Black Shoe Tuesday

Dear Readers:

Are you planning to indulge in some Black Friday shopping after indulging in multiple helpings of turkey, stuffing, and pumpkin pie? Don’t forget Goodwill and consignment and local shops this year. Remember, the closer to home you spend, the more money stays circulating in your community!

For inspiration, I hit the Gorham, Maine Goodwill on Tuesday afternoon. Found: For $15, this funky pair of black, suede, high-heeled clogs. For $10, brand-new thermal underwear in celebration of the first real dusting of snow. For $20, a new, fashion-forward red wood coat for the Teen in the exact style she was craving last winter while looking at the catalog of a popular teen retail store (price for the retail coats: $70-80).

I could have snagged three pairs of Talbot’s pants, two prom dresses for the Teen, and a pretty pink sweater with a pink floral embroidered motif–but I’m trying to pace myself:)

Shopping locally never fails to surprise and thrill me. I almost always find more than I expect, and my wardrobe has never been more interesting as the cost of trying something unusual is so very low compared to the mall or big-box store.

So, my Dear Readers, enjoy your long weekend, your Thanksgiving celebrations, and your Black Friday shopping.

Love, Localista

Small Business Saturday

Meat Market

Dear Reader:

How did I not hear about this last year? I will blame it on my avoidance of all things “Black Friday” which happens to be the day before “Small Business Saturday.” You couldn’t catch me within ten miles of the Maine Mall or Target or Walmart or any place with a large parking-lot the day after Thanksgiving. I tried that once. Two days before giving birth to the Teen. I was with my sis-in-law, and we circled the mall parking lot for about half an hour before giving up on finding a parking space and going home to my apartment in Westbrook to eat some leftover pie. Looking back, it was probably for the best. I would NOT have wanted to go into labor in the midst of sales-crazed, sleep-deprived retail divas.

Anyway, this year I saw the very catchy advertisement promotion for Small Business Saturday and practically jumped up into a spontaneous version of a pep-rally cheer I learned my senior year in high school. Okay, I just made that up. Truly, I can’t think of any 1980’s high-school cheer that would fit. I just wanted to throw in some mention of cheering since it was actually quite fun and totally unexpected for me…I’d always been a b-ball player, but for reasons I won’t mention, we didn’t have a team that year. I tried out for cheering instead. I liked it. Who knew?

There is a connection here, I promise. Maybe you’ve always been a big-box shopper. You’ve trained for it. You have become rather adept at following the sales fliers and know the store layouts by heart. Cashiers greet you by name. You are a super-store super-star.

But what if you are missing out on a really fun, exciting shopping experience in your locally-owned small business community? Perhaps here you would truly shine . . . or at least expand your retail horizons! Cheer yourself or a loved one with some really unique handmade items at the local gift shop. Cartwheel your way through the carefully-vetted book selection at the non-chain bookstore the next town over. Spring into back flips when you realize the meat at the local butcher shop is grass-fed, antibiotic-free and reasonably-priced to boot. Victory will be yours when you sit down with a well-deserved glass of wine from an in-state vintner and realize that your hard-earned (and hard-spent) money will be staying in the community rather than flying out of state or out of country into the pockets of shadowy corporate executives.

Give me a “V!” Give me an “I!” Give me a . . . well, you get the picture.

Don’t forget. Make a plan. Mark the date. Saturday, November 25, 2011. Small Business Saturday. Shop small.