Archive for Community

Family Fair Follow-up

May 22, 2013 / / No comments

Here’s a little report on the Rely On Renton Family Fair. In case you missed it, it was awesome! Thirty-four local businesses and nonprofits came together to share their vision for families in our community. It was a chance for families with kids to see what kinds of services are being offered right in their backyard. It was also a great opportunity for small businesses to get some face-to-face contact with people that might not find them otherwise. Win-win!

Many small local businesses and nonprofits were represented at the Rely On Renton Family Fair

We had lots of businesses with things that kids love, like RylieCakes, serving up their gluten-free brownies and cookies!

RylieCakes served up some gluten free goodies for the kiddies

Many of the booths hosted activities for kids. Blossoming Hill Montessori, for instance, made catapults from rubber bands and popsicle sticks. Their projectiles? Neon colored pompoms, of course!

Blossoming Hilll Montessori

Our favorite children’s entertainer, caspar babypants, played to a captivated audience. His silly songs appeal to a wide audience. This is what one grandma had to say about his performance…

“I’M IN LOVE WITH CASPER BABY PANTS! IT’S BEEN A LONG TIME SINCE I DANCED AND CLAPPED AND SANG ALONG WITH A BUNCH OF KIDS. WHAT GRREAT FUN! IT SHOULD BE REQUIRED OF ALL SENIORS. IT MAKES YOUR HEART SING!”

caspar babypants packed out the house!

We had other acts on our stage as well, from dancing, to martial arts, to product demos. One highlight of the day was when CryOut stepped up to the stage and brought in a little dubstep to downtown Renton! Way to step it up Renton!!!

CryOut brought some positive urban vibes to our event

The crowd loved CryOut’s addictive urban beats and positive message!

Even the Grandmas got into CryOut's addictive dubstep beats

The best part for me was to see families flocking to downtown Renton, and even the TRANSIT CENTER (what what?) to a fresh, lively, vibrant,family event. Moments like these help us as residents of Renton to balance our concerns for safety of the downtown area with a greater understanding of the potential for good and positive experiences in these beautiful spaces.

Someone's been enjoying RylieCakes!

Think about this for a minute: If you can dream it, it can happen. If you never dream it, how can it ever come about? Change starts with imagination. Positive change starts with imagination AND faith enough to carry through to the end.

Category: Community, Downtown Renton, Events / Tags: , , ,

From Consumers to Investors

April 9, 2013 / / No comments
To consume, or to invest, that is the question: whether 'tis nobler to shop local.

To consume, or to invest, that is the question: whether ’tis nobler to shop local.

I’m joining the ranks of the people who dislike using the word “consumer”. We use the term consumer to designate a person who is on the receiving end of transactions. We use it interchangably with “customer”, as in the people who buy things and use services. This is the definition of consumer that I found on a web search:

con·sum·er
1. a person or thing that consumes.
2. Economics . a person or organization that uses a commodity or service.
3. Ecology . an organism, usually an animal, that feeds on plants or other animals.
Origin: 1375–1425  for earlier sense “squanderer,” 1525–35 for current senses; Middle English
For contrast, look at the definition of “investor”.

investor
1. One who puts (money) to use, by purchase or expenditure, in something offering potential profitable returns, as interest, income, or appreciation in value.
2. One who uses (money), as in accumulating something: to invest large sums in books.

What would happen if we began to approach our community as investors rather than consumers?

Consumer Investor
Focuses on the present Focuses on the future
Feeds, eats Cultivates, nurtures
Concerned only about self, without regard for others Concerned about self in the context of others
Believes that their present success is independent of others Recognizes that their future success is wrapped up in the success of others

I’m not naive enough to suggest that all Renton residents should be philanthropists. I’m suggesting that Renton residents would do well to consider how their money can continue to work for them after they’ve spent it. In other words, sometimes what seems like a good deal on the surface is actually not a good deal. Saving money by shopping at a big box store or online leeches money out of your community. Spending money at local, independent stores may or may not cost more, but stays within your community longer to create more wealth and health in your community.

Let’s look at some of the research on this topic.

