ENJOYING THE CHRISTMAS SHOPPING EXPERIENCE ALL OVER GRAVENHURST -
IT'S ALL PART OF THE HOMETOWN EXPERIENCE, SOME WOULD RATHER DEFER
THIS MORNING, DESPITE A TRACE OF FREEZING RAIN, SUZANNE AND I DID WHAT WE CALL OUR "HOMETOWN TRADITION," COMMON EVERY CHRISTMAS SEASON; ESPECIALLY DURING THE FINAL WEEK. AS RESIDENTS AND TAXPAYERS OF THIS HISTORIC AND VIBRANT SOUTH MUSKOKA COMMUNITY, WE WENT CHRISTMAS SHOPPING LOCALLY. BELIEVE IT OR NOT, SOME OF OUR CITIZENS WON'T SPEND A DIME AT LOCAL BUSINESSES. UNLESS THEY HAVE TO, OF COURSE. AND THEY GRUMBLE ABOUT THAT! NOW ISN'T THAT SILLY? IT IS A TRADITION WE BEGAN WITH OUR SONS, BACK IN THE DAYS WHEN THEY ACTUALLY WANTED TO CHUM WITH MOM AND POP. WE SHOPPED LOCALLY, BECAUSE OFTEN TIMES, OUR BROKEN OLD JALOPY, WOULDN'T HAVE MADE IT DOWN THE HIGHWAY OR UP, FOR THAT MATTER. WE SUFFERED THROUGH SOME LEAN CHRISTMASES, BACK IN THE EARLY 1990'S, AND AFTER NECESSARY CAR REPAIRS…..JUST ABOUT EVERY MONTH, WE HAD NO CHOICE BUT TO HAVE FRUGAL CELEBRATIONS…..AND KEEP OUR DRIVING TO A BARE MINIMUM. WE HAD A LITTLE ANTIQUE SHOP IN BRACEBRIDGE, AND I WAS ABLE TO GET TO WORK, BUT EVERY TRIP WAS A NAIL-BITER, HOPING IT WOULDN'T CONK OUT BEFORE AT LEAST HITTING THE OUTSKIRTS OF BRACEBRIDGE OR GRAVENHURST. I CAN REMEMBER HAVING JUST ENOUGH MONEY, LITERALLY DOWN TO DIMES AND NICKELS, TO BUY THE LAST FEW FOOD TREATS FOR THE CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION. I'M NOT MAKING THIS UP. BACK DURING THE REAL ESTATE MELT-DOWN, HUNDREDS OF PREVIOUSLY WELL-OFF FAMILIES WERE IN THE SAME PREDICAMENT. WE NEVER THOUGHT OUR NEW HOUSES WOULD DROP TENS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS IN JUST A FEW MONTHS. WE NEVER THOUGHT IT WOULD ALSO IMPACT ON JOBS AND CAUSE WIDESPREAD UNEMPLOYMENT. WE FELT SORRY FOR OURSELVES FOR ABOUT A WEEK. THEN WE HAD NO CHOICE BUT TO START RE-BUILDING THE BEST WAY WE COULD. WE WERE FORTUNATE TO HAVE A HOME ECONOMIST TEACHER IN THE FAMILY, AND SHE STRETCHED PROVISIONS REMARKABLY WELL……SO WE NEVER DID WITHOUT. EVEN AT CHRISTMAS, WE SEEMED TO BE ABLE TO SALE-HUNT FOR ALL THAT WAS NEEDED FOR THE BOYS, AND NO ONE EVER COMPLAINED THAT THERE WASN'T ENOUGH TO EAT.
WHEN I READ TODAY ABOUT FISCAL CLIFFS, AND OUTRAGEOUS PERSONAL DEBT IN THIS COUNTRY, AS WELL AS READING ABOUT THE DECLINE IN REAL ESTATE SALES, THIS PAST YEAR, GEEZ, TALK ABOUT REMINISCENT OF A REALLY SCARY TIME. IN RETROSPECT, I'M GLAD WE EXPERIENCED THIS ECONOMIC CALAMITY, BECAUSE WE LEARNED SOMETHING ABOUT BEING COCKY, FISCALLY IRRESPONSIBLE, AND TAKING ON DEBT LIKE DRUNKEN SAILORS. IT'S NOT THAT WE LIVED IN A MANSION, OR ATE PRIME RIB THREE NIGHTS A WEEK, OR HAD A PORSCHE SITTING IN THE DRIVEWAY. BUT WE STILL RAN UP DEBT ON CREDIT CARDS, WITHOUT APPRECIATING THE CUMULATIVE IMPACT OF HIGH INTEREST, AND THE VERY REAL POSSIBILITY, OF LOSING A MEANS OF EMPLOYMENT. IT HAPPENED TO US, IN SPADES, AND IT'S GOING TO HAPPEN TO OTHERS, REAL SOON. ALL THE CONDITIONS ARE LOOKING THE SAME, AND I DON'T CARE WHAT THE TALKING HEADS ARE SAYING. THEY OFFERED THE SAME STUPID ADVICE IN THE 1990'S. "DON'T WORRY, BE HAPPY," SPEND UNTIL YOUR CREDIT-WELL RUNS DRY.
