Jenn McKinlay: Now, I’m not here to bash Amazon…much. Truthfully, I love that I can order random stuff and have it at my house ON THE SAME DAY. It boggles, truly. Laser pointer for King George needed ASAP because I’m on deadline and he’s being a butt? Done. It came within hours. I didn’t even have to get in my car and drive anywhere. Mind blown!
Obscurely shaped pots for my orchid, which suddenly decided to have babies? Actually, they’re called keikis, but whatever. The containers and fertilizer arrived in a week with a bonus five dollar reward because I didn’t make them deliver on the same day. Crazy, right? What madness is this? I remember when Amazon was mostly books and they were losing money like an oil leak out of a cracked engine. Look at them now! So, I don’t dislike Amazon, -- after all, they sell my books -- but as randomly fabulous as they can be, they simply can’t beat some of my favorite small businesses both here in Arizona and in the northeast.
Why? Because knowing your customers and your product and, dare I say it, specializing in a thing matters. I like brick and mortar. I like talking to people who know their subject inside out ,upside down, and backwards. I like tips and tricks that can only come in person, face to face, instead of on YouTube, which admittedly, can also be cool, but still I crave the human interaction. So, in alphabetical order - because, librarian - here are some of my favorite small businesses:
Arcosanti is an experimental town, known for its molten bronze bell casting business. I have several of these bells hanging on my front porch. They are my early warning system when the monsoons roll in. The community built out in the desert is pretty cool to tour, very reminiscent of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin West, but its architectural/ecology mashup concept is the brainchild of the Italian-American architect, Paolo Soleri.
The Bells!
Gaspereau Valley Fibres Yarn. I’m an addict and it’s a problem, but this place explodes with all the fiber loving eye candy a gal could want, plus they offer classes in everything from felting to weaving. Yes, please! And they carry local Nova Scotian yarn, which I love! I go every summer and stock up on projects for winter. Also, you can email them with orders, although I haven't tried this yet from the States.
Long Winter Farm is a Maine soap company, that I visit when I’m back east and making my annual trek to Canada. They rose to infamy when the owner humorously crafted a lip balm called Nasty Woman - I ordered three – but the hippie nerdy vibe of all of their products makes me happy and their product descriptions make me laugh. They sell a soap called Unicorn Farts, people. I personally wiped them out of Sea Sprite body cream – yes, it smells like the ocean!
Poisoned Pen What can I say? It’s my home away from home. I’ve been going to the Pen since I moved to the Valley in 1992, three years after Barbara Peters opened her iconic bookstore. From Paul the dog to the painted outlines of bodies on the floor and bloody handprints on the tables, I love every inch of it. Plus, they put author videos on Youtube. How can you beat that? Here are three Reds in action!
Hank at the Pen!
Rhys at the Pen!
Queen Creek Olive Mill Let me start with bacon infused olive oil. After that, really, what more needs to be said? This is a working olive mill out in Queen Creek, Arizona, that also hosts a fabulous restaurant and catering. I took my mom for the tour on her birthday and we had a blast, noshing on an olive/cheese plate, buying exotic olive oils and the products made from them – they even had cupcakes! When I’m stumped for a gift, I go to the mill. Also, I always think this would be a great setting for a cozy mystery series...hmm.
Olive Harvest!
So, Reds and Readers, what are some of your favorite small businesses? Share your top picks with us! Oh, and if you need a special day to give a boost to your local businesses, Small Business Saturday is on November 30ththis year!
Bacon infused olive oil? My kitchen definitely needs some of that.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, it’s a long drive to get to a bookstore, but there’s nothing like wandering through shelves and shelves and shelves of books.
And I love the bells . . . .
Local small businesses? Well, there’s a book binder, a dog trainer, a sandwich shop, and a hardware store where you can get almost anything imaginable. And the ice cream shop has the best ice cream you’ve ever tasted . . . .
A good sandwich shop is the best, oh, and I love my local hardware store.
