08/15/2009 19:42
Do you ever pass those cute local stores and tell yourself “Oh, I should go in there some time…”? Well why not go in there all the time? Lots of times we shop in the big department stores because they’re cheaper and they “save time”. Think about it, though – the products available in the big stores are often cheaper because they are tacky, short-lasting, or worse-quality versions of whatever it is you’re looking for; or they come in smaller quantities than what you can find in a local store. For example, when we went shopping for supplies for the club, I was looking for wire to make jewelry with. I wanted something that wouldn’t tarnish and would still work well. We looked in Michaels, and we even tried Walmart. All we found were these wires that didn’t even say what they were made of on the packaging, and certainly didn’t say whether they would tarnish. Then we went to Earth Treasures and talked to the lady there. She was very helpful, telling us about the sterling silver wire (which is good quality, but does tarnish) and the copper wire (stil l silver colored) that was tarnish free. We also mentioned that we hadn’t found any good wire anywhere else, and she was telling us how much better it is to find things locally – the quantity is larger, and the quality better. We bought the copper wire, and it’s been working great! Another example that comes to mind is blueberries – you can buy them in the grocery store in a teensy package, or at the farmer’s market in a larger container for probably around the same price! Clothes? Household items? If they’re cheaper, but shorter lasting, you’ll just have to go out and spend more time and money on new ones.What if you’re looking for a present for someone? You could spend hours at the department store, unsatisfied with the generic options, or you could visit a few local shops and boom! A perfect, unique gift! So you save time, often you save money, and you just could be saving that local store from being put out of business by a big corporation!
Check out some of these local stores and restaurants if you live in or near Keene, NH:
24 Carrots
Earth Treasures
Timoleons
Fritz Belgian Fries
Turn It Up
Cool Jewels
Life Is SweetTags: Shopping
07/07/2009 09:32
About 30 miles away from Keene NH across the Connecticut River in VT is an awesome town called Brattleboro. Not only is Brattleboro a cool place to shop (thrift stores and cute shops), get a good scone or cup of joe, or purchase a great CD or record, but it also has an amazing coop.
Last week I went to the coop with my friend. Even though my family doesn’t purchase many items from there, nor do we get the opportunity to go often the Brattleboro coop is store I would shop from if I had all the time in the world, and the choice.
Here is their website: http://www.brattleborofoodcoop.com/
If you have no idea what a coop is let me explain it a little. The Free Online Dictionary describes a coop as a jointly owned commercial enterprise (usually organized by farmers or consumers) that produces and distributes goods and services and is run for the benefit of its owners. The coop in Brattleboro has organic and local products along with some regular goods.
To find a coop near you visit here.
Tags: Coop
