I met a friend for coffee (& a scone, i was hungry) we went to a privately owned coffee shop. SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL NEIGHBORS BUSINESSES. I brought my camera along. I wondered down the little Crestline Village-it is a part of Birmingham Alabama. Every store was owned by a fellow Birmingham resident, my neighbor. I am tired of watching Monopoly played out on main streets. Corporations buying everything up…I wonder what monopoly piece they would be? Ah…the shoe. A shoe so that BIG companies can kick out these little shops. I went into four stores today, I met the owners in three. I took a lot of pictures. These people are artists. Everything is eye candy. Beautiful things. I am going to post a few stores tomorrow.
The coffee shop was run by the owner. He made me my vanilla latte, size-small. 
- yum
I want his shop to succeed, if he succeeds, then the town does & then we do. Our towns are beautiful, there is work, our property values increase. Everyone wins.
I think people that start their own businesses are the bravest of us all.
2me4art 
Great points and a great commitment to your community!
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Thank you, KerryCan. I think its important to take care of our own. Pride in where you live must be maintained by constant support, right? I guess we can change the world in little ways all the time. ~amy
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The big companies only sweep through if a: businesses take their customers for granted and b: if customers don’t patronise local businesses.
This is playing out rather graphically in my little town on the edge of Melbourne Australia.
On one hand we have McDonalds moving in despite protests. No one else offer the things that Maccas offers so there is a place for them here………….. then we have the topic of coffee. Starbucks is a spectacular failure in Melbourne. The one store that they have is in the city centre and it is full of tourists. Melbournians understand good coffee and they demand it…… even from little suburban cafes….. and if you don’t deliver they go next door.
If you build it they will come.
Terry
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Thank you, Terry. You explain it perfectly. The world has become such a big place, with big businesses. But it has always mattered to have a good community of people living & supporting one another. Feeling pride for their town/village & even city. If we don’t start at home, keep our focus on each other, then our towns will fail. If a neighbor builds it, i will support it. ~amy
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#ShopLocal!
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I agree too – supporting small businesses is growing the economy and supporting creative people with guts.
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I’m so glad, Mo. When people lived in a smaller world. Lived in towns & didn’t travel far, everyone supported one another to survive, now the world is bigger & we can order online or drive to walmart. But we pass our neighbors by without thought to our own well being. If we support our neighbors within a 10 mile radius, then our property values sky rocket! ~amy
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and I agree that the rest of us should support them
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I am so glad kiwiskan! ~amy
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I like to shop local businesses. I went to a non-corporate coffee shop tonight.
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Good for you, jr cline! I hope everyone catches on to the importance of supporting our neighbor’s big dream. ~amy
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Me too.
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A local coffee shop just opened around the corner from my house–I’ll try it tomorrow. Short walk. No parking lot. No grande/venti lingo. I pray the coffee is good.
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How wonderful for you. I’ll bet you can find something there to enjoy. Every visit builds your neighbors business. I think there is no better thing one can do, then to support another’s dream. You are so cool, 67steffen! ~amy
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