DeleteI, too, have a love/hate relationship with Amazon, especially how they treat those of us who don't have Prime. (And the worse they treat us, the more I refuse to join.) Part of that comes from how they have treated reviewers over the years. If having reviews posted there didn't help authors so much, I wouldn't post reviews there any more.
ReplyDeleteHowever, it was small bookstores I used to go to for book signings. How I miss the small mystery bookstores in LA County. Can you believe we don't have any anymore? It's sad. I found some of my favorite authors that way. They'd go to do book signings, and I'd go because their book sounded like fun. Then I'd be sure to read it before the sequel came out so I'd be ready to buy it, too. And it was recommendations from a bookseller that got me reading Rhys. I started reading Hank because she came out to do a book signing in one of those stores with her very first book. (Yes, I've got the original cover.)
I love that you found Hank and Rhys through a local bookstore - it kills me that they're struggling. Although, I hear they are doing better. Fingers crossed they make a spectacular comeback.
DeleteI share the love/hate feelings toward Amazon. I have a hate/hate relationship with Walmart and still shop there on occasion, but that's a topic for another day. Small businesses are the best. I love love love Mystery Lovers Bookshop near Pittsburgh. It's my second home.
ReplyDelete*snort* I feel the same about Walmart.
DeleteI want to move to Arizona! I would be dead in the water without Amazon, but I no longer buy anything from the monster except Kindle books.
ReplyDeleteI love to shop at Denise's Flower and Sock. Yes, it's a thing. Plus she stocks Solmate Socks, the fabulous never-wear-out socks I learned about here from Debs (I think). A gift shop in my town offers only locally made products, from glasses etched with the name of the town to super-soft Alpaca blankets to...my Amesbury historical mysteries!
And then there's Jabberwocky Books where I buy all my paper books and where most of the Reds have spoken. I have had many launch parties there, and am appearing there with all the Wicked Authors on September 4.
I meant to write, "As an author I would be dead in the water..."
DeleteNow I have to go investigate these socks you speak of - never wear out, you say? Hmm.
DeleteNo! And they are fun colors but the patterns on the two socks aren't identical. They have them in ankle and higher.
DeleteI love Soulmate Sock! In fact, I may have been the person who told Deb about them.
DeleteLet's see, given your schedule and your speed, Jenn, I'll be expecting a new mystery set at the olive grove in about February 2020. :-)
ReplyDeleteThere is something magical about small businesses, I agree. I went to two wineries recently. First one, big new store, parking lot, event center--and employees more interested in their conversation than customers. Second one, much more modest footprint, but well-organized, with knowledgeable, welcoming and attentive staff--and better wines. Guess which one will get my business?
LOL - thanks for the vote of confidence. I agree completely with your choice of wineries!
DeleteI'm not sure that I actually patronize that many places that would be considered SMALL Businesses anymore. At least not on a regular basis. Even my comic shop is part of a small chain in Massachusetts.
ReplyDeleteHowever, one business that I go to fairly regularly is Purchase Street Records. The shop is owned by a longtime friend of mine and it is a vinyl record shop in New Bedford, MA.
My friend Roger knows his stuff and the store is well stocked with an amazing assortment of albums both "common" and rare. The focus of the store is rock and metal, but pretty much all genres of music are represented in the store's stock of material. And he's always out buying more stuff. In fact, he just came back from a buying trip to Japan!
He also stocks CDs and cassettes (which makes up most of what I buy from him). He's had in-store signings with artists including Dee Snider from Twisted Sister and Stet Howland from Metal Church. He's got Michael Sweet from Stryper coming in October as well.
And since he's located two doors down from The Vault Music Hall and Pub, invariably the national level bands that play there come into the shop to look around, buy stuff and take promo shots with Roger for the shop's social media accounts.
On top of which, you can hang out there for a while and just shoot the breeze about the music that his customer base loves! Oh, and if you are looking for NEW stuff aside from the vintage vinyl, he'll order that too!
I wish that I had a local book shop to rave about like Edith and others have but sadly the closest one to me is nearly an hour away from me so I don't get to visit it all that much. Usually when they have an author signing.
