Tag Archives: Small business

Books, Small Businesses, and Wheatberry

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Last week, I found myself in Chillicothe with a few minutes to kill and a desire to support Wheatberry, an independent bookstore in downtown. Chillicothe’s largest industry was recently lost with the closure of the paper mill and the hit to the economy makes me worry for small businesses like this one.

So I gave myself permission to go in and buy a book. One book and nothing more. There were other things I needed to be spending my money on  and, if you could see my collection of books waiting to be read, you would understand why I really didn’t need to be shopping at that moment. Yet I want to get into the habit of popping in more often and this was a good opportunity. 

I had a lovely time perusing their selection, starting in non-fiction with a quick stop in children’s before making my way to fiction. I have often thought I would like to meet whoever does the buying for this store because it’s like they are purposefully packing their shelves with exactly the kind of books I want to read. 

Given that my interests span so many genres, that’s not the easiest thing to do! 

At some point, I struck up a conversation with the nice lady running the store and we began talking about specific books. Turns out, she and I have similar reading tastes and she began recommending books. Finally, she asked if I like thrillers and if I had read anything by Lisa Jewell, thereby introducing me to a new author. When she endorsed Jewell’s book The Family Upstairs, I said “sold” and purchased it immediately.

There’s something to be said for the services you receive at small businesses. In this case, it’s clear that the staff at Wheatberry love books and are thrilled to talk about them, not just sell them.

The folks that run our small businesses are our neighbors. They support our communities. They share our interests. They might be our friends. They are contributing something value to our communities. 

Amazon might save you a few bucks but Amazon doesn’t support your local festivals or your kid’s ball team. Small businesses in your community not only will chip in to help with uniforms, they’ll show up and cheer too. And they may play it cool while you’re there buying but small business folk do a happy dance at every purchase!

The interaction made me think about how lovely it is to have an independent bookstore nearby. If we want a business to survive, we have to support them as much as we can and I need to do a better job with this. 

If there’s a small business in your community that you appreciate and wish to keep, get your friends on board, and all of you step up to support them in whatever way you can. They need us now more than ever. 

And if you’re in Chillicothe, Ohio and in the mood to find some books you never knew you couldn’t live without, stop by Wheatberry and let them hook you up!

Hounddog’s Pizza

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I recently tried to have lunch at Hounddog’s Pizza in Columbus, Ohio. A friend says they have the absolute best pizza around and they even have some good meatless options so my mouth was watering by the time we arrived. Tragically, they were closed when we were there so I’ll have to return another day.

Meanwhile, I did snap this photo in their parking lot. Anyone with a fabulous piece of art like this is worthy of a second trip!

Want to drool over their menu? Click here.

Wheatberry Wonders

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There’s a bookstore in Chillicothe, Ohio that seems to be stocked with someone like me in mind. Every visit results in the purchase of some fantastic treasure.

It’s called Wheatberry and it’s located in the city’s historic downtown. This shop is small but packed with a vast variety of fiction and nonfiction. I try to stop in whenever I’m in the neighborhood and attempt to stick to a budget.

I was there yesterday and gave myself permission to buy one book. So I bought three books and a journal.

Ahem…. As you can tell, my self control is perfectly in check.

To be fair, everything I bought was something unique and possibly not found anywhere else. The above pictured Sean Dietrich book has been on my wish list for a while but I couldn’t find it at any other bookstore in my travels. I have become increasingly averse to buying from Amazon so I was thrilled to support an independent bookseller.

The clerk seemed genuinely happy for our business and had lovely things to say about my choices.

I tell you that to tell you this.

Amazon won’t sponsor your kid’s ball team or donate to your senior center. They don’t care about you or your town. They just like your money.

But when you buy from a small business, these people do a happy dance with every purchase. Not to mention, you’re supporting your neighbors and your community and the tax dollars stay right here.

So, if you think about it that way, supporting my local bookstore was the responsible thing to do!

Yellow Bicycle Canteen

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It’s called Yellow Bicycle Canteen and it was one of so many fun discoveries we made on foot in Philadelphia. We were immediately charmed by the curb appeal. The pops of yellow, sweet cafe tables and nifty signage were enough to pull us right through the door.

Guys, they specialize in vegetarian food! It was such a delightful, heart warming experience to walk into a restaurant and have an entire menu of food just for me!

Plus, every menu item can be made vegan with just a few swaps or omissions. This is the sort of thing you mostly find in cities. Given how many dietary needs have become mainstream, it’s shockingly difficult to eat in a restaurant in this country if you are gluten free or plant based.

Where I live, most restaurants cook green beans in pork and add beef to vegetable soup. Some restaurants offer a black bean burger or pizzas you can customize but I almost feel like many places don’t want my business.

But I digress. This place is incredible because you can get soups, wraps, and all kinds of fun sounding dishes. We were there for breakfast so I indulged in something called Y.B. Cheesy, a bagel with two eggs, American cheese and some kind of herb cream cheese spread.

We took our sandwiches across the street to sit in a quiet courtyard and enjoy our sandwiches and lemony Italian sodas.

They are not at all skimpy on the ingredients – it all was high quality and well worth the $7 price tag.

Small businesses are the backbone of our nation and our neighborhoods. These are the folks who are working to provide services and products and food that appeal to you and your sensibilities rather than the lowest common denominator that the chain stores and restaurants focus on.

If you’re walking down the street and spot a little cafe or cute store, do more than window shop if it can. Go in, see what they have and maybe spend a little cash with them. That’s how we get to keep these special places.

My only regret about this cafe is that we only got to go for one meal. Want to see their fabulous menu? Click here.

The Ohio Book Store

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It’s no secret that books are an important part of my life and that I often seek out bookstores when traveling. That’s why it was important to me to prioritize finally visiting the Ohio Book Store in downtown Cincinnati last month.

The Ohio Book Store was founded in 1940 and is five floors of used and out-of-print books. The proprietor will meet you at the door and ask if you’re looking for anything in particular to aid in your search. If you’re just browsing or are interested in multiple topics, he will give you a map to aid in your expedition.

When I inquired about nature books, he asked a few questions before taking me to my desired section in the basement. When my fella asked about history, the guy asked questions to drill down to a specific area of history before sending him off to the third floor with a map and some instructions.

Each floor features rows of tall metal shelves and some makeshift ones as well. Tall windows facing Main Street provide lovely atmospheric light and a chair here and there welcomes the shopper to stop for a rest or a read.

This place is packed to the ceiling with unusual books, old books, things you’ve never heard of, and things you never knew you needed to read. It is not the place to come for new releases or bestsellers but I think that’ makes it all the more charming.

Although, I will admit that it’s a little overwhelming at first! Note the massive collection of National Geographic’s pictured here. I went hoping to find the August 1949 edition that I’ve been searching for these last several years. They had a dozen copies for $5 each. They have a selection of other old magazines like Life and local papers too.

They even do book repair and binding. That’s a sentence I never thought I would get to type. People just don’t take care of things the way they used to so it was great fun to see that department in the basement.

I found a nice little stack of things that I knew I would never see again and left behind some stuff that I now regret.

Perhaps a return trip should be on the books!

Want to visit the Ohio Book Store? Find everything you need to know on their website!

Durango Rugs

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Welcome to the Durango Rug Company, an open air store where you can admire the wares from the sidewalk. I delighted in all the beautiful colors and textures but ultimately kept walking. They sold nothing that would fit in my carryon bag!

It was, however, a feast for the eyes. Not to mention, their sign offers great advice!

“Life’s short. Buy the rug. Eat the cake. Take the trip.”

Why, yes! Those are all stupendous ideas!