baymule
Garden Master
American Express is promoting shopping locally in small businesses Saturday, the day after Black Friday. I think that is a good promotion, the little businesses need a special shopping day too. Since I Black Friday shopped last night, I small business shopped today. I went to Thomas Mercantile, opened in 1913 and the lady who runs it now is 4th generation. She operates it as a gift shop, a tiny space packed full of gift items that ordinarily I wouldn't have much interest in........but it's Christmas and I need gift items.
I told the lady that I was shopping local businesses because of the promotion by American Express, but I paid cash. Most small businesses are hit pretty hard by the percentage points to process a credit card. Some don't even take American Express or Discover because the percentages of the sale charged to the business are so high. So if you go shop small businesses tomorrow, do them a favor and pay cash. It is illegal for them to charge you more if you use a credit card.
Thomas Mercantile is off the main highway. It sits several miles out of town, right on the railroad tracks, on Old Highway 35. This highway is a dirt trail that runs alongside the railroad tracks and over the years, as bridges have washed out, they have not been replaced. So there are short segments of the old highway that pop up here and there where the newer, more modern highway does not cover over the top of it. Now this newer more modern highway has been around longer than I have, so I suppose the Old Highway 35 might have started out as a wagon trail.
Thomas Mercantile has two narrow aisles that Mom's walker had a hard time navigating, but she enjoyed the experience. Mom enjoyed getting out of the house and out in the beautiful sunny day. I bought some gift items to put in a white elephant Christmas present, hope none of the men pick that one, unless they like candles and soaps. LOL It was fun to rummage around in the old building, a piece of history. The lady was kind and helpful, the store was brimming floor to ceiling with interesting things. Definitely not a chain store.
So what about you? Will you try to shop locally for some of your Christmas gifts? Will you try to support a small business in your town or area?
I told the lady that I was shopping local businesses because of the promotion by American Express, but I paid cash. Most small businesses are hit pretty hard by the percentage points to process a credit card. Some don't even take American Express or Discover because the percentages of the sale charged to the business are so high. So if you go shop small businesses tomorrow, do them a favor and pay cash. It is illegal for them to charge you more if you use a credit card.
Thomas Mercantile is off the main highway. It sits several miles out of town, right on the railroad tracks, on Old Highway 35. This highway is a dirt trail that runs alongside the railroad tracks and over the years, as bridges have washed out, they have not been replaced. So there are short segments of the old highway that pop up here and there where the newer, more modern highway does not cover over the top of it. Now this newer more modern highway has been around longer than I have, so I suppose the Old Highway 35 might have started out as a wagon trail.
Thomas Mercantile has two narrow aisles that Mom's walker had a hard time navigating, but she enjoyed the experience. Mom enjoyed getting out of the house and out in the beautiful sunny day. I bought some gift items to put in a white elephant Christmas present, hope none of the men pick that one, unless they like candles and soaps. LOL It was fun to rummage around in the old building, a piece of history. The lady was kind and helpful, the store was brimming floor to ceiling with interesting things. Definitely not a chain store.
So what about you? Will you try to shop locally for some of your Christmas gifts? Will you try to support a small business in your town or area?
