Long before I ever considered moving to Rockford, Illinois, I was invited here to speak at a conference. My topic was job posts for small business owners. The organizer was a longtime friend of mine. Today you might know her as the infamous Lauren V. Davis aka my fiancé. The night before the event, the organizers and speakers went to dinner at one of our favorite local Mexican restaurants called Lucha Cantina.
After the bill was paid, Lauren needed to grab the last few things for the event the next day. One of the other speakers and I volunteered to ride with her to the store. As we criss-crossed town in her gold Mercury Sable, we passed Target then Walmart. “Where are we going,” I said, thinking you can get everything you need at either of those stores. “We’re going employee-owned,” she said with a smile as we pulled into the Woodman’s parking lot (#iykyk). Inside was the most well-stocked grocery store I have ever seen. They had every variety and option. Gluten free. Dairy free. “They’ll order anything you want,” she explained as we marched down the candy aisle. I quietly considered how much room was left in my suitcase for travel stable gluten free treats.
After the trip, I remember thinking about this store a lot. Honestly, I had never gone out of my way to buy anything local or regional besides maybe a latte. I think it was partially the fact that I grew up in a pre-Internet military family. We moved a lot and we knew the names of big box stores. I didn’t know about local options. Also, my family was very frugal. That’s code for cheap. We got the generic brand of everything. We bought groceries at the commissary on base or places that were notorious for being cheap.
Lauren had a completely different experience. Her mom owns the best local dog biscuit bakery in town (she ships!). Her dad worked in economic development and brought Lauren with him as he visited different shops. Some of her earliest memories include her dad explaining how special local businesses are. How certain places like Mary’s Market only exist in Rockford. At 18, Lauren took her own leap into owning a local business that she was a part of for 16 years. For 13 of those years, she also ran a nonprofit dedicated to helping small businesses in the community before she stepped away to focus on her coaching business.
Likely needless to say, but when we moved back to Rockford, we weren’t going to go to big box stores. We shop local. With Lauren’s help, I’ve been fascinated to find there’s a local place for almost anything. Inside those local shops, I’ve met more people with big hearts and beautiful dreams than I can begin to capture inside this short letter. They remember us. “I love Lauren,” they say when I explain how I heard about their businesses. If she’s with me, the visit starts with hugs. We aren’t just customers to them. Lauren and I are part of their life.
These folks have left an imprint on me - the biggest of all left by the owner of Lucha where I had my first meal in Rockford. His name is Josh and this Saturday night, we sat around a table with 9 of our friends as we made a toast to his final days in business after 13 years. It felt like going to a wake. I remember my first meal there. Friday comedy shows. I threw Lauren a surprise party for her birthday here 3 years ago today. As we left, Josh told me, “I didn’t even know you 2 years ago. Now I’m like, ‘Kat is on my side!’” I am on his side, forever.
I am on the side of entrepreneurs and small businesses. Dreamers and destiny you can’t avoid. Hard work and persistence. I am always cheering for creators. People who want to make something out of their imagination. Owners who care and want to make sure we all have exactly what we want. Humans who care how your project turns out or if your friends loved the cake.
That’s why I try to shop local and I think you should, too.
What the world needs now is the kind of care and compassion we can give each other on the most local level. Every day I read something else that makes me worry the world won’t turn out ok, but I know I can change how my world feels one small choice at a time. I know everything feels expensive, but it's not wildly more expensive to go places and shop at businesses owned by people who make my community more unique. I can pay the $5 subscription to my friend’s art. I can share a social media post about a business I love. I can make more plans to visit my favorite local restaurant when we go out. Each of us can help these beautiful communities and businesses stay alive with small acts.
Small business support is not a spectator sport. We have to choose to show up for each other to help dreams become real. We can do all that by buying local.
