Welcome to my blog

I started this blog because of a growing passion of mine: buying from each other, not from big corporations. The list of reasons not to shop at the mall are growing. I suppose that the one that pushed me over the edge was the growing number of unsafe products coming from overseas, but you can just add that to the over-commercialized, cookie-cutter, generally spirit-sucking mall experience. Also the fact that many entrepreneurs and artists (I count myself among them) create wonderful things and are often struggling to put food on the table or provide a useful or creative service or product that we would probably love to buy if we just could find out about it above the confusing din of mass advertising that permeates every aspect of our lives these days.

This blog is designed to not only discuss ideas surrounding the "buy local" and "buy handmade" movements but also to talk about wonderful businesses or products out there that have caught my eye.

In the old days, even before my own childhood, there was a sense of interconnectedness, of community. Of neighbors supporting neighbors for the things that were needed. Now, it seems we are spread out globally in a hundred different directions, very few of which are healthy for us or the planet. It's time to rediscover that many of the things that we need are right nearby, often in our own towns, produced by our own neighbors.

Let's improve the quality of our lives, starting right now.