Favorite Small Businesses by Jenn McKinlay

Jenn McKinlay: Now, I’m not here to bash Amazon…much. Truthfully, I love that I can order random stuff and have it at my house ON THE SAME DAY. It boggles, truly. Laser pointer for King George needed ASAP because I’m on deadline and he’s being a butt? Done. It came within hours. I didn’t even have to get in my car and drive anywhere. Mind blown! 

Obscurely shaped pots for my orchid, which suddenly decided to have babies? Actually, they’re called keikis, but whatever. The containers and fertilizer arrived in a week with a bonus five dollar reward because I didn’t make them deliver on the same day. Crazy, right? What madness is this? I remember when Amazon was mostly books and they were losing money like an oil leak out of a cracked engine. Look at them now! So, I don’t dislike Amazon, -- after all, they sell my books -- but as randomly fabulous as they can be, they simply can’t beat some of my favorite small businesses both here in Arizona and in the northeast. 

Why? Because knowing your customers and your product and, dare I say it, specializing in a thing matters. I like brick and mortar. I like talking to people who know their subject inside out ,upside down, and backwards. I like tips and tricks that can only come in person, face to face, instead of on YouTube, which admittedly, can also be cool, but still I crave the human interaction. So, in alphabetical order - because, librarian - here are some of my favorite small businesses:

Arcosanti is an experimental town, known for its molten bronze bell casting business. I have several of these bells hanging on my front porch. They are my early warning system when the monsoons roll in. The community built out in the desert is pretty cool to tour, very reminiscent of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin West, but its architectural/ecology mashup concept is the brainchild of the Italian-American architect, Paolo Soleri.

The Bells!

Gaspereau Valley Fibres Yarn. I’m an addict and it’s a problem, but this place explodes with all the fiber loving eye candy a gal could want, plus they offer classes in everything from felting to weaving. Yes, please! And they carry local Nova Scotian yarn, which I love! I go every summer and stock up on projects for winter. Also, you can email them with orders, although I haven't tried this yet from the States.

Long Winter Farm is a Maine soap company, that I visit when I’m back east and making my annual trek to Canada. They rose to infamy when the owner humorously crafted a lip balm called Nasty Woman - I ordered three – but the hippie nerdy vibe of all of their products makes me happy and their product descriptions make me laugh. They sell a soap called Unicorn Farts, people. I personally wiped them out of Sea Sprite body cream – yes, it smells like the ocean!

Poisoned Pen What can I say? It’s my home away from home. I’ve been going to the Pen since I moved to the Valley in 1992, three years after Barbara Peters opened her iconic bookstore. From Paul the dog to the painted outlines of bodies on the floor and bloody handprints on the tables, I love every inch of it. Plus, they put author videos on Youtube. How can you beat that? Here are three Reds in action!

 Hank at the Pen!

Rhys at the Pen!

 Jenn at the Pen!

Queen Creek Olive Mill Let me start with bacon infused olive oil. After that, really, what more needs to be said? This is a working olive mill out in Queen Creek, Arizona, that also hosts a fabulous restaurant and catering. I took my mom for the tour on her birthday and we had a blast, noshing on an olive/cheese plate, buying exotic olive oils and the products made from them – they even had cupcakes! When I’m stumped for a gift, I go to the mill. Also, I always think this would be a great setting for a cozy mystery series...hmm.

Olive Harvest!

So, Reds and Readers, what are some of your favorite small businesses? Share your top picks with us! Oh, and if you need a special day to give a boost to your local businesses, Small Business Saturday is on November 30^ththis year!

Every Time a Bell Rings by Jenn McKinlay

“Gimme gimme gimme!”When the hooligans were small, I used to warn them against being a “gimme kid”, but let’s face it, the world is against you in this battle. Especially during the holidays, the ads and sales for which now start around Labor Day and are relentless right through to the new year. They simply have to have this toy or that phone or their life will be ruined...forever. Over the years, Hub and I developed a lot of techniques to combat the materialism, but one of my favorite’s is the annual holiday bells.

Holiday Bells 

What are these holiday bells you ask?  They are actual bells that we  put on the tree as ornaments, but each one denotes the charity of our choice for the year. 

So, one year my bell represented my donation to the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, while Hub’s was to the Sea Turtle Conservancy, and the hooligans both chose the Phoenix Zoo. I began this tradition when the hooligans were little because I wanted them to actively think of others, about giving to others, and learn the responsibility you have when you have plenty to give to others who don’t. I also wanted them to have the autonomy to choose where they contributed their money in the world. They chose the Zoo for several years, but then when there was a refugee crisis, they opted to give their donation there instead.

The idea was inspired from watching one of my fave holiday movies It's a Wonderful Life and the expression, repeated frequently in the film, "Every time a bell rings an angel gets their wings." I had the thought while watching that it would be lovely to hear holiday bells ring and know for a fact that something good was attached to the ring-a-ding-ding and so the tradition began. 

It's a Wonderful Life

We’re going on eight or so years now, so there are a lot of bells on our tree which makes me smile, especially when one of the cats tries to climb the tree and the bells act as an early warning system. 

This year, we lost a beloved family member in the month of December, so we each chose a favorite organization of hers to make a donation in her name. And the bell I found to represent our giving this year just warms my heart. It’s the tiniest angel, which seems fitting.

This year's bell

What about you, Reds and Readers, how do you combat the materialism and what’s one of your favorite traditions?