THE POINT OF THE PASSAGES ABOVE, COMES DOWN TO THIS TRADITION OF SHOPPING LOCALLY. WE REALLY DID HAVE CHOICE AT FIRST. AFTER THE FISCAL CLIFF WE DROVE OVER, I COULDN'T RISK PUTTING TOO MANY MORE MILES ON THE VEHICLE; AND BY IMMERSION, AND CIRCUMSTANCE, OF NOVEAU POVERTY, WE FOUND THAT WHAT WE HAD BEEN DOING PREVIOUSLY, SHOPPING EVERYWHERE ELSE BUT AT HOME, HAD BEEN NOT ONLY COST INEFFICIENT, BECAUSE OF TRAVEL EXPENSE, BUT ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS IN TERMS OF THE SAVING WE COULD GARNER RIGHT HERE IN OUR HOMETOWN. MOST OF THE TIME, WE COULD HIT THE MAIN STREET, IN ONLY A FEW MINUTES TRAVEL TIME, PULLING THE BOY'S WAGON, OR A LITTLE WIRE BASKET CART WE USED TO TAKE TO THE GROCERY STORE. THE TWO GROCERY STORES OF CHOICE THEN, WERE THE WONDERFUL OLD IGA AND MR. GROCER. WE SHOPPED FOR NOURISHMENT VALUE, BUT ON A STRICT BUDGET. WE ALWAYS CAME HOME WITH GREAT BUYS, WITH LOTS OF VARIETY, AND MANY SLIGHTLY BRUISED FRUITS AND VEGETABLES. I LOVED THOSE TWO STORES, FOR WHAT THEY GAVE US IN LOW PRICING. AS AN EXAMPLE…..AND THE BOYS STILL REMEMBER THIS…..MR. GROCER MADE A HABIT OF SELLING THE END CUTS OF COLD MEAT AND CHEESE, IN SHRINK PACKAGING, FROM THE DELI COUNTER LEFTOVERS. SOMETIMES THERE WOULD BE FOUR OR FIVE PACKAGES TOSSED IN THE ADJACENT COOLER, FOR A COUPLE OF DOLLARS EACH. THERE COULD BE A COUPLE OF POUNDS OF EXCELLENT SANDWICH MEAT IN THOSE PACKS. LET ME TELL YOU FOLKS…..THAT WAS A BONANZA. WE'D GET THEM ON A SATURDAY MORNING, AND BOY OH BOY WHAT A GREAT LUNCH THEY MADE. LOTS OF THICK CHEDDAR AND HAVARTI, WITH ALL KINDS OF SAUSAGE, HAM, MOCK CHICKEN (WHICH WE STILL LIKE) AND SOME DELI SURPRISES. WERE WE THAT DESPERATE, THAT WE HAD TO WRESTLE OTHER POOR CUSTOMERS FOR DELI CAST-OFFS. YES WE WERE! POOR BUT AMBITIOUS. AT A TIME WHEN WE WEREN'T SURE IF THE BANK WOULD RE-POSSESS OUR HOUSE, YUP, WE TOOK ADVANTAGE OF ANYTHING LIKE THIS, TO SAVE GROCERY COSTS. BY THE WAY, SUZANNE COULD MAKE SOUP OUT OF A STONE, TO KEEP US FED. SHE COMES FROM HARDY MUSKOKA PIONEER STOCK, IN UPTOWN UFFORD, ON THREE MILE LAKE, AND ENTERED OUR MARRIAGE WITH A SUITCASE FULL OF SURVIVAL RECIPES THAT HONEST TO GOD, GO BACK TO HER GREAT GRANDPARENTS, OF THE SHEA AND VEITCH FAMILIES.
