Home. It’s a rather fluid concept right now isn’t it. Our home is our resting place. Our home is our workplace. Our home is our children’s classroom. The space around us has become our whole world as the wider world around us battles its way through this pandemic for the best part of a year. Digital devices have become our friends and our neighbours have become our family. There really has never been a better time to discover and connect with the local community close to home. On our adventures that are now limited to thirty minutes of steps beyond our front door, it’s amazing how you notice things once overlooked and appreciate the place we call home.
There has been a huge movement in ‘shopping local’ in recent years, with many consumers choosing to make small changes to their everyday life to support smaller businesses rather than multinational corporate brands. However, there seems to be a monumental cultural shift happening right now, and boy, it feels good! A movement where consumers are fighting for the community they love and the people they shared this historic moment in time with. Supporting businesses close to home enables the local environment around us to survive. From local cafes and restaurants livening up our lunchtimes with delicious deliveries, to fabulous florists showing the ones you can’t be with right now how much you love them. From the bookshops giving us relished escapism and shoe shops keeping those ever-growing little feet of the family comfortable. It’s amazing how those little things can keep the whole house in a good place and keep life relatively stable in turbulent times; and that is something that shouldn’t be underestimated.
Even though these small purchases and tasks may not seem huge in the grand scheme of our daily life, they are anything but to the businesses and communities we are supporting. Every enquiry is a win for them. Every sale is a success. Every penny through their register enables them to not only survive through this pandemic, but thrive in the months ahead.
Have you found a local business in the last year you may never have purchased from before? If not, why not give that local café, corner shop, bookstore, clothes shop, health-food store or restaurant a try? So many of them have actually been able to adapt to the government restrictions much easier than bigger companies, with flexibility and ingenious ideas to keep business moving. So, show them you care, show them they’re being noticed and support your local community.
Home really is where the heart is. And right now, showing a little love to those around it is something we can all do to make a difference.
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