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!

Brand Loyalty

INGRID THOFT
During a recent visit to my mom's house, I grabbed a pen and added something to the grocery list attached to her fridge.  Perusing the list, I could predict exactly which brands she'd purchase because they mirror those on my own list.  Or vice versa, I suppose.  The laundry detergent I purchase is Tide; the butter is Land 'O Lakes; and the paper towels are Bounty.  Are these the best products in their class?  I wouldn't know, I'm so accustomed to pulling them off the shelf having seem them in my childhood home for so many years.

I did have an epiphany a few years ago when I discovered that I prefer regular spaghetti to thin spaghetti!  It had never occurred to me that there even was a regular thickness spaghetti!  Does that mean I'm ready to switch my Tide for All?  Probably not, but they say awareness is the first step to change.  How about you, Reds?  Do you reach for certain products out of muscle memory?

 

JENN MCKINLAY: There is only one brand that I'm attached to that is non-negotiable for me. Mayonnaise. It has to be Hellman's. There is simply no other acceptable brand. Hub tried to bring home Miracle Whip early in our marriage and I threw it right in the garbage. Hellman's is the best. Period. Go ahead -- come at me!

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN:  Oh, Jenn, Miracle Whip is not even real mayonnaise. It's another thing entirely.   Gah. I could never eat that.  Anyway, I'm weird about brand names, too. I've always used Tide--until recently (brand awareness? TV) I tried Persil and Oxiclean, and now I love those. I've used Cascade for years--sometimes I look at other items, but I can never do it. Bounty, yes. Dove soap. Land O Lakes yes. Stonyfield. Saran Wrap. I kind of gravitated to those 1950's looking dish soaps, what're they called?  And the sunflower one smells wonderful. And you know, as much as it could, my mom's grocery cart would've looked just like mine.  I'd love to hear what everyone else says!

RHYS BOWEN: I really wasn't aware what brands my mother used. Food arrived on the table. Clothes came back washed! But I have stuck with Tide, Cascade, Palmolive for years now. One thing I discovered early in marriage was that cheap brands didn't clean as well. Same with toilet paper. It has to be Charmin! But I have switched to local organic milk and yoghurt and don't buy cans of soup any longer ( too much sodium). And my son buys natural cleaners for me every time he comes to my house. ( but I still use Comet and Soft Scrub!)

HALLIE EPHRON: Miracle Whip is to mayonnaise what Dream Whip (Cool Whip) is to cream. Here in New England we have a Cain's mayonnaise. 

I grew up with Lawry's Seasoned Salt and I still use it. Lawry's had a restaurant in LA and that seasoning was what made their roast beef so good. I don't make roast beef, but it's perfect for seasoning a chicken before roasting. Combine salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, and of course, sugar, and you get a similar taste... but not. Beyond that we used all kinds of products I wouldn't touch now: Cheez-Its. Wonder Bread. Pancake "syrup." Frozen vegetables. Canned tomato soup.

INGRID: Full disclosure, I still prefer Mrs. Butterworth's to real Vermont maple syrup.  I know, I know.  It's a source of shame, but in my defense...wait, there is no defense.

JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: You losers can all bite my left toe. Miracle Whip has been clinically proven to be THE BEST and only sad people who have not had the benefit of living in the deep south do not understand the sheer bliss that is a Miracle Whip and fresh tomato sandwich. Mayo is for chicken salad and tuna fish. Miracle Whip is for creating a layer of heaven upon a slice of fluffy bread.
My other must-buy brands: Coke (regular), Arm & Hammer Unscented detergent (for my sensitive-skin offspring). Arm & Hammer Clump 'n Seal Cat Litter. I swear I don't have stock in Arm & Hammer, I just love these products. 

LUCY BURDETTE: I did recently try some earth-kind dishwasher soap and ended up with a load of dirty dishes after the machine ground through its cycle. I decided washing dishes twice wasn't the least bit earth-friendly so I bought some Cascade. sigh. Alpenglow lavender face cream--I bought this in Alaska some years ago and now I MUST have it in stock. Nature's Gate herbal hand lotion. King Arthur flour. Windex. Cottonelle toilet paper. I gave up my mother's Tide and Campbell's soup years ago, but I still feel drawn to their graphics!

DEBORAH CROMBIE:  Miracle Whip will never darken the door at our house. Ditto Cool Whip. And of course the only proper mayonnaise is Hellman's--unless it's homemade. Bounty paper towels. Rhys, I bought Charmin for years until a plumber told us that was what kept clogging up our sewer pipe (It doesn't disintegrate), so now we use Kirkland (Costco) brand and haven't had a stop since. Also Kirkland Eco laundry detergent and Kirkland dishwasher pods and Kirkland tissues. I thought I wasn't very brand loyal until I started noticing things around the house. Dry Idea Unscented Deodorant. Alba Botanica lotion. Pears Soap (I order by the case from Amazon.) And lots of things from Trader Joe's now.

I try to notice what brands I buy in the UK, so that I don't have my characters use something that's not available.

INGRID: Good point, Debs!  I'm sure you would hear about any errors from eagle-eye readers!

What about you?  Do you practice blind brand loyalty?