Shop Local

When I was a stay at home mom to my five beautiful home schooled kids, I thought nothing of jumping in our car and driving for hours to "shop". We'd start out early and just make a day of it. In Vermont it meant going into Canada. In Virginia it meant going to Richmond or Williamsburg. Shop local didn't mean much to me...I had the time, the money and the energy to do what I wanted. However, now as a business owner...I'm trying to spend more time "shopping local". I just don't feel right asking others to "shop local" if I'm not doing it myself. So, I set out on this journey to change my shopping habits and explore some of our local places.

If you have pets...considering getting pets...like animals....The Pet Castle "Where the customer is King or Fluffy or...your pet!" is the place to shop local! Richard and Elaine Clayton are doing it right! The other night my pond was green, I know you wish you had my problems right now. Yucky slimy green...yes algae BUT I had tried everything! As a last resort, I figured I stop in and ask Richard if he had any idea what to do. (before you go a judging me...I was simply not smart enough to know that a PET store would also be able to help me with a GARDENING issue...) He was closed, (I arrived about 20minutes after closing) having a meeting with his employees...but I tapped on the glass anyways, I am after all Big Bob Herself...and Richard opened the door for me. Then he took a few minutes to ask questions and sent me home with a bottle of pond cleaner upper (it worked). I'd like to think he opened the door only for me but everyone knows that Richard and Elaine really care about their customers and work very hard to earn repeat business. They have the normal animal "stuff" and then they have cool "stuff". I have a 100 pound, long haired, messy dog who hates to be brushed...Richard introduced me to Mellow Mutt...supper cool stuff. I feed him this yummy treat and he lets me groom him, during thunderstorms Mellow Mutt to the rescue.

In that small mall is Rosemary & Wine! The best food you'll ever taste AND the owner, Lisa, is crazy. If you are hoping for a quick bite...don't stop! The best thing about Rosemary & Wine...you can't run in and run out...you have to stay and relax! It's my favorite, after work, place to go, hubby can get a great glass of wine and I can enjoy a raspberry beer! Lisa makes the place...she's loud, obnoxious and crazy...but she loves her customers and her customers love her. She has catered several functions for Big Bob's and they are our biggest draws...if I say Rosemary & Wine is catering..I know my attendance will go up...people love her food. My youngest, Anastasia, says she has the best meatballs ever. The wine shop has a wide variety of wines and beers, unique and interesting...the restaurant has unique daily specials and several unique beers on tap. Sorry guys...no Coors or Bud at this bar! The people that eat/drink at Lisa's are always friendly and their is never a lack of conversation at the bar amongst everyone. Lisa sees to it that anyone sitting at the bar...share their thoughts with everyone else.

My last favorite shop local place I recently discovered, Ken Mathews Garden Center. From the moment we walk in they make us feel comfortable. From Route 17 you'd never guess the treasure trove of excitement behind that yellow building. Hoping to find some water plants for my pond..that is no longer green thanks to the Pet Castle...I was amazed at everything they had. The problem with Ken Mathew's place is...ideas grow and money is quickly spent and their staff was way eager to help your idea come to life. The other day Ben and I were out on a mission to create a garden for dad's birthday. We started with wanting a tropical garden...we are right on the water...but quickly learned tropical plants require way to much work in the winter, then we changed to an oriental garden...but Becky at Ken Mathews educated us on why our weeping Japanese Maple wouldn't be good where we wanted it...so now we have a Greek garden theme. It's coming along. What impressed me about Becky was the weeping maple was a $200+ tree and we really wanted two. She could have just said it would be fine and let us go about our business...instead she took over an hour, walked with us, listen to what we envisioned and helped us pick out some beautiful flowers that would fit all our needs. Ben and I had stopped at several places along the trail to Ken Mathews and each time they snubbed their nose at us or ignored us...it was becoming a very depressing project. For now on we'll do all our gardening projects with Ken Mathews.

