Here's a pertinent question for the holiday season: do you prefer to shop at locally-owned stores rather than big box stores or online? If so, are you willing to pay a higher price to do so?

We lucked out in that our new town, Corvallis, has a great downtown and is plush with locally-owned stores. We can get most of our needs met by heading to a local shop either downtown or somewhere nearby. Most importantly, there's a great toy store (and two other stores that sell new and used Lego). There's also a hardware store, a kitchen store, a couple book stores, a record store (remember those?), a yarn store, several new and used boutiques and shoe stores, etc.

It's nice to walk into one of these shops, talk with an owner or friendly salesperson, and enjoy a small, curated selection of goods. I like being in a cozy, well-designed environment. I like running into people I know, or finding an item made by a local producer, author, or artisan. I prefer the aesthetic experience of being in a small shop compared to walking into a big box store, with its glaring lights and sky-high ceilings and aisle upon aisle upon aisle of *stuff*. Baubles, gimcracks, and frippery. Maybe this is the real reason I cried at Target. Does anyone else find it a little soul-destroying to walk into one of these behemoths?...

Read More