  • A series of studies conducted by Civic Economics demonstrates that money spent at independent, locally owned stores is more likely to circulate locally than that spent at a chain. For example, the study for Louisville found that independent stores recirculate 55.2% of revenues compared to 13.6% for big retailers, and that local restaurants recirculate 67%, while big chains do 30.4%.
  • Communities with a greater proportion of small businesses show lower rates of mortality, obesity and diabetes, according to a study from Louisiana State University. “What stands out about this research is that we often think of the economic benefits and job growth that small business generates, but we don’t think of the social benefits to small communities,” says Troy Blanchard, Ph.D., lead author and associate professor of sociology at LSU.
  • Home values increase faster when they’re located near a business center dominated by independent businesses. Independent We Stand, a national collaboration of small businesses, developed a calculator to show how much a home’s value would have increased over a 14-year period if it was located near a strong independent business district. The calculator revealed that in ZIP codes that contained a central district dominated by strong, independent businesses, home values went up 54.2 percent more on average than those without one.

In summation, the dollars spent with small local businesses in your city continue to work for you after you’ve spent them, by helping your home value increase faster, improving your community’s health, and circulating more money within your city. There are many other studies that document the contrasted effects of spending money at a local, independent store versus a big box chain or online.

It’s like you have a big, juicy ripe tomato. Add a little salt, and you have a tasty lunch. Alternately, you can save the seeds and plant them for a bumper crop harvest at a later date. The choice is yours!

I want to challenge you. The next time you’re tempted to make financial decisions based solely on price, take into consideration the bottom line of your community. What will happen to your money after you spend it? Will it continue to work for you, or will it end up in another community, benefiting someone else?

What do you think? Is it more important to save a few dollars today, or invest a few more dollars at a local business to ensure that your money stays in your community and continues to aggregate and grow to improve your community?

To find some local, independent businesses near you, check out our RelyLocal directory at http://relyonrenton.com.

Category: Community, Shop Local /

Fixing Renton’s Future: Recap!

January 20, 2013 / / 2 comments

The room fairly glowed with imagination, enthusiasm, and love of Renton when residents and business owners gathered at Blossom Vegetarian for our first ever “Fixing Renton’s Future” meetup on Saturday January 19th. The attendees ranged from lawyers to auto mechanics, babies to retirees, city officials to brand new residents. They gathered with the common goal of creating a better future for Renton. Hope was spoken and received.

After introducing themselves and setting some ground rules, while enjoying some delicious food from Blossom Vegetarian, they broke into smaller groups at each table to give some thought to the assets Renton has. They answered with the things they really appreciate, love and consider strengths of this city and community.

We love Renton because: Central to the freeway and airport; on-ramp to Talbot; everything is close to home (w/in 5 mi); sound income base / steam to the city; diversity; loyal local customer base; lots of community activities (esp in summer); food! yummy and unique; small town feel; Carco, golf course etc pay for itself; historic buildings, parksWe love Renton's: Seahawks; Museum; Small businesses; Parks; People; Food; Charitable non-profit support; Gene Sens; Farmers Market; Parks and recreation; Positive big businesses like Boeing, Paccar, Frys, Ikea, etc; Oktoberfest; SIFF; Manufacturing; Walkable; Arts support; Diversity; Big city with small town feel; Car show; Location; Hawks!What we love about Renton: Diversity; Weather; History; Accessibility to freeways and location; Strong organizations; Major events (Go Hawks!); Neighborhoods; Scenic views, parks and trails; Great locally owned businesses (good foot and eats); Improvement in schools; Transportation; River and lake; Small town feel with big town amenities; Community involvement; Friendliness; POTENTIAL

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You can see some common themes that arose in these three groups. Rentonites love:

  • Our location. Just outside of Seattle, we are close to everything important in this region, yet without the big city density and traffic.
  • Diversity. Renton’s face has changed dramatically in the last ten years. We’ve gone from being primarily a white city to being a minority majority, and we think it’s awesome!
  • Our parks and trails. Our summers are not complete without picnics at Gene Coulon Beach Park and walks along the Cedar River trail.
  • Great restaurants. Renton has the makings of a foodie destination. We rarely need to leave the city to find a great night out.
  • Unique city-wide events. From Renton River Days to Oktoberfest, there is something for everyone here!
  • Our diverse business community. We’re proud of Boeing, Paccar, and other big businesses that keep so many people our city constructively employed. We also love the small-town closeness we experience in the small business community.
  • We love the historic sections of town. The history museum, even if we don’t go often (or ever), is something we are proud of and smile about each time we drive by.
  • The Seahawks. The Seahawks’ decision to grace our city with their practice facility did more for Renton’s self-esteem than anything since the beginning of the century. Rentonites feel they have a reason to be validated by other cities: if we’re good enough for the Seahawks, we’re good enough for you, thank you very much.

