Project: Buy Local- Communication

Yesterday I gathered my strength to overcome my anxiety with communicating with strangers.  Where this anxiety comes from... I have no idea.  I originally wanted to do this all in person, but every time I wanted to head over to discuss Project: Buy Local they looked incredibly busy.  You know Spring is in the air when you look out your window and a freight truck full of bags of compost is being delivered.... ahhhh :)  Since they always seemed so busy and time is of the essence, I decided to communicate via email.  And last night I finally sent the all important email.  Here is what I wrote:

Hello, my name is Lindsay Daly.  I'm sure we've met before as my husband and I shop there on occasion.  I live right across the street at 840 E. Cecil St. (small white house where we have pulled every ugly shrub imaginable from the front).  So it makes it quite easy for me to walk across the street and get what I need.  I would first like to say that I love your store.

Initial I intended to come and talk to you in person, but I figured when you are at the store you will probably be busy preparing for the spring coming up here.  So, I am emailing you in regards to a project I am doing called Project: Buy Local.  It is a personal endeavor done simply out of inspiration from a news article my husband and I read.  My hope for Project: Buy Local is to inspire Neenah residents to buy local.  There are so many reasons to buy local.  I'm sure you are familiar to the benefits of it, but I find it most important to support those businesses that make Neenah so great.   What I plan on doing is dispersing a flyer to hundreds of Neenah residents.  On this flyer, I am challenging the residents to spend at least $20 on a specific date at one specific local store in Neenah.  Thus my reason for this email- I am hoping I can choose Pansies for this project.

Why you?  I grew up in Neenah and some of my earliest memories are of riding my bike past Pansies and enjoying the smell of the flowers.  Now as an adult and being right across the street, I have enjoyed Pansies so much more.  I love just looking out my window and watching as people enter and exit your store with plants in hand.  Plus I love walking across the street and getting any of my garden needs.  I truly believe that your store has helped make Neenah a wonderful place to live.

Would you be interested in being a part of Project: Buy Local?  I will be designing and mailing the flyers myself.  The only thing I would need from you is your permission as well as input on when you would like to have this happen.  I am proposing a date of May 12th as it is also Mother's Day weekend.  My hope is that it will get people in to Pansies since they will most likely be out shopping that day anyhow.

I have attached to this email a rough design of the flyer for your viewing.  On the back on the flyer I would like to give the history of Pansies for the residents who are not familiar with your store.
I hope you will consider being a part of Project: Buy Local.  I think supporting Pansies will be a great start to a project that I'm hoping might become a yearly thing featuring a different local store each year.  

I appreciate your time and consideration and I am eager to hear what you think.  

Thank You,
Lindsay Daly

Clearly I'm not the finest communicator to exist (notoriously known for long winded sentences incorporating too many commas and ...), but this will have to do.  After I sent the email, I was so anxious to hear back from the owner.  And sure enough, not even a couple hours later this is what I received:

Wow!  Thank you, Lindsay!  I think your flyer looks great!  I also agree with you about the date!  We will be fully stocked by then and you are right, Mothers Day weekend is usually a  busy weekend for us!

I would be happy to help however you would like me to!

I try very hard to be sure Pansies is a beautiful, happy part of our neighborhood!!  Thank you so much for your kind words!  It means a lot to me.

Thank you again, Lindsay,

Paige

Sweet relief!  I gave the biggest sigh and finally was able relax when I read this email.  Not only did I conquer my fear of communicating, but she agreed to take part in Project: Buy Local!  How great is that??  First things first is I need to finish the flyer.  I'm going to be ordering the flyers online, so I need to allot time for the flyers to print and be sent to me.  I'm hoping to get them done by the end of this week.  I will be hitting the ground running with this project.

I am so very excited that I've been given the go ahead.  So much so, that I propose we cheers to this superb news.  So raise your drink, whatever that may be (tea in my case) and lets celebrate:  Cheers!  Project: Buy Local is a GO!