With the arrival of small business Saturday here at kitchen garden textiles we’re reminded again of just how deeply immersed we are in the principles espoused by this unofficial holiday. A Saturday out of all the others that has sprung up to encourage people to turn away from the slick corporate offerings vying for their dollars and instead invest in their own communities. One way to think about the benefits of shopping small and local is to liken it to planting a tree.

Each entrepreneur begins with the seed of an idea. Then they roll up their sleeves and get to work cultivating that seed. They depend on the members of their community to shop with them and help them send down roots to nourish the business growth. As the roots reach deeper into the community, more and more people are supported by the work, like a tree branching out. With more branches come more goods and services for the neighborhood, like leaves and flowers bringing shade and beauty. Small businesses stabilize a community, the same way the roots of a healthy tree stabilize the soil.

Because the tree is in your own backyard, you can keep an eye on how it’s growing as you tend it. You can get to know the person who planted it, understand their methods and goals and enjoy their progress. Unlike big multi-national companies, you can witness first hand what small businesses in your community are up to and how they enrich your lives daily. In 2020 kitchen garden textiles made the change, with so many others, to a primarily digital business model. We’ve been happy to continue sharing our ideas, progress and goods with you here on the blog and in our emails. We hope that some of the ideas we’ve planted with you have taken root and are flourishing. We’re looking forward to some very special in person events in 2022, gathering under the tree of this business with all of you. In the meantime, we hope you’ll have us at your table this winter and remember to shop with small, ethical, local businesses, today and always. Together we can plant enough trees to create a healthy vibrant forest of goods and services.