We wrapped up by talking about how it is important for us to move forward keeping in mind our strengths. Rather than trying to recreate our city, we want to capitalize on our assets and allow them to catapult us into a brighter future.

With the ideas heard in the Fixing the Future film as a starting point, we brainstormed ideas for how to improve our local economy. As we unpacked those ideas, we coded them: blue for ideas that we have direct control over and orange for ideas that we can have influence over. We also had a green code for ideas that we had no control over, but there were none of those on our list, thankfully. Such a practical, intelligent group was participating!
How to make Renton Better: Some way to work with landlords (invite to participate); Beautify (clean-up, litter removal, citizen-run, April Event); Share with friends (local pride); Get empty buildings occupied; Local gift card (curve combination, multi-location, rechargeable, social media); parking validation; bicycle ride (works in Mt Vernon, charity); education about local (Sustainable Renton movies - last Fridays 7pm, market Renton to Renton, data for small business owners, interns); Incentivize local shopping (gift certificates); Shop local; Bring outsiders in (advertising, social media); Network with other retail centers (more comprehensive locals-only directory, easy to navigate); Explore alternative currency (gift card); Collaborative workspace (natural networking, shared space, business incubator); Food co-op; Walking map of Renton (South Renton, center on transit center); Take advantage of the River (events, infrastructure);

We consolidated the list of ideas within our direct control and voted on the ideas we considered most interesting.

Our top favorites were:

  • Beautifying our city with more flowers, seasonal decorations, recognition of holidays, such as Independence Day, Veterans Day, etc.
  • Educating the our city about the importance of shopping local, and
  • Expanding the Farmer’s Market.

A close runner up was

  • A local gift card, which is one expression of an alternate currency. It’s another way to keep money in our city, and small businesses in particular.

At our next event we want to focus on the assets that we, as a group of Renton-lovin’ people, bring to the table. Let’s get to know each other in a better way, and see where we each fit in to bring our plans and ideas to fruition!

Between now and then, we can start to take action on the above steps by:

  • Talk to people about the importance of supporting small, local, independent mom & pop shops. I (Amanda) want to coin an acronym, SLIMPS, but Ian thinks it’s stupid. Anyone else have a better way of saying this?
  • Invite neighbors and friends to participate in this important work with us. Invite them to our facebook, twitter, blog, etc., and to our next event. Stefeny Anderson wasn’t here to say “what about the youth?”, so I have to say it for her. I would love to see some teens and mature tweens getting involved as well.
  • Participate in our Facebook Group. Since it seems that the forum didn’t take off (unfamiliar medium? Difficult to navigate? Not enough content?) we have created a Facebook group for discussion. It is open to the public. Please participate and add your friends. http://www.facebook.com/groups/319359004830793/

Looking forward to seeing all the great things this group can do as we move forward together!

Category: Community, Events /

Keeping Food Local: Community Gardening in Renton

January 8, 2013 / / No comments

This is the first post in a series on eating locally in Renton.

The video I posted the other day about “Carrots, Pigs, and $3 Million Dollars” got me thinking about local food. Locally grown food has so many advantages over the same kinds food grown far away. Long travel time causes food to lose flavor and nutrients. Shipping food from distant places adds to foods’ cost and carbon footprint. Buying food grown locally means supporting farmers who will in turn support your local economy.

Eating locally also means eating seasonally. Those fresh berries in the grocery store in January are expensive because they are not in season in Renton. January berries are in season where January is summer, likely south of the equator.

Home grown food is delightful on so many levels. A well tended vegetable garden is like an edible jungle. I love roaming about through vines winding up stalks, stepping carefully to avoid crushing tender underbrush, while prowling for food. Once you know the enchanting flavor of a freshly-picked, juicy, sun-warmed, vine-ripened tomato, out of season grocery store tomatoes never seem worth your money again.

To a child, gardening is magical. In my childhood backyard, there was always space to garden. I remember one year my mother charged me with weeding a gladiolus bed. This prolific flower had given birth to thousands of tiny bulblets that had no home. She gave me a small plot of earth behind the compost pile to dig in and plant the baby bulbs. It was fun for a day or two. Then summer stole my attention, and I forgot about the possibility of flowers. A couple of months later, I saw some ruffly, orange flowers peeking out behind the compost pile. There, in my neglected garden, was a tall, stately stalk of gladiolus flowers. Those flowers served to remind me that a seed, or bulb, may not look like much, but given time it will bear fruit. A seed is a promise of good things to come.

As an adult, the joys of gardening are harder to come by. Along with almost two-thirds of the American population, we live in multi-family housing. Apartment living comes without backyards, as a general rule. How can apartment dwellers grow their own food?