I love that vinyl is making a comeback! This shop sounds like a dream. I'll have to check it out when I visit my brother in MA again. Hooligan 2 has developed a love of metal, so it's been a lot of Iron Maiden, Ozzy, and Metallica lately. He'd be stoked to have it on vinyl. I'm not sure either of my two would know what to do with a cassette. Oy.
DeleteHooligan 2 having a taste for Iron Maiden shows he's on the right path. And you can get a lot of it at Purchase Street Records. It's a small shop, but it is packed with great stuff!
DeleteI'm not a huge vinyl fan myself but on occasion I pick up an LP or two. As for the kids not knowing what to do with a cassette, I guess you'll just have to show them! For me, cassettes led to my continuing series The Cassette Chronicles for Limelight Magazine.com so you know I love them. But I do prefer CDs because they are the most portable form of physical music.
Amazon, ugh. I use them, but not for books. For books I go to RJ Julia's in Madison CT, and Key West Island Books and Books and Books in Key West. For skin care, Alpenglow in ALASKA! I bought some lavender hand cream from them years ago while at my niece's wedding and I've been ordering ever since.
ReplyDeleteAnd I forgot to add Bishop's Orchards in Guilford CT--best peaches and apples, best everything. And the friday afternoon farmer's market in Madison--WOULD NOT MISS THIS!
DeleteMy dad lived right down the street from RJ Julia and my mom isn't far from Bishop's Orchards. I love both of those places, Roberta!
DeleteI'm late chiming in, but I love RJ Julia's and Bishops. My favorite local shop is the Wine Thief. Two shops in New Haven--I mostly go to the downtown one and one recently opened in Madison. Great selection, great advice, and they remember who you are and what you like! I was once chided by the owner for not returning a bottle he recommended that I didn't personally like. But, uh, Karl, there were two glasses poured out of it. It was a used bottle of wine! And there was nothing wrong with it, just not to my taste!
DeleteWe have Pipkin's, a fruit and veg store with a huge plant nursery in the spring and summer, followed by Christmas trees in December. I depend on the Ace Hardware in Deer Park. They sell furnace filters, specialized cleaning supplies, Ben Moore paint, and best of all, have a full service post office in the rear of the store. Paulette cheerfully weighs packages and discusses the cheapest options for mailing books.
ReplyDeleteI love my local Ace Hardware and now I'm jealous that yours has postal service.
DeleteWe used to have postal service at the neighborhood store. I am not sure if they still have postal service with the new store at the same location. \
DeleteDiana
Oh, Seven Barrels! They make amazing olive oil--tuscan, garlic-infused, Meyer Lemon infused (for grilled veggies!), pink-grapefruit infused (so perfect on fish), and--and on and on... And infused Balsamic vinegar! Pomegranate, and Black currant--can you imagine how rich? But Jenn--BACON INFUSED? Genius.
ReplyDeleteAnd adore the Pen, of course. Those videos are perfect. My appearance was QUITE the afternoon. If anyone watches, let me know..:-)
A friend of mine recently told me she has an inappropriate crush on Billy Jensen. You'll have to tell me all about him at Bouchercon.
DeleteOh Jenn, you have pointed me towards heaven. What airport do I need to fly into to get to Gaspereau Valley Fibers?
ReplyDeleteHalifax! Then GVF is an hour drive north to Wolfville. They even have a shop cat. Oh, and nearby is the fabulous Tangled Garden. Seriously, Nova Scotia is the greatest place, although I hear Hurricane Dorian wiped out the apple crop, which is very bad.
DeleteJenn, Halifax is on my list of places I want to visit. I also want to visit the land of Anne of Green Gables aka Prince Edward Island.
DeleteDiana
Shalom Reds and fans. First off Jenn, thanks for posting the Poisoned Pen videos. This is the first time that I’ve heard your voices. Small businesses. I don’t actually shop in that many small businesses any more. We do have an independent bookstore which also sells greeting cards and magazines and newspapers. We also have in walking distance (I don’t drive.) two used bookstores that are side by side in an old house that has been split in two. I hardly go into any of them, because I really don’t need any more books. I bring friends and family who are visiting me from out of town to spend some time there in the stacks. You can find some amazing bargains on gently used out of print hardcover books there.
