Spread it Around
I can only say "rural" if I don't think about it too hard.
I discovered recently that my husband and I have our own florists.
Well, we don’t have private florists or anything. We just both have our favorite florist in town. He likes the established mainstay in the historic building with all of it’s Backbone of the Town vibes (all of my high school dance corsages were purchased there), and I am drawn to the newer upstart, becoming known for their connections to community events (they made a front window display of Audrey II for the local production of Little Shop of Horrors).
The vibe between us is not competitive at all — in fact, I’m relieved that we are dividing financial support between two small businesses in our hometown. It reminds me of when I was a child and my parents went to a different dentist than my brother and I did. When I eventually realized this and asked my mom why, she replied, “Susie, we could send all 4 of us to different dentists and still not be supporting all of our friends.” They chose two and hoped the rest would understand.
When we moved back to Grand Rapids, Dan and I chose a dentist who was my next-door neighbor growing up. All four members of my household go there, but my parents are still with the partner of their (now retired) friend. The whole family uses Edward Jones for financial planning, but we go through separate offices (ours is, of course, run by a friend of mine from high school). We all go to the same church, but we use different grocery stores (my parents and brother live on The Other Side of Town) and different pharmacies.
The tagline of “Shop Local!” has been around for decades, but there is almost a franticness about it recently. My daughter and I had a discussion the other day, as she had made a purchase through an ad on Tik Tok. We talked about how, if she buys through Tik Tok or Amazon, the original company doesn’t make as much money as it would if she bought direct. Of course, there may be additional shipping costs, it may not arrive as quickly, and it may actually be more expensive than it was through the large fulfillment organizations. To a college kid with limited funds, it is difficult to make the case for the small business.
In these times, when so much of what we need (want) can be delivered right to our front door, it is hard to convince myself to physically go into stores. Yet I would be horrified if we lost all of the wonderful small businesses in my rural area, so I need to do my part. A particular issue around here tends to be a lack of clothing stores. There are a few boutique-style places with clothing, but the variety isn’t great and there are zero plus-sized options. (Well, we do have a Target and a Walmart, but small businesses they ain’t.)
This past weekend, the 4th annual Riverfest was held in Grand Rapids. Riverfest is a music festival, and a collaboration between the City of Grand Rapids and our local public radio station, KAXE (of which I am a proud member of the Board of Directors). It’s a huge event for a town of our size, and we have been able to attract some pretty major acts over the years: Spoon, Shakey Graves, Dessa, Trampled by Turtles, Wilco, and Jason Isbell just to name a few. The stage is set up in the center of town, up against the public library which is used as the green room and staging area, much to the delight of the musical artists. There are food and drink vendors set up around the library parking lot, as well as merch tents for the festival and the music acts alike.
Thanks to my brother ⬇️
I have attended a lot of music festivals. What sets Riverfest apart is the feeling of community, of belonging. Not everyone who attends the festival is local, but the outsiders are adopted for the day; they are welcomed into the open arms of Grand Rapidians who are proud of their town and what it has to offer. Inevitably, I end up standing somewhere on the grounds, in the dark, alone, beaming at the people of the town that I love.
Shop Local.
Thanks for reading.
Love, Susie
It was great to see you last weekend! Can't wait for next year.