That’s where community gardens come in. Last year I had two plots at Sunset Community Garden in the Sunset Neighborhood in Renton. A co-operative effort between Sunset Neighborhood Association and Calvary Baptist Church, Sunset Community Garden is open to the public. I rented two garden spaces for $15 each for the year. This covered soil amendments and water. We were also expected to participate in scheduled work days around the garden.

My two garden plots equaled 40 square feet in sum. The first veggies planted were replaced as they completed their production. In this way I planted over forty different kinds of vegetables over the growing season. During the peak of summer I was harvesting between 5 and 10 POUNDS of produce a week! I grew several varieties of kale, beets, tomatoes, onions, green beans, carrots, radishes, baby greens, herbs, fennel, peas, spinach, Swiss chard, and others. During the hour a week I spent tending my beds, I conversed with newly-met neighbors, fellow gardeners, and passersby.

Other community gardens exist around Renton. They are popular, and spaces fill quickly each year. If you are interested in being a part of the community at Sunset Community Garden, registration begins in February 15th.

Category: Community, Featured, Local Food, Shop Local /

Carrots, Pigs, and $3 million dollars

January 7, 2013 / / No comments

Category: Community, Featured /

Triumph of the Commons in Two Tales

December 21, 2012 / / No comments

Two Tales of Sharing

The story of stone soup has inspired children to share for generations. Stone soup is that folk tale of people with limited resources not realizing the value of the resources that they actually have. A leader inspired them to bring together their most abundant, but overlooked, resources to create something of higher value. I have lots of carrots, someone else has lots of onions and potatoes, put them together with some water and voila: stew. The villagers were starving before they brought their goods together and shared them. Afterward they were feasting. Moral: Your resources are more valuable when you share them with your community.

The second tale is one of a community library. Ten people had one book they which they had read multiple times. To each person, this book was an “old favorite.” Alas, they longed for new knowledge. One villager began to talk to others about this book they had, and found that others felt the same. Ten decided to put their books together into a library. INSTANTLY they had access to TEN different books, nine of which were new to them. Furthermore, the news began to spread about having access to many books, and other people sought to contribute their one book to the library, in order to have access to an increasingly valuable library. Moral: Your resources can be many times more valuable when you share them with your community.

In the first story, the quality of what was put in increased, but the quantity remained the same. In the second story, you put a little in and get a lot out. The quantity and value of the collective contribution to the library was exponential. The difference lies in what kinds of good area shared: tangible versus intangible, consumable vs non-consumable.

The Damaging Lie of Scarcity

I’m hearing this all over town, “This down economy has been really hard on me and my family. I’m just hunkering down and looking after myself right now.” This mindset, driven by fear and a focus on scarcity, says that sharing will reduce availability of scarce resources and therefore increase suffering. They seem to have bought the lie that resources in our community are limited in quantity and quality. There are many ways this mindset damages our community:

  • Scarcity discourages community involvement, because of perceived limited ability to affect change. “I’m only one person! What can I do by myself?”
  • Scarcity creates fear of one another. A scarcity mindset views neighbors as potential enemies: people who can  make your resources less available to you and your family.
  • Scarcity is a self-fulfilling prophecy. Scarcity inspires hoarding. Hoarding resources means that your resources are not available for use by you or the community around you, which is functionally scarcity. It reminds me of a line from a song I learned in elementary school: “Love is like a magic penny. Hold it tight you won’t have any. Lend it, spend it you’ll have so many, they’ll roll all over the floor!”

Triumph of the commons: The more you give, the more you get.

Wikipedia defines “tragedy of the commons” as “the depletion of a shared resource by individuals, acting independently and rationally according to each one’s self-interest, despite their understanding that depleting the common resource is contrary to their long-term best interests.” Tragedy of the commons is natural to people acting out of fear and scarcity mentality. Thankfully we are not bound by our base natures. We can rise above and experience the power that collaboration brings: triumph, rather than tragedy, of the commons.

In an economy where the money and material possessions are the only measure of value, it’s easy to be trapped by a scarcity mentality. The truth is that our collective resources as a community are vast. We need to put money and material wealth in it’s place: it’s just one of many tangible and intangible resources that we have to invest.

Let’s look at what is possible when a modern community collectively invests tangible resources: a twenty-first century stone soup. Kickstarter is a great example of crowd-funding. Community members contribute small amounts of money and collectively fund new creative projects like movies, games, music albums, etc. Crowd-funding has also been used to open local businesses like pubs, bookstores, and food co-ops. This model has amazing implications for the city of Renton. What could we build together? The sky is the limit!

