Shopping Small

Last week was Thanksgiving then the Black Thursday/Black Friday sales.  I only needed a few items for my grandson, son and husband so rather than hitting the stores on Thanksgiving or Friday I got online and ordered all my items.  I even got the Black Friday prices and free shipping on everything.  I felt pretty proud of myself because I used my time wisely and also was not tempted by all the other deals in the stores.

So Saturday was a day for small business.  I did want to do a little shopping for the season so I drove over to my favorite jewelry store (Master Jewelers).  They were having a very busy day but took some time to talk about two jewelry repairs I needed done and then help me find a gift for one of my family members.  I was looking for a specific type of piece so the owner pulled out some of his estate jewelry and we found exactly what I wanted.  I think the person I bought it for will love it.

Later in the day my husband and I decided to go out to dinner.  We went to one of our favorite local restaurants Big Mike's Cafe.  Big Mike's is run by a brother and sister (Chef Mike and his sister Katie).  That night extra help was brought in, Mike's fiance Megan.  They had a performer there that evening (Matthew Corken) who was singing original music and playing several instruments.  Matthew's family filled the restaurant and were a loud and appreciative audience.  We spent the better part of the evening there enjoying great food but also enjoying the atmosphere of fun.  At one point in the evening the performer brought up two of his young relatives who helped him out as his percussion section.  They did a great job and got a enthusiastic round of applause at the end of their performance. 

So I decided I had the best of shopping experiences for this week.  I got exactly what I wanted online, at Black Friday prices, with free shipping to my house.  Later I was able to shop small visiting two of my favorite businesses.  It was the best of all worlds.