Today is Small Business Saturday, and we're having a quiet little sale. Owning a small business is an adventure, often stressful, but mostly rewarding. One thing that is has enforced in me is a sense of community. The people who shop at Perpetua, for the most part, aren't the type of customers you find at the mall. They, like us, generally love this town, and seem to share the values that we do. They shop locally when they can, and seem to feel a sense of responsibility as they go about their day. People they come into contact with aren't just part of the backdrop, or simply another obstacle to avoid. They place importance on the little interactions that make up the day.
These observations are responsible, at least partly, for improving my otherwise cynical (a relative term, to be sure) view of humanity. Don't get me wrong; I am still easily appalled by the ignorance and irresponsibility I see too often in the general public. But the nice thing about locality (and this one in particular) is that people seem to have more of a sense of duty to each other and to the community. We recognize the dependence we have on each others' well-being and quality of life.
And for those of us who feel this way, and see the importance of these things, the environment matters. We want to live in a clean, healthy, and peaceful world. The first obvious step, then, for Cat and me, was to start a small business that functions on the principles in which we believe. We want to make our own lives and community better, and hopefully have a positive impact that reaches beyond the people in and around Ann Arbor who shop with their conscience. After all, it is not solely Michigan that has shaped our lives, and a huge part of my own education has come from people and places—heck, even cuisines—far different than those I encounter day to day.
Pondering these things, I realize the connection between being the local and the global, and these musings guide my actions and decisions.
Anyway...
Hey, did I mention we're having a sale?