What all three of these places had in common were the people we dealt with, were NOT unusual. It wasn't that we got the one person that day at that business who like their job...it's that everyone at the business is the same. They all love what they do and love to be around people. The business owners have invested time and energy to hire people who love..animals, food, gardening...not just the cheapest paid labor. This is what shopping local is about! When you shop local, you go into a business that loves what they do! Sure you might spend a dollar to two more but that will be the best dollar spent. Where else can you buy what you need and leave feeling like a million bucks? Walmart? Home Depot?

If you shop local...tell me where to go and why! Once you commit...it's a fun adventure!

Smile at a Child

I have a secret....

I'm not always happy, my days are not always awesome, I don't constantly float on cloud nine. I've always said "I don't believe in finding world peace but do believe in finding peace in my own world" So how is it I can be the life of party? How is it I can tell every person I met "I'm awesome"? How is it I can laugh, even when I started off feeling like crying?

When I'm having a bad day...a day I'm feeling sorry for myself, thinking my world should come to an end....I intentionally find a two year old and smile at them. Why? They can't help buy smile back! They still have the magic of life in them. They still hate to sleep because they fear they might miss the next minute. They still believe and see magic and fun in everything. They still remember being near God. They are perfect.

Try it....you can't help but giggle at their cute response. Their little eyes light up and they show those perfect teeth in a over joyous smile. Sometimes they will scream with excitement, sometimes they will just give you a warm feeling. Either way, they are God's way of reminding us that nothing in life can't be fixed. They give you the strength to smile back...and when you smile back..it changes your attitude. You can't smile when you are sad, you can't smile when you are mad, you can't smile when you are hurt...smiling always comes from deep inside and makes everything better, if even for a minute. And in that minute I realize...life is to short to be anything but happy.

So...when I'm having a bad day...I smile at a child.

PS Smiling at your own child doesn't do it! Why? Because when you smile at a strangers child you also get the joy of knowing you don't have to deal with potty training, sleepless nights, tantrums, boogers or anything else that goes along with this horrible age! They are only fun to smile at when they are someones elses...because there is a secret joy in knowing you don't have to deal with all they bring to the table??

Retailer of the Year for the Upper Peninsula 2010

Alright, I'll admit it...taking compliments or kudos is NOT my strong point. I tend to be very critical of myself, my kids and my business. When others tell me I'm doing a great job, I wonder what can I do, to be spectacular next time? I tend to look at my kids success as their success, not because I've done a great job parenting. Take Josephine, she's our 18 year old. She's in her second year at Busch gardens, just purchased her very first car, got her very own insurance, apartment hunting, enrolling in a local college and for 18...diving right into adulthood. Not really much parenting involved except the basic morals and values, the rest is up to her. Logan, hands down, is the number two guy behind the owners of the store. At 16, every customer he deals with calls us and tells us what a great job he did in our absence. He just gets the idea of customer's are our best friends and without them we'd be lonely (and poor:). Again, sure as parent's we certainly rubbed off on him...but who he is is 100% his! Ben...15....LOL! His soccer skills certainly didn't come from me (or his dad, no matter what dada thinks) and that 4.13 GPA...never knew that number existed. Both parents were eager to move on with life and school was simply a road block. So, while we've encouraged Ben to be his best...again, it's him. Now, we have two little ones who haven't started their journey in life...so that story will be continued later! Either way, my teenagers are all individuals. Josephine couldn't run the store, Logan couldn't play soccer and Ben certainly isn't ready to dive into adulthood. They each took what they wanted from what we offered and really as parents...kudos aren't necessary.



So, sorry--got off the beaten path, last Friday night at one of the best local events I've ever attended I was awarded Retailer of the Year for the Upper Peninsula. Yes, thank you, thank you. I was certainly excited to see I was grouped with Williamsburg and Yorktown. LOL, when they started to name the divisions I got nervous they would put poor ol' Gloucester all by itself and then I'd automatically be winner by default:( So, I'll admit, it felt great to be awarded such a wonderful recognition but it was even greater to be amongst such fine retailers in two great counties. However, I immediately started to think....ok, I was one of nine out of 153. What do I have to do to be the BIG ONE? So, today...I've stormed my brain, set up some appointments and I've started my newest project....to be the best of the best in 2010! Not just sell the best stuff..anyone can do that..I want to be the best. It'll be hard but Big Bob Herself loves a challenge!