MBFF writes this blog with me) and we lamented over losing some of our favorite things to this economy.

It is really the small stuff. A favorite magazine goes away - rest in peace you brilliant bastion of 30-something fabulousness, Domino Magazine. More painful is a neighborhood once laden with small business just polkadotted with Going Out of Business and For Rent signs.

I could not care less about big box stores and large restaurant chains folding. Of course with the caveat that if Target ever folded I would curl up in a ball and cry like a baby.

You don't develop a deep relationship with big box stores. You appreciate their convenience. Not much beyond that - just convenience. What hurts about losing a small business is the relationships. You know these people. They have faces and families. They know you. It is reciprocal support. When they close, you don't just miss the business, you worry about the people behind the business.

That adorable baby store that always had the best gifts? Gone overnight. They were so excited for you when you were pregnant and it seemed genuine! They thought your kids were cute even when they knocked over a display. They remembered your name. You just don't feel that strongly about Babys R Us.

The independent bookstore that employed the local college students? The place you bought your wedding dress? The stylist that would only charge you $45 for a cut AND color? The bakery with the cheese bread that you would sell your children for? The plumbing shop that your husband would visit six times a day in the midst of the latest homeowner emergency?

Go out and support your local businesses.