ReplyDeleteAlso, in walking distance, we have many fine restaurants. There are five pizza places. (This does not include our Domino’s or Papa John’s) I’ve eaten in all of them and would be happy to be treated to any or all of them. My favorite one is called Pizza Village. It’s owned and run by immigrants (not Italian, I don’t think). They sell a lot of pizza but they also are a full service Italian restaurant. There is a “fine dining” Italian restaurant in town called Paganini’s. They’ve been here almost as long as I’ve been living here. It’s not even that expensive. They took a large old building and rehab’d it with the finest of furnishings. They have a garden that you can eat in when the weather is nice. It’s owned by a couple. He is from Tunisia and his wife is American. They must have started with a pile of cash or very good credit. Another of my favorites is the Bagel Barrel. I always order a garlic bagel with cream cheese and chives and real lox. Once upon a time, with a soda, it was $10. Now, it’s $11.
In addition to more than a few restaurants, we have a local non-profit movie house called the County Theatre. It’s been there since the 40s. It has two screens now and is in the process of a major expansion. I go to the movies maybe once or twice a year but I am always happy when I leave the County. We have a local computer repair store called D-town Tech. They have a very good reputation of providing excellent service at a reasonable price. They have rescued me a few times. We have a children’s toy store and a marvelous children’s bookstore. We have a camera store which has been in town for many decades and which seems to have weathered the change from cameras with film to digital cameras. I was just in there recently to buy passport photos. We have a store dedicated to selling olive oil. I’ve never been in it but it must do a good business because real estate in the center of town is rather pricey.
I can’t smoke cigars anymore, but we have two stores that carry premium cigars. One of them has a parlor where you can smoke them. Real estate is a big business in Bucks County and we still have a few independent realtors.
All of these are in a one-mile radius. If you drive a few miles in any direction, you can find many more small and local businesses. There is a place very close called Peddler’s Village. It’s a shopping complex that caters to small businesses. I like to go there just to window shop. They also have an operating carousel which I’ve been on once or twice.
I think you live in a perfect place, David. You had me at five pizza places but finished me off at the Peddler's Village. I'm not much of a shopper but I do love looking at things - eye candy, my friend and I call it.
DeleteAmazon is great for the stuff that you just can't find anywhere else (e.g., a very specific edition of a book needed for The Girl's English class) or that you need right this very minute (the book The Boy needed Monday for his Latin American literature class - he told me about it Thursday and no one local had it in stock). Or stuff that sure, you can get it locally but it costs literally five times as much as Amazon and hey -- budget.
ReplyDeleteBut I tend to patronize local businesses if I can. Like Annette, most of my books are from Mystery Lovers Bookshop. There is a new craft brewery and a cider house in my town, both of which are good for meeting friends (I don't drink beer, but the brewery carries wine and my favorite root beer). The neighboring town has a cute olive oil store and a number of good restaurants.
So not all local, but I try.
You and Annette are blessed with a great bookshop. I haven't been in a few years but I loved it!
DeleteI've been to Arcosanti ... and bought bells! Gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteYAY for small businesses. A shout-out to CARYN'S CORNER - women's clothing in Quincy, MA where you can find classy, comfortable stuff that looks like you shopped at Eileen Fisher butyo didn't. A restaurant, THE PLATE, in Milton MA breakfast or lunch and fantastic cookies, healthy locally sourced food, best tomato soup ever... A sushi place in Quincy we've been going to for ages, still run by a young woman who was pregnant not long after we started going there and that little boy has no graduated college. And suburban Boston our beloved Brookline Booksmith, Harvard Bookstore, Porter Square Books, and New England Mobile Book Fair. How lucky are we to have so many still thriving independent bookstores within striking distance?
You are SO lucky in your bookstores, Hallie!
DeleteSpeaking of New England Mobile Book Fair, I'm hoping to get up there this year when they have their annual Mystery Gala. I did visit Brookline Booksmith the one time last summer for the mini-Jungle Red Writer Con.
