Oh shopping…that lost activity that I once enjoyed without care. I thought nothing about popping into the car and taking off for a trip into downtown Brevard to pick up a few things or to simply browse the shops. But things have changed since March, haven’t they? I have not been “shopping” at all. I have done curbside pick ups and gone inside stores only to pick up orders that have been pre ordered. I have not browsed. I have worn a mask.

In the words of Dr. Seuss – “I don’t like it, Sam I Am.” Not one bit.

I don’t have to buy anything to be happy. That is not always the purpose of the shopping trip. Many times it is just a social thing. A chance to get out and about, to see other people and to be out in our cute little downtown.

Of course I have shopped online. A lot. If I could find it online and I needed it I did. We get so many deliveries from USPS, UPS and Fed Ex and I let those delivery folks know how much I appreciate them navigating our driveway to deliver the multitude of packages that I have waiting each week. I put notes in the mailbox and little baggies of goodies for all the delivery folks. it makes a difference to me so I want them to know they are appreciated.

But I have a few places I have ordered from recently that I wanted to give a shout out to today because they have gone above and beyond. First up is a dairy in Iowa that one of my blogger friends, Val, who writes at Corn Beans Pigs and Kids shared a picture of some cheese curds