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annafl_gw

Community

annafl
15 years ago

As you all probably know, one of my new year's resolutions the last two years has been to support my community more by trying, when possible, to buy stuff I need from locally owned businesses. I knew I wanted to keep my money right here with my hurting neighbors as much as possible, as well as trying to lessen my carbon footprint every time I could. It has been a little more effort I must say, and I still go to Publix (much less often and for far fewer things), but the unexpected rewards have been surprising and fun.

I now go to the farmer's market whenever possible. There is not a Saturday that goes by that I don't run into someone I haven't seen for a while and am able to catch up with them. The stands I frequent now know me by name and share recipes with me, and the produce I buy is to die for! I am also able to get tips on how to grow my veggies organically while I'm there. It has even turned into a social event for my dog, who dances at the mention of 'farmer's market.' I have more conversations with complete strangers there than I've ever had with my neighbors! It is a type of community feeling that makes me feel good, and must have been present many years ago before the days of the supermarkets.

My local coffee and tea shop saves all their coffee and tea grounds/ banana peels for me. Terri takes the day off (and closes his store) on his daughter's birthday, and we share kid stories. His shop is in an old gas station he fixed up and on nice days like today, he opens the garage door and puts umbrellas and little coffee tables out for an alfresco experience. A little tv is set to the local news or CNN to catch up on current events. He fixes bikes on the side and is trying to find a nice, used three wheeler for me. I bring home over 40-50 pounds of used coffee grounds weekly, and I buy his locally roasted coffee there although it is a dollar more per bag than the Starbucks less than a block away. It is worth it to me to support this family man who bought a special bucket just for me and my coffee grounds, and to get the good feeling I get every time I'm there. It's an old community feel.

I found an incredible, tiny local bakery a few months ago, very close to my house. It is owned by German immigrants who come from many generations of bakers in Germany. This couple bake delicious, healthy breads daily, made without fat or dairy products. They rely on old yeast cultures. Their many types of breads/ rolls are not only healthful, but absolutely delicious. The occassional strudel I buy is the real thing! This lady is very serious. It has taken me months to get her to crack a smile for me, but it is happening now. By next year I hope I will be able to tell you more about how she came to this country and maybe some secrets about baking!

I could go on about a few more stores, but you get the idea. This experience has evolved from me, thinking I was doing something good for my community, to my community doing more for me than I imagined! I have never even had such a sense of community! It has been a feel-good experience all around.

You are now tired of hearing my stories. Please tell us about yours...

Anna

Comments (7)

  • trinigemini
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I haven't gotten that community feeling down in Florida as yet....but when I was up In NY i used to walk my dog everyday. We had stops that we HAD to make...the senior citizens (lived in a community center on the corner) would sit outside and wait for us to pass, the little bodega around the corner insisted my Dog and I come in everyday just to say hello....Even the people at starbucks would come out to say hello (dog couldn't go in). Not to mention the children who would follow us and yell "Chocolate" they seemed to forget her name "Candy". One day I was at school at one of my housemates came home and let the front door wide open....so of course Candy got out...the guy across the street from me went and got her and put hr back inside and closed my house. AS soon as my neighbor saw me come home he came and told me and said she almost got hit by a van. (needless to say the housemate was promptly kicked out). WE are now kind of starting to get the community feeling here a little too...we have been walking my new dog and have been meeting neighbors in the process...everyone seems to want to pet her. We tried going to the farmers market in our area....only to find out that most of the produce was imported anyway. We did meet interesting people but it was not worth it for us to go back. Maybe when we move to Jupiter (hopefully) we will have more luck. For now though we will continue to just enjoy our neighborhood walks :-)

  • annafl
    Original Author
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Hi Trinigemini!

    Walking your dog around the neighborhood regularly sounds like a great way to become acquainted with neighbors. It always makes me feel good to make new, personal connections. I should try to walk my dog more regularly. Come to think of it, the only adjacent neighbors who I have a real connection with was started through our dogs. I now plant collards for them on our shared property line, they give me key limes and I share my lemons and tomatoes with them.