DeleteAmazon Prime saves me a fortune in shipping, so much so that it's improved my standard of living. I can get just about everything from them. Books, dog toys, printer toner at about 1/3 the price I'd pay Office Depot, a poster frame for my next author event, long playing records (you remember those) and on and on.
ReplyDeleteI do love the free shipping. Also, I've noticed they've started a giveaway option (for books). I haven't tried it yet, but I'm looking at it.
DeleteOur town has lots of great small businesses. Our fave is Local Yocal, our butcher shop. They carry local ranch fed meats, local dairy, local baked goods. We are also huge supporters of the vendors at our farmer's market. But we have Amazon Prime and it saves me so much fiddly errand running time. Best if both worlds.
ReplyDeleteFarmer's Markets are the best! I had to stop taking the hooligans when they decided to liberate some baby goats that were for sale. I still haven't quite recovered from that one. No goats were harmed in these shenanigans - just another thatch of gray hair for mom.
DeleteLocal Yocal rocks! And our Farmer's Market is really good, when I can stand the heat to get out and go.
DeleteArcosanti is equally great as a tourist attraction. When I was there a few years ago the olives were falling ripe off the trees.
ReplyDeleteOur local pizza place: Mio's, with a unique sesame seed crust.
Our wonderful Joseph-Beth Books, with the equally wonderful Bronte Cafe, now serving breakfast through dinner.
Bizarre Bazaar: gift shop jam-packed with amazing objects to gift, or to keep. Their Halloween and Christmas stuff and outdoor decor are always great fun.
Country Fresh Produce: wonderful, often local produce, and a wine and beer department that is as big as the rest of the store.
Jungle Jim's: the largest food emporium in the US, which stocks foods from all over the world. Aisles are arranged by country and/or region/culture. Any given day you can see people of many different cultures shopping for unique ingredients. If Jungle Jim's doesn't have it, no one else does, either. They have an entire department, as big as most stores, that is nothing but hot sauces from around the world. It all started when Jim was a teenager and sold tomatoes and corn from his family's farm along the roadside in about 1970.
I want to see this Jungle Jim's - desperately! It sounds amazing!!!
DeleteIf you are ever near Cincinnati (this is in Fairfield, midway between Cincinnati and Dayton), it's a must (call me, and I'll take you!) More than 70 countries are represented, and the "store" covers an area the size of a city block. They actually have shuttles for getting to your parking spot. Plus, they have wacky displays, and a humongous tank with unusual fresh fist. Here's more: https://junglejims.com/departments/
DeleteKaren, Jungle Jim's sounds wonderful...and (with autofills help) the "fresh fist" is a first for me. ;-)!
DeleteKaren, I love Joseph Beth! Wish they would send me back there. If/when they do, I want to go to Jungle Jim's!
Delete"Unicorn Farts" lip balm is TOTALLY going into the Christmas stockings this year.
ReplyDeleteLOL - it's good stuff!
DeleteOh, Arcosanti sounds wonderful, Jenn. I'd love to have one of their bells. If I make it out to Arizona to visit a couple of friends, I will have to beg them to take me there. And, Poison Pen is already on my list of must-visit places in Arizona. I've actually been there for a visit years ago, like 40 years, when we visited a friend stationed at Ft. Huachuca, but that was before the bookstore, of course. I do wish we had a local bookshop, other than Books-A-Million.
ReplyDeleteOne of our local shops is called Rebecca's, after the owner, and as is the best advantage of a local shop, I've become friends with Rebecca and her partner Mary. It's a wonderful little gift shop and has my favorite coffee I buy as a treat, Jamaican Me Crazy coffee.
Wonderful post about small businesses!!! I would love to visit Poisoned Pen bookstore when I visit Scottsdale.