MODERN DAY SURVIVALISTS, WHO LIKE TO SHOP AT HOME
There was a time, and I make no apology, when Suzanne and I would load the boys in the upgraded "somewhat newer" vehicle, and take a once-monthly drive to Robinson's Store in Dorset. We have been traveling to Robinsons for years and years…..even when I was kid, and it's a place, because of its rustic interior, that reminds us of simpler country times. We have always been rabid about canoeing and camping in Algonquin, and Robinsons was always a required stop to get our food supplies. We did buy as much as we could at home, here in Gravenhurst, but honestly, we just adored the ambiance of the old general store. It's what I was writing about in yesterday's blog, regarding the old Muskoka Trading, in Bracebridge, that I knew as a youngster, and the Kilworthy General Store, Fred Schulz and family operated during his youth. Robinsons was always a trip back to yesteryear, and Dorset was the kind of village we always thought would make a good home for a rural-loving family. But you know something? I always felt the same coming back. Immensely glad to arrive home to Birch Hollow. We liked to wander, but always felt comforted, seeing our tiny bungalow, waiting for us, amongst the trees, on the bank just above The Bog. I think it came down to all these regional trips, exhausting us, and coming home desiring the familiar comforts of the same old-same old. Gradually, we just stopped motoring past Bracebridge to the north and Orillia to the south. What it means, is that we just like the experience of living, working and shopping here instead. Our boys spend so much time in their main street shop, that taking canoe excursions just isn't possible any more. This makes me a little sad, but Suzanne and I are so happy, that every one of us, has found our own slice of paradise, right here, where it was all along. The place that held us close, and looked after us, when times were tough…….the little Muskoka town that made our Christmases so charming and homespun, when we were feeling defeated and unhappy about the potential of the future. It asked nothing of us…..but gave us inspiration day after day; sometimes for me, by just looking out the front window, and seeing deer wandering through The Bog, or chickadees and bluejays at the verandah feeder……with the squirrel we called Seymour waiting his turn to eat.
At first, Gravenhurst was, to us, a bedroom community. We worked in Bracebridge, and the boys went to Bracebridge Public School. We came home, and curled up to recover from the days misadventures, and tried to figure out the way to navigate the next few days. We had the usual bill lottery, and found enough cash to keep us from losing anything we really needed, like hydro and water. We couldn't long range plan. Everything back then was short term. What happened was immersion by necessity, I suppose, and eventually we would have the opportunity to move the boys to Gravenhurst Public School, transfer Suzanne to Gravenhurst High School, close the antique shop, and sell our rare books and published histories online instead. It was very gradual, and so was our shopping experiences. More and more we began shopping locally, and I'm telling you honestly, that today, as a result, we do ninety-five percent of our monthly provision buying in Gravenhurst. So far this Christmas season, one hundred percent of our purchase have been made here, at local, hard working, high quality businesses. Not just uptown, or in the plaza area, but all over the place. We do the same with dining out, and getting our treats. This morning we visited "The Bakery," on Bay Street, to pick up fresh chelsea, meat pies, dinner rolls, sausage rolls, butter and pecan tarts, plus a date cookie and raspberry turnover, we ate in the car, while overlooking a picturesque, frozen Gull Lake. What a beautiful scene and what delightful treats. We have one of the finest bakeries in Canada. Chelsea buns to die for. The baked treats are for the ceremonial raising of the Christmas tree, tonight at Birch Hollow. We always have food and beverage, fitting to the season, when the tree is raised to the rafters. It's a tradition. We're kind of set in our ways about this stuff.
The point I'm trying to make here, and I apologize for using so much verbiage, is that we found a Gravenhurst business community that provided everything we needed to run a contented household. We had been neglecting home opportunities, believing we could do better, shopping elsewhere. When we were forced by circumstance, to drive less and bargain-hunt to survive, much to our amazement, a whole thriving commercial opportunity opened to the wide-eyed voyeurs. We began driving less, walking more, and enjoying what we found in our own neighborhood. Even with a short drive around town, for some shopping locations, we found out just how mistaken we had been……shopping out of the area for so long, assuming these opportunities, value, and quality wares, weren't available here. Our mistaken impression, was quickly wiped-clean, and each year, from the mid 1990's, we invested our money right at home. We're not unique in this, because many homeowners re-invest in our commercial sector. Yet there are still many who refuse to buy anything more here than groceries and fuel for their vehicles, because of the same assumption we had, as new residents…….that Gravenhurst just wasn't up to snuff when it came to variety and cost efficiency for large scale shopping. It was nonsense then, and it's nonsense today. We have bought our cars here, major and minor appliances here, and have used service technicians to fix what needs to be fixed, without feeling the necessity to shop anywhere else.
