SERIES: More Than a Transaction • 4 of 6
Dear readers,
You may have noticed I’ve been absent and you haven’t received the Power of Local blog in three months. I took a leave of absence when I lost my son in an auto accident in late April. It’s taken a bit to pull myself together and return to work. But even in the fog of grief, local business was a beacon of light finding its way through.
I was in the middle of a series of blogs called More than a Transaction, exploring the ways our locals businesses are so much more than the commerce of the day, when tragedy struck. But this story illustrates exactly what I’ve been talking about.
I have a local bakery, Little Bread Company, that I go to every morning. They are everything a small, local business should be…warm, friendly, a community gathering place, great food, delicious coffee—all the things I look for in a bakery coffeehouse. But on my first visit after losing my son, they were so much more.
I thought I was ready for this but as I approached the counter, the barista said “Good morning Rebecca. How are you today?” Then she looked up and said “Oh no, What’s wrong.” Bursting into tears, I couldn’t even say the words. Without hesitation, all four employees dropped what they were doing and came around the counter to hold me as I sobbed in their arms. They offered so much comfort to me, just a regular customer. I wasn’t just hugged by a clerk, I was embraced and enveloped by a community. Two days later I walked in and was handed a lovely gift basket with all my favorite things in it. Tears flowed again as I read the card signed by everyone and filled with heartfelt messages of love, concern and how sorry they were. But these were tears of joy—at least partially. They will never know how much this meant to me. In the worst part of my life, they cared.
This is what I’ve been talking about. This is community. This is so more than a transaction. I hope your life is filled with the warmth of many small, local businesses.
See you next week for the fourth article in this series about local businesses and why they’re important.