The resources we think less often about are our intangible ones. Our knowledge, and expertise, and circle of friends, are some of our intangible resources. Scarcity says that sharing knowledge and expertise freely will reduce the value of your paid service. On the contrary, sharing tips sets you apart as an expert in your field. The trust created when you share information freely helps people remember you when they have need of your service. It also builds relationship, which enhances customer loyalty.

Shopping Small is Sharing

Shopping at small, locally owned businesses is one way you can share with your community, and you don’t have to spend any more money than you would if you shopped at a big box or chain store! For instance, let’s say you want to have a night out with your sweetheart, (it could happen…right?) You have a choice to spend your money at a unique, locally owned place, or the bland, ubiquitous chain. Does it really make a difference? The answer is definitively yes! Recent studies show that when you choose a local company, more money stays in your local economy.That money, rather than being consumed one time, and leaving our economy forever, circulates here. It is like the book in the community library, which is loaned out time and time again to other community members. The more people who do this, the more money will be available to pay you as well! Jobs are created, small businesses flourish, the economy improves.

Another way the money benefits you multiple times is by tax dollars at work. I don’t know anyone who really likes paying sales tax. That being said, if you have to pay it, it may as well go to support amenities that you will take advantage of, right? When you spend money in your city of residence, your tax dollars go to fund parks, schools, roads, libraries and other great features and amenities that you actually use.

The holiday is a season of giving and sharing. Take time to recognize your assets and be thankful for them. Think about how much more they could do for you if you invested them in your community. Choose local.

 

Category: Community, Crowdfunding, Featured, Holidays /

Red and Green

December 17, 2012 / / No comments

I love so many things about the holidays: traditions, giving, special food, spending time with family… For a lot of people connected to the Sandy Hook Elementary massacre, the holidays will have another association from this year forward. Whenever their family meets, there will be a void. Losing a family member is like that. It’s never quite the same without them.

Here in Renton, people are reviving old political arguments about gun control and health care. They are telling one another to hug their children tightly, and remember the good that is in the world. In times like these, things like that feel important. However, in acknowledging Connecticut’s monumental loss, are we forgetting all our Renton neighbors whose holidays are forever changed because of incidents of fatal violence this year in Renton?

I know that problems like violent crime rarely have one cause, and therefore don’t have a single simple solution. What I do know is that you have to start somewhere. You have to take the next step first.

A randomized controlled trial published in August by the journal, Injury Prevention, suggests that “greening” empty lots results in reduced violence in areas surrounding the lots. It makes sense to me. When trash lays around, and weeds go unchecked it says to passers-by, “No one cares about this area. No one will see …” Crime thrives in dark, hidden, abandoned areas. On the other hand, another article published in the American Journal of Epidemiology says that green spaces are shown to reduce violent crime in the surrounding area, and reduce stress and allow for more exercise for those who live and work in the area.

What would change if we picked up trash, and planted some grass and trees in empty lots? Would people feel safer in Downtown Renton if it looked more “cared for”? Would more people begin to care about Renton because Renton looked more cared for? (?!?) Would crime rates go down in Renton because more people were out walking and enjoying empty lots-turned-pocket-parks, gardens, and other beautiful public spaces? We will never know until we try.

Would you like to be involved in a discussion about creating pocket parks and other  improvements around Renton? There are lots of great places to get involved. The City of Renton’s Neighborhood Program provides grants to various neighborhood associations for improving of their specific neighborhood. The brand new Fixing Renton Forum is an online community dedicated to facilitating discussion about improving Renton’s outlook starting at a grassroots level. As a follow up to last week’s Fixing the Future film screening and community forum event, a community meeting is scheduled for January 19th at 1pm at Blossom Vegetarian.

Category: Community /

For-Renton’s-Profit

December 7, 2012 / / One comment

In this blog post I want to talk about for-profit business, non-profit business, and the community. I apologize in advance that this is going to be a little “rant-y”, but I’ll try to keep it brief.

Take a minute and search the photo album of your mind. When I say, “business”, what do you think of? Enron? Monsanto? WalMart? Who is in the mental picture you conjure up when you think of a “business owner”? Gordon Gekko? Do you think of a white-haired man in a sharp pinstriped three-piece suit doing shady business deals in unseen back rooms?