As I explained in a previous blog, our family does have to move-about in the region, because of our professions. We are antique hunters. But even then, we range between Orillia and Bracebridge, and can get everything we need, to operate our own mainstream business venture…..driving much less than we did in the old days. Now look, we do have a huge conflict of interest, considering we operate several Gravenhurst businesses. So telling you to shop locally seems a pretty big issue of self serving economics. This is true. I'd love you to shop with us. But it's a free country. You can do what you want. Shop where you feel most comfortable. Take advantage of sale prices elsewhere, to your heart's content. But remember, the health and welfare of your home community should be a concern. Are you proud of our town? Do you enjoy coming home, after a day of traveling? Do you feel bad when you hear, or see that another local business has had to close its door, due to a lack of business? Can you justify every closure, with the blanket statement, "They didn't know what they were doing anyway," and close the issue, by saying "Oh well, that's the way the cookie crumbles." There are shopkeepers in our town, who are highly capable of running successful businesses, but are often denied the opportunity, of fulfilling their potential, by customers unwilling to take a chance on a local upstart. There are businesses in this town, on the verge of closing shop, simply because customers refuse to give them a chance. Not because they don't have quality products or provide wonderful service to their customer base. It's because of some ridiculous human patterning, that honestly, reminds me of our own family shopping, back when we had all kinds of mobility, and a crappy attitude, about shopping locally. We couldn't have cared less, if local businesses failed. It wasn't our fault. We had every right to shop where we wanted to…..and no bylaw stopped us from spending all over God's half acre. There may be readers disenchanted by these observations and opinions, and I wish I was wrong. I really do. I have talked to many townsfolk, who have issues about shopping locally, that resounds of a strange and awkward prejudice, as if their boycott of certain local businesses, is designed to teach a lesson…..as part of a feud that only they know about. The collateral damage, is that all local merchants have to fight twice as hard, to regain the trust, from the backlash of those who continue, to bash the qualifications of the business sector…..while at the same time, having little idea what the business community has to offer. Their boycott stops them from finding out.
I love shopping. Suzanne, ah, not so much. The boys are maniacs around town, and they have many great places to buy their coffee and treats daily, and where they like to have meals out, which is different each week. As far as spreading their money around, you bet they do. We believe it helps. But we're only one family, and the support needed, requires many more citizens here, to turn on to the reality, that if they continue to ignore the needs of the local economy, they will inspire profound change in the future……that will cause serious damage to the well being, of the special place they like to call home. Spending more money in Gravenhurst, helps us all. It helps young and old, keep jobs and businesses here. It makes business expansions possible, and there's nothing like seeing a thriving business community, to inspire more commercial investment from outside the area. Goodwill on all sides, is the key to this. The business community has to win folks over……..and the work doesn't get easier even over time. Staying competitive is a relentless pursuit, but the benefits are huge. What we want to hear, when customers leave our shop, is the simple affirmation, spoken loud or soft, "We'll be back!"
Suzanne and I arrived home exhausted this afternoon, with a van full of Christmas presents and bakery treats for this evening's hearthside tree-raising. We had an enjoyable time visiting local shops and got everything we had on our list, and a few extras. No, I'm not working for the Chamber of Commerce, the BIA or the Town of Gravenhurst. It's not a job, to promote this town. We love living in Gravenhurst, and Muskoka generally, and as such, we love shopping here as well. I don't need to get paid, to write the obvious. If you have seen us on our local gadabouts, with parcels under arm, a smile on our faces, well sir, then you know I'm not fibbing. Please help out local businesses, who employ our sons and daughters, mothers and fathers, aunts and uncles, cousins and significant others. It's the right thing to do at Christmas, and throughout the year. There's nothing as uplifting, in the business sense, to see the kind of facility expansions and upgrades, that are going on at present in this town……which tells us, pretty clearly, we've got lots to look forward to in the coming years.
As historically inclined people, buried at times in old books, and the stories they contain about pioneer times,…. and being enthralled students of regional history, Suzanne and I have talked often, about the days when shopping locally was a fact of life in this hamlet, village and town; and not so long ago. Remember the good old days? You had to count on local merchants. You couldn't drive off to the Big Smoke like many do today, on a whim, for a fun night out. The shopping trip radius was a lot smaller back then…..and our grand parents and parents survived, even with the limited shopping opportunities. Many owned their own local businesses, as well, and passed on their ventures to sons and daughters. One day soon, we may again, have to rely much more heavily on goods and services provided locally. The economy and world circumstances may force this upon us. I think we should get a head start, and begin a serious investigation, just how good we are at customer service, and provision in this town of ours.
Thanks so much for joining me at hearthside today, for this wee recollection of Christmas past…..and the hopefulness for Christmases in the future. Please visit again soon.
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