I have been thinking for quite some time on what this blog
should evolve into. I loved the 30 day
challenge as it fun, simple and really changed how I looked at my own spending
behavior. Biggest issue? What the heck to do once the 30 day challenge
is over? Uh….I didn’t really think
through that part. Whoops.
I have been thinking a lot about where to go with the
blog. Clearly thinking a looooong time
as it has been MONTHS. Then, the Runners
Sole closed, seemingly out of nowhere.
Right after I was walking down the street to go to see the movie, "Home",
at York theater (cute movie btw!) and on the left side of York it was empty
storefront after empty storefront.
It made me sick to my stomach.
Our local businesses simply cannot survive and won’t stay in
our community if we don’t support them.
Being a business owner is very hard and truly a labor of
love. Growing up, my mom ran a small
business in our town. She sold gifts,
hand painted art and other items such as gourmet coffee. I watched her work a 12-15 hour day. Every.single.day. She didn’t do it just to make money. She did it because she loved it. She loved her customers and she believed that
her business added to our community. It
brought people, revenue and something special to our town. I have never seen anyone work as hard as she
did.
When you support a local business you are supporting an
actual person and a family that is IN our community, cares about our community
and is adding that little something “extra” to Elmhurst.
“Ding”
The light finally
went off. I want to showcase the PEOPLE
behind our local businesses. These are
people with a passion and a vision for our communities and each and every one of
them is very different. They have
stories to tell and I want to try to showcase these stories.
I want to tell the
stories of the people in our community that work so hard to bring a product or
a service to Elmhurst that keeps our community unique. Without them, we become a “cookie cutter”
community, no different than any other town.
I haven’t met anyone who wants that for our town.
So, in the coming
weeks, I will profile some great business owners and give you a little peek at
the person behind the business. We will
learn not only who they are, but WHY they chose Elmhurst as the best town to
grow their business.
Look for our first story soon -- until then, please take minute to stop into a local business this week.