    I know what you mean about farmer's markets. In ours, the two largest stands, which are the busiest, only have a few locally grown things and the rest is imported. I stay away from those. The stands I frequent are from local farms which provide great organically-grown vegetables. I speak directly to the farmers/apprentices. There is also a local grove represented where I get fresh-squeezed OJ, and the same bread company has a stand there. There are plants from a local nursery, etc. There are usually signs that tell you if a farm is local.

    I have come to notice that it's these small, locally owned businesses that give you the personalized service by people you can connect with. It's like my favorite local nursery. They know me by name when I walk in. They can answer all my questions about plants, and if they can't, they call me later with the answers. They order my beloved tall, pink pentas for me each year and call me at home when they come in. I've seen two generations of owners there, watched the lady through her pregnancies and now see the kids on occassion.

    When I go to HD nursery center, Walmart, etc, I get impersonal service (if I can find anyone) from someone who is largely uninformed. They may know little about plants and are just there to put in their hours, water, and go home. I am a bother for asking questions. Never would they order anything for me, and they have no interest in making any connection with me. The guy at my locally owned hardware store, still remembers he made a custom-length extension cord for my Christmas tree last year and knows the kind of sprinkler heads I need. He smiles when I come in. I know I can count on him, and he knows I will.

    It's the sense of community and personalized people connections that improve on my day. Huge, efficient conglomerates don't give me that community feel. It's just nice to know that warm, fuzzy, interpersonal relationship feel can be found in our own communities if we look for it.

  • imagardener2
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Yes it's wonderful to feel a community-ness and we're feeling it more here than in our previous Florida town. Wish we had a farmers market, closest is Sarasota an hour north.

    I want to say a word for other employees too, the ones who work for Walmart and HD and Publix. Their stores need support also or people get laid off. I am an online shopper, for books and certain plants not available locally. But I try to spend my money locally as much as possible.

    Sadly our local Sweetbay is closing. Just not enough customers with Publix on the opposite side of the street.

    We are actually trying to think of work we need done so we can do it NOW instead of later (plumbing, house repair, etc)because everything helps getting money moving, even our small amount.

  • gatormomx2
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I agree with ima -
    Called my tree guys and told them it was time for me to invest in their company once more . I had a crew of 8 here for 7 hours . They are always grateful for our business but were especially thankful this week .
    They did the most amazing job - really bent over backwards without being asked . I have never seen people work so hard ! They must have said thank you to me a hundred times that day . They all said that this work would put food on their tables for one more week . All my money will stay in my neighborhood and help dozens of people .
    I also try to use local services from family owned businesses whenever possible . And now - my trees and property are ready for hurricane season . I beat the rush !!

  • annafl
    Original Author
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    That is such a great point Denise and Mary. I wholeheartedly agree. My DH and I were talking about the same thing. We'd been thinking about our tree guy (who we've known about 15 years) who we knew was hurting. We really didn't need much done, but had been wanting to get the dead stuff out of our running bamboo for a couple of years, and figured he could use the work. Usually he is in high demand and we have to schedule far in advance, but this time he came right away and was extremely grateful for the work. We are trying to see if we can find some other big stuff to trim and have him come back this month. We also are thinking about having our painter do a little painting of a few outside walls. Took our slipcovers to our family owned cleaners this week. Yes, anything we can spare and use to spend at our locally-owned businesses will help our neighbors make ends meet. Helping our community is good for us too.

    Denise, I agree that we shouldn't disregard our local workers at Walmart, etc. They are hurting too. I just have trouble right now putting more money in billionaire Walmart CEO's pocket (is he/she still a Walton?). For every dollar I spend there, I think a very tiny percentage stays in the hands of our local Walmart employees.

  • natives_and_veggies
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Interesting post. While we try to save up a bigger cushion than we thought we needed - until the economy turned south and newspapering fell through the floor - we're also looking at what we should do now because our personal staff of folks need the work. By staff, I mean the plumber, the roofer, the guy who helped build our fence, etc. We have jobs that we need them to help us with, someday, and we're trying to weigh how much we need to cut back expenses, put off work, etc., with how much we're able to spend at a time when it makes a big difference for some folks, especially the folks that help us.

  • atreelady
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Anna, you are an inspiration. Thank you for this post.

    Judy