As we have gotten out into the community trying to drum up some care about the future of Renton, we have discovered among residents a sense of mistrust of businesses in general. We have witnessed a common fear of being taken advantage of by businesses: that somehow having a business license means that you are the kind of person who is trying to achieve gain at another person’s loss.

We experienced an example of this the other day as we tried to post our “Fixing the Future” event poster at the Highlands Library. We are hosting this film event at Renton Civic Theater on 12/12/12 at 7pm to try to congregate Renton residents to give them hope in the future, and empower them to affect economic change. We were told that KCLS’s policy is that no for-profit business can post their events. Even though we are partnering with three non-profits (Renton Civic Theater, Sustainable Renton, and Harambee) to bring this event to the community, we were not allowed to post our event. The woman behind the desk, with a suspicious look on her face asked me, “Well, who is PROFITING from this event?”

I’m here to say that at this point, no one is “profiting.” We are offering this event at a risk to us: Me. My family. Our for-profit business is a sole proprietorship. We are bringing this event to Renton because we care, and we hope you do too. Our master plan, our “dark ulterior motive”? Make Renton a better place to live, work and play, because this is where we’re going to be, someday raise children, for the rest of our lives.

Any transaction minus love equals harmMost of us at one time or another have been hurt by businesses and/or business owners. The fact is that any transaction minus love equals harm. Businesses are run by people. Sometimes people make mistakes and cause hurt. There are some people who have been hurt so much that they lose their way, and only want to help themselves, at the expense of other people. Some of those people have for-profit business licenses. Some of them run non-profit businesses. Some of them aren’t business owners at all; they’re consumers.

There are three seeds of paradigm change that I want to plant in your mind.

1) Businesses are assets to the community. Ask anyone who lives in a very underdeveloped, rural area and they will tell you that businesses bring needed resources to your community. Places to purchase goods, places to sit and study, places to receive helpful services like medical care, dental care, tax help, etc. are essential to any community.

2) Small business owners are often members of the community in which they do business. They are your neighbors. They are the black single mom whose mom is sick in the hospital. They are the Honduran immigrant who is trying to get out of underpaid labor jobs to create a future for her family. They are the family breadwinner “reorganized” out of their high-powered corporate job and are now just trying to make ends meet by catalog sales of out of their home. These are some of the many faces of business owners.

3) Small businesses invest in the community. I have seen the most amazing community spirit among business owners. Recognizing their potential for positive impact on the community, most small businesses regular donate time, money, and/or products to local non-profits. Supporting small Renton businesses is voting with your money for support of local charities.

While I won’t go so far as to call all business owners Saints, if you look very closely, you will see tiny glowing halos over many of them. Ok maybe not. But really, they are working to bring needed goods and services to YOU: their neighbors. Next time you visit a small business around town, thank the owners, employees, etc. for being a needed part of their community. They’re doing it for Renton.

“Fixing the Future” is a PBS documentary film that will be screened at Renton Civic Theater on 12/12/12 at 7pm with a community forum at Harambee following. Admission is $9. Prior screenings, in Tacoma & Seattle, have resulted in packed houses. Advance tickets can be purchased at http://fixingthefuture.brownpapertickets.com.  In Fixing the Future, host David Brancaccio, of public radio’s Marketplace and NOW on PBS, visits people and organizations across America that are attempting a revolution: the reinvention of the American economy. By featuring communities using sustainable and innovative approaches to create jobs and build prosperity, Fixing the Future inspires hope and renewal in a people overwhelmed by economic collapse.

Come out next Wednesday and join the conversation about how we can improve our economy while building community relationships. We would love to meet others who care about this community!

Category: Community, Rant /

Buying Local and Community Building

November 27, 2012 / / No comments

Faces light up with recognition when I walk into a number of small businesses around Renton; I’m known by name. It’s a refreshing experience, and one I realize I’ve been missing.

Our culture has a secret; it’s not that we love our technology, but that we long for true connection. We clamor for the latest gadget and social media program, then we “connect” to one another through it. Through technology our culture is the most connected we have ever been, and yet those connections are superficial and unfulfilling. Despite Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and myriads of other online communities, we are lonely and long for something more.

Remaining anonymous while shopping regularly at small, locally owned stores is nearly impossible. Small shops with few employees are counting on your business. Consequently they tend to remember you. Merchants are transformed from nameless faces, ignored behind the counter as you swipe your card, to real people, who contribute to your community by cultivating unique places to purchase goods and services to fulfill your needs and wants.

This is your neighborhood. What do you want out of it? Where are you shopping to make that happen?

Category: Community /
 
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