ReplyDeleteAmong my favorite small businesses are Book Passage at the Ferry Building in SF, Great Good Place for Books in the East Bay, Mrs. Dalloway's on College Avenue, Cheeseboard Collective in Berkeley, California; Travel Smith clothes (North Bay and online), El Cerrito Natural Grocery store that only has two shops in El Cerrito and Berkeley, Zachary's Chicago Pizza, and local farmer's markets.
Diana
Oh, where to begin? Portland (the original one in Maine) has multiple bookstores: Print, Longfellow, Letterpress and Sherman's. It is the home of Otto Pizza, creator of the mashed potato, bacon and scallion pie. Mt. Desert Ice Cream has an outpost here that features flavors like Fig, Butterscotch Miso and the most chocolatey chocolate ever. And then there are the breweries: Austin Street, Bissell Brothers, Foundation, Allagash, the list goes on and on. We have a fabulous Farmer's Market, too, twice a week in the summer, Saturdays year-round (thanks to hoop house farming). And you know, LL Bean is local, and only a few miles up the road . . .
ReplyDeleteOh, do I wish for a an independent bookstore with reading nooks, a coffee pot, a rocking chair or two...but alas. Thanks to poor post office delivery and Amazon's use of padded envelopes, I only order Amazon books for Sunday delivery. Our postal carrier believes that if the package can be crammed into the box from the carrier side, it surely can come out unscathed from customer side. Unfortunately the customer side is about 1/2 inch smaller! Sunday delivery by the Post Office is to the door, not the box. Use The Book Depository for ordering books. In my imagination, this is a quaint little warehouse in England, staffed by dedicated booksellers and retired librarians. No shipping charges, no VAT, and with the right credit card, no currency exchange fee. There are few independent shops for books and other things near here. And Farmers' Market season is sliding away.
ReplyDeleteI don't have specific shops to recommend, but I'm a huge fan of art and craft fairs, and working with artists to get original pieces. I started collecting pottery years ago, and kept dreaming of some day commissioning a complete set of dishes from a potter. When I mentioned this to Deb, she physically dragged me out to my kitchen and opened my cabinet doors.
ReplyDelete"What counts as a place setting?" she asked me. "What do you have in here?"
Well . . . when she put it that way, I realized that I already had the better part of eight complete 4-piece place settings, plus a whole lot of serving pieces--all hand made. All from different potters. It just took her creative eye to make me recognize what I already had!
That said, any of you who hit the art festivals along the eastern seaboard should keep an eye out for Selena Glass and Metal. They are brilliant, and friends of mine. They do wonderful work and take commissions.
Oh, boy, this is gonna be fun. 1) Corrick's - which was there store for wedding registers. They still do, the really nice, expensive stuff that your grandmother and mother liked. Hummels (which I'm sure I've spelled wrong) stationary,fine gifts, etc. It was one of stores that I would walk into with my hands behind my back and didn't touch a thing. Still hesitate touching things 50 years layer. One of the best things about Corrick's is the background music, purely classical, the original owners are concert musicians (symphony conductor and pianist) and the next generation carried on the tradition. 2) Cast Away Yarn -fairly new, about 10 years, has yarn and yarn and other yarn stuff with classes offered, like Jean's place, soup to nuts. During the summer Cast Aways and four or five other shops around the area have a Yarn Hop, you go from shop to shop over a weekend, there are good deals, sometimes, prizes/drawings if you bought a ticket just a time to see what's out there and it's a brake from the summer. 3 &4) Sawyers Jewelers and Mac's Deli - two old establishments that have been in the same locations on Fourth longer than I've been alive. Staff is friendly, helpful, that aren't pushy/gotta make the sale people. At Mac's, they know the regulars, know what want, just like family. I think they have only had two families one them. My family has been around here since the 30's. My very first credit card was for the local department store, before malls took over and killed downtown for a generation. I know I got it because of my name which is one letter off of my Granddad's. The store's gone but I still have the card.
ReplyDeleteI've never ordered from Amazon and hardly ever go to Walmart. I love the West Shore Farmers' Market but mostly shop at Giant Foods. I go to Barnes & Noble for my books but someday I may try the bookstore in Enola. At my age, I'm mostly interested in books and food!
ReplyDelete