The city I live in, Neenah, is a tight knit community and I think most of the citizens strive to make Neenah the best it can be. But sometimes people need a little push to do something they've been wanting to do for some time, but never find themselves doing it. That "thing" is buying locally. I understand that it is so easy to just go to the big box stores to get the things you need- prices are cheaper, they are close by and they probably have everything you need, but these big box stores have major faults. They put so much strain on the small mom & pop shops that are scattered around the city that many are forced to close their doors. What people don't understand is that if you SPEND locally, the money STAYS local. Isn't that something we all should strive for? I don't want to lecture, but I think it is important to support our community by shopping local even if that means spending a couple extra bucks.
The local mom & pop shop I have selected is Pansies Garden Centre. I have always lived near this shop and now I have the pleasure of living across the street from it. It is a lovely store that has made it able for me to simply walk across the street and buy any garden thing I need (blueberry bushes, garden pots, dirt) and I believe that they deserve the communities support. And this is what I plan to do:
I have (with my amateur graphic designing skills) created this flyer that I hope to put in hundreds of mailboxes as well as hang up at local businesses and just simply strewn it across the city to reach as many people as I can. I'm hoping it will inspire the city to go to this lovely shop on Saturday, April 28th and spend at least $20.
Now my questions to you are:
1. Do you think I should contact the owner of the store and let them know about the project? Or should it just be a surprise?
2. How does the flyer look? Should I include some facts or history about the store? Also, should I state on the flyer that it is not Pansies who is doing this project, but simply an individual?
3. What do you think in general about the whole idea? Think it will work??
If all goes well, I might just make this a yearly thing involving a different store each year. Soooooo, your input would be greatly appreciated! :) Thanks!
Here is the Link to the source of inspiration.
I would contact the store. Maybe that day they can do something special. Some special deal if you spend $20.00 or more. Gives them fair warning to have their store at the top performance for that day so they have repeat visitors and a good experience for all.
ReplyDeleteI think if you can get the store to offer some sort of special, many people will take advantage of it. I know I'm a thrifty shopper and I know I'm always looking for a deal :)
I love the idea! I thought the article Andy posted a while back was great! Good for you for taking action!! I think you could leave the flyer as is, but I would contact the local paper before the event so they can run a story on it & get even more publicity. Plus they can give the background story on all of it. Ideally it would be great if they could run 2 stories- one before telling everyone about it & then a follow up thanking everyone. My only recommendation would be maybe running the special Mother's Day weekend instead- I think that's about the time most people start thinking summer flowers, gifts for mom, etc. can't wait to hear how it all turns out!! You inspire me to do better!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great idea! This is totally my area! Before I was a SAHM (so, like 18 months ago), I did marketing and PR for a sustainable architecture firm and there are definitely a few rules to follow, which it sounds like you already know, so I'm preachin' to the choir: first, YES, you should most definitely contact the store. Most likely, they'll be THRILLED, but there could always be issues that they would know of that you wouldn't (like short staffing on that day, re-stocking that weekend, etc.) that could make it not the best date and/or that they would want to be prepared for. Also, I would definitely make it clear that you are a private citizen whose aim is to shop locally. It will give your flier more credibility (so it won't just be seen as "junk mail" given out by the store, which might bother some people and would be tossed) but instead is given out by a member of their very own community (which has a GREAT appeal to it and is totally noble and worth the mass mail-out).
ReplyDeleteHere's a third idea that you might want to consider, because I think you are onto something REALLY cool, especially being from a small town. You should consider doing a blog (even just a one-time blog post, home-page thing) or a website that is called like "BuylocalNeenah" or whatever that you could add the address to the flier and people could go there if they want to get the details and basically read your reasons (like the post you just wrote!) for wanting to shop locally and boost your local economy.
Sarah's idea was great. Giving the store a chance to offer something special would be nice.
ReplyDeleteAnd I always say, "If something is worth doing at all, it is worth doing kick-ass!" So maybe this whole thing would get bigger eventually and get everyone involved? Like supporting a different business each month or each quarter, where that business gets highlighted and advertised. And you could put that business up on your blog's post for the month or something.
You, my friend, are a future (or even current) community leader. Your flier kicks ass and so do you!
Thank you so much to everyone for all the feedback and support! It has really got my mind turning. I plan on meeting with the company and seeing what their thoughts are and I have also thought about changing the dates to Mother's Day weekend.
ReplyDeleteIt has really helped me out to hear what you all had to say and I truly am thankful.
I will surely update on all that progresses with this.
This is really cool, Lindsay, and I like the idea of your supporting the little business across the street -- Pansies looks like a great place! I too suggest contacting the owners to get authorization and to coordinate your promotion with theirs. Some businesses want tight control their over their messages... use of images... distributions, etc. I think making this a personal endorsement would be meaningful, but there's little on the flyer to differentiate your message from a typical ad. If April 28 is a "Buy Local" day across town and there are other folks or an organization getting out the "Buy Local" message in this way, maybe others would jump in to support businesses in their neighborhoods in a similar way. I'd expect the newspaper would surely be interested in a series of stories around a movement like this. Just a couple more comments about Pansies specifically... a free carnation or daffodil for mothers visiting the store on Mother's Day would be a nice welcome and hopefully make a sustainable customer connection. And, finally, I think the name of the business should be bigger on the flyer. It's equally as important as the "buy local" message and should be more visible. Good luck!
ReplyDelete