Living Organism

We’ve been aware of the Buy Local movement for some time. It always felt like a good concept, since supporting businesses in your own community is basically a win-win (especially in a tough economy). But to be honest it was a concept that took awhile to fully take hold. Even though we were aware, there were too many times when the ease and consistency of a trip to the mall won out over the more challenging adventure of seeking out local products and stores. We supported the idea, but our behavior didn’t always back it up.

That changed recently when we attended a press conference for Baltimore City’s Miracle on Main Streets program. The initiative – put together by Baltimore Main Streets, a part of the Baltimore Development Corporation — seeks to get shoppers to “Do It All Without the Mall.” The case they make — and specifically that tagline — really stuck with us.

It got us thinking about two things: the very real importance of taking part in the Buy Local concept, and the fact that the tagline works so effectively.

Making a conscious effort to shop and eat at local establishments opened our eyes to the wealth of amazing resources hidden right in front of us. On one day alone it led us to a great lunch in our neighborhood, at Di Pasquale’s, Conkling Foam Center — a custom foam shop that doubles as a holiday store this time of year.

We went in and had a great experience with the owner, Mr. Stanford Schneider (or Stan, as he prefers to be called), and his nephew, Adam Smith. We picked up about 10 Christmas items including ornaments, lights, and stockings. We ended up paying only $12, all while enjoying the kind of personal, old-school customer service that used to be standard. Stan even gave us a discount, for no reason other than it was a nice thing to do.

If we put more effort into buying local, we’ll probably find dozens of places just like the Conkling Foam, some scattered around the city and some right in our own neighborhood. We’re going to start seeking them out and giving them the support they deserve, and we’re hoping more people will do the same. It’s not too late to spend some of your holiday dollars at a place that could probably really use them.

Which brings us to the other thing that got us thinking after the press conference: the importance of solid marketing for concepts like Buy Local.

We’ll post our thoughts on that tomorrow.