I own a small business and
I shop online. I support the 3/50
project with my business and in practice with several small local businesses and I shop online. I am an Amazon quick fix junkie for
some things. I can have a quick
shopping fix right from my desk or my favorite chair if I choose. I know. It’s a problem.
Sometimes it’s a budgetary problem. Sometimes it’s an “I live in rural America and this thing isn’t available here”
problem. I’d rather this item of
the moment was available at my local department store, but it’s a specialty
item.
When I work on a project, I love the touch and feel the
craft materials I use. I have not
had success choosing materials from a catalog or an online site because I am so
tactile and sensory about the process.
If I order something crafty, when the desired item arrives it’s the
wrong color, the wrong size, and the wrong shape. It goes to a dusty shelf and I reorder or try something
else.
When I travel with the family, we specifically search out
yarn and fiber shops. I gather
their addresses in advance on Google, KnitMap or SweaterBabe. I plan out the time to visit. My family usually goes for ice cream after they drop me off
at the LYS. It’s a long adventure
and they know it. And I get
something there that I cannot get at home in my favorite chair. I pick out a random skein of beautiful
yarn or a shop pattern. I have a
nice chat with someone who lives in another part of the country. They usually don’t know that I own a
yarn shop because I don’t share that.
I am seeing what other yarn shops feel like and that is best done incognito. I want to know the atmosphere and
character of the shops I visit. I
soak it in because each shop has a different feel. And I write down something interesting about each one. I look for ideas that I can take home
and that are worth using another time.
You can’t get that on Amazon.
