Shopping local
I love the handmade movement. It emphasizes slowing down, and it places a higher value on items that are carefully crafted as opposed to quickly or cheaply made. It’s about building and supporting a community of crafters, and one way that Etsy brings this “home” is through their “Shop Local” feature.
You can make a conscious effort to buy from local sellers, thereby becoming an active member of your community, and it helps all of us. The stronger your local crafting community, the better. Not to mention, just shopping locally introduces you to talented crafters in your own neck-of-the-woods that you probably didn’t even know existed! I love pulling up Shop Local: San Francisco; I can keep a finger on the pulse of what crafters in my area are creating, and I find new and interesting objects every time. Today, I discovered this:
pixiebird: Soft Jersey Pirate Kerchief
A lovely scarf in fiery colors with sparkly embellishments, made by a talented artisan (pixiebird) in my area (who also makes great postcards and t-shirts). How great is that?
Here’s another example: I love Austin, TX. It’s where I married John, it’s the home of SXSW, it’s where I’ve seen some of the best live music and enjoyed some of the best food & drinks with some of my best friends. I want to support Austin artists! So today I checked out Shop Local: Austin, TX and found this:
kanokwalee: Barley Mega Loops Hand Crocheted Unique Art Scarf
A bulky, crocheted wool scarf with fabulous, quirky loops (hmmm… Two scarves. I must be a little chilly today…) and I’ve never seen this style before either! Crafted by another talented artisan (kanokwalee) in a location that I want to support.
Shopping local is a great way to participate in your community, and by doing so you are creating an even better community! Everybody wins!