appreciation for local, independent shops
As I reflect on what makes a place fun, exciting, fulfilling, and interesting to live in, one key factor is what type of shops are around me.
I am so fortunate to be a suburb where there's instances of family-owned take away shops, restaurants, small or specialised grocery stores, fruit & veg markets, record shops, live music venues, card game meeting spots, and even a makeshift gallery space.
Having these types of interesting places is what gives this suburb its character and soul.
If half of these were to be replaced by some trendy shops, or chain owned fast food joints1, or another generic shopfront, it would most certainly be a lot dimmer and sadder.
So, if you are around an area that is lucky enough to have lots of independent shops, please support them and try to favour them. And if you are not able to directly support them due to your budget, time, and other circumstances there are other ways to support them too:
- leave a genuine review with a nice photo on google maps.
- pop in and say hi to them (if they are friendly enough) and learn more about their shop.
- introduce these interesting shops to your friends and family. For example, I have a local jazz club that I take all my friends out to when I can.
I don't mean to say chains aren't good as I understand a lot of these chains are owned by local families. However, it saddens me to think how much of their earnings go back to corporate headquarters.↩