I have resolved to do as much of my shopping as possible locally in 2009. As I’m faced with “point of power” decisions about toothbrushes and hair pomade I realize I need more of a guideline system for myself. What, exactly, does “shop locally” mean, anyway?
Obviously my first choice is the cute little shop in a converted Victorian with lady who hand-looms thread from the goats she tends out in the garden and dries tea from the mint bushes lining the cobblestoned front walk. Of course. Macadamia nuts grown six miles from my house trump ones grown five thousand miles away in Hawaii and flown on an airplane to the mainland where they are trucked to my grocery store.
But what if we need, say, jeans for our almost-three year old? Sure, I could hit a cute little trendy boutique (like Tangerine) where they have an adorable section of precious little miniature Juicy sweats and Baby James Perse cotton tees. But really, is that realistic? (And for the sake of this conversation put it out of your mind that we actually do already have a 2T Juicy Baby sweatsuit – in pink with gold trim, of course – and a two-piece cotton Burberry bikini for a toddler. They were gifts from DINKS! Does that count?)
So if I shop at Kohl’s (where you can conceivably buy a pair of 4T Levi’s jeans for under $5 if there’s a sale), but it’s the Kohl’s in my city, is that “local”?
What if it’s a chain, but it’s a locally owned franchise? Is a non-franchise chain “worse” than a locally owned one? What if it’s a franchise of a chain but I personally know and really like the owners? That should count for something, shouldn’t it?
Currently my admittedly unscientific internal ranking goes something like this:
1. Cute little shop in town (preferably one of the local “old towns,” i.e. Temecula, Murrieta, or Fallbrook) run by adorable little old ladies or uber-sincere local artisans selling locally made (preferably handcrafted in a very time-consuming manner) products like miniature bars of goatmilk soap shaped like bumblebees or bottles of artisanal olive oil
(NOTE: Temecula 1st, Murrieta 2nd, Fallbrook 3rd because though it’s closer in miles, thus lowering my carbon expenditure, it’s outside our county lines so the tax revenue will go to San Diego instead of Riverside)
2. Non-cute but utilitarian business in town. This could be a business that is local but run by someone I don’t like, with rude or surly counter staff. Also it really bugs me when small business owners don’t even appear to be trying. Try, people! When Eva went to Temecula Montessori, at Christmas I tried unsuccessfully to buy gift certificates for the teachers and school director at a (non-cute) coffee place in the same shopping center, but the owner told me, “We don’t do that.” I asked if I could just give them money and they could have a credit at the shop that I could write down on a card, and the guy just stared at me blankly. Sad to say, some businesses kind of deserve to fail.
3. Local store of national chain that I like a lot. For instance, rumor has it we are getting a Williams-Sonoma AND a P.F. Chang’s at our local mall. (Thrill!!!!) They’ve been teasing us with this for years but a friend of a friend saw “under construction” signs…..so maybe? Is it a flaw in my internal logic that I’d eat at a mythical Temecula P.F. Chang’s but not at our own locally-grown Iron Wok?
4. Local store of national chain with stuff on sale. Walmart. Target. Kohl’s. Ralph’s (owned by Kroger.) I’m not made of money.
5. Locally-owned franchise of national chain. My Gym (which just closed their Murrieta location and is consolidating all operations to their Temecula Parkway location in the Stater Bros. shopping center.) Fitwize 4 Kids (now open in the Baron’s center on Rancho California Road and Meadows Parkway.) Pizza Fusion.
6. National chain within city limits of Temecula. Macy’s. Sears Auto Center. Costco.
7. National chain within Riverside County.
