One recent message from a Vermont maker not only warmed the cockles of our hearts, but it reconfirmed for me that buying local makes a difference in the day-to-day lives of our neighbors. (fist pump)
We had placed a small test order with a one-woman company for some really adorable handmade products. We crossed our fingers! As we’d hoped and suspected, the items sold well! We placed a large order in anticipation of the fall and holiday seasons and received the most wonderful message from her!
She shared that our order “made her month”! She said it “paid for her childcare for the next month”, and she even treated herself to a bagel with her coffee the next morning and didn’t feel guilty about it! Reading her message filled me with joy and pride knowing that we and our customers are a part of supporting her family and making a living through her passion!
A few days later we received an email from another producer! And I quote…
“Warm and hearty greetings, fellow humans! We’re writing to you today for one reason. We want to express our gratitude. We’ve been so busy lately that we’ve hardly had the chance to stop and appreciate that your business is keeping all of us here at [Vermont company] sustained. We’re a small, family-run operation that relies on the other family businesses around us to keep going, and you’ve done just that. You’ve kept us running, quite literally at times. For that, we say from the depths of our sincerest feelings, thank you.”
It’s stories like these that reinforce just how interconnected small local economies are. In Vermont, many of our producers make a point to source local ingredients, collaborate with other local small businesses, and spend their money locally. That means more money circulating within Vermont, and more jobs for Vermonters.
We sell locally made products because purchasing small and local supports our neighbors make a living through their dreams and passions. And that’s what it’s all about for us.