I have a new post up on the terra20 blog about the importance of shopping locally. You can read that right here… and while you’re there, take advantage of a big weekend sale on made-in-Canada merch!
So my mother bought me a lovely pair of moccasins for Christmas last weekend. (Thanks mom!) They’re Canadian made, from a family-owned shop near her place outside of Peterborough. We’ve been going there for years, although it’d been years since we’ve actually been inside. It’s called the High Spring Trading Post. Here’s their website. :D
During our recent visit I got talking with a staff member while we were cashing out. She turned out to be the daughter of the shop owner. I wondered if she was the one who sold me a pair of cowboy boots that I wore down to almost nothing almost 20 years ago.
I asked her how her store has been doing during the pandemic and her answer surprised me a little bit… Apparently she’s having a banner year. Maybe I shouldn’t have been surprised! After all, we weren’t the only customers in the store. There was a steady stream of shoppers (all masked and maintaining the proper distance, pretty much) and staff seemed to be constantly in restocking mode while we were there.
Then she told me the two reasons why she was doing so well (other than the excellent selection of moccasins, obviously):
(1) Her customers tell her they’re annoyed with the big e-tailers, like Amazon. Porch pirates, delayed and missing shipments, ordering and fulfillment problems were all driving people back to local shops they could trust so they could see, feel, and buy things in person.
(2) This shop is just off Hwy. 7, which happens to be on a route to some major music festivals in that area. Here’s the thing, thanks to Covid, there were no festivals this year. She said normally people are rushing to get to their destination on time and don’t stop, but they’ve always been curious, so this was the year they FINALLY pulled over and poked around the shop. She told me she wished she had a penny (“NOT A NICKEL, A PENNY”) for every person who stopped and said “I’ve always wanted to stop and come in here!” As it turned out, they stopped, and they shopped. I was happy for her, and happy for me because my feet will be warm this winter. :)
I have made a small dent in my shopping this year but it will be a smaller haul on the tree, methinks. I made a few purchases on Etsy, a crafters marketplace, but I am not sure if those orders will get here on time. Other than that, I will definitely be shopping closer to home this year. I am making my list, and checking it twice! What about you? I’d love to hear how and where you are buying your gifts this year. Are you online, offline, or a combination of the two?
