Our town is the best

There’s a lot that we love about our town and we’d swear that it’s a special place. We’ve made great friends over the years. Our kids can’t recall any other place to call home. They participate in all kinds of sports and programs in our town. Our schools and teachers are great. We hike, bike, and play outdoors all the while running into friends, neighbors, and those same teachers. Even our dogs run into their canine and human friends about town.

Did I mention that we have great restaurants and shops? I could rattle off a long list. Traditional Italian restaurants, artisanal coffee purveyors, sushi bars, pizza joints, and hip boutiques where the staff are our friends and neighbors. There’s a regular cadence and friendly ease when we see our dry cleaner, hair stylist, music teachers, and other professionals in the community.

Most of you would say the same about your community and where you live. It’s arguable that our town isn’t really that unique or special.

We can’t live in the only great town in America. But it’s our town. There’s a whole slew of businesses that sustain and enhance our daily routines, that give our lives richness and color: happy times when we go out for ice cream (a bit too often); reassurance when we seek advice and expertise from our chiropractor, accountant, veterinarian, and ____ (fill-in-the-blank); and connection when we gather to socialize over coffee or dinner with friends.

Despite proclamations to the contrary (we’re looking at you, Amazon), such local commerce still matters deeply to us. Americans spend 90% of their dollars locally, not online. We live and shop in our town for many reasons: convenience, personal service, expertise, and trust. Amazon has its place in our lives, but it can’t make our town great. Local businesses do. So shop local so our town can be enriched by the local businesses that enable us to live so easily and happily here.

Then we’ll all live in the best town.