I live in a small town and for the last couple of years, I have lived without a car. That means, if I need something, I have to either walk, or take the bus. I find it quite freeing, actually. I have had my drivers licence for more than 30 years now...so proportionately, I have done my fair share of driving. I find that walking not only helps me keep fit and trim...I see so much more, when I am on foot. I decided to make a new recipe for dinner last night, and I was short 3 ingredients. It was a lovely day...so I grabbed my cloth bag, and my sunglasses, and headed up the hill to The Bread Box. This little produce market has the best prices of anywhere around, and with the speedy turnover of stock, the freshest fruits and vegetables. The store has a great facade. It looks as if someone has filled their front porch with baskets and boxes of brightly coloured peppers, and apples, and whatever else is in season. The proprietor is Mary and she is a free spirit, with an amazing way of making everyone feel at home in her shop. She will give you advice on how to choose a ripe papaya or pineapple, and she always asks if you need some fresh eggs, amazing eggs with technicolour orange DOUBLE yolks. There is ALWAYS a line up at the cash...an achievement once in a while for most retailers...a daily occurrence for Mary. I only needed a couple of things, so I gathered my produce, and after a few minutes, had almost reached the front of the line. Then I saw the sign...
Right beside the cash register, on top of the large cooler containing fresh meats and cheeses, was a small jar with a sign that read: " We need a new cooler to keep our food fresh for you, our customers. Please donate one dollar to the cooler fund." The sign was handwritten and the jar was small, and it made me think about the number of customers who patronize that shop on a daily, or weekly basis. By my calculations, a dollar from each one, could go a long way to the purchase of a cooler. The sign also made me think about the relationship that people used to have with retailers. When you shopped every day at a butcher, or went to the same barber so long, that your son, and grandson went to him too, you got to know the owner of the shop. You had an investment in the success or the failure of that business. You cared about the owner...not the business...but the person responsible for the business being there. I simply can't imagine my town, without Mary, and The Bread Box. My order came to a little over 24 dollars, so I told her to put the change in the cooler fund jar. I appreciate the fact that she asked ME...one of her long time customers, to help her with a solution to her business challenge...in this case an aging cooler. I think sometimes, that in our bid to be completely professional, and put on the 'everything is just SUPER', face to our customers...we forget to let them know that business owners are just people, like the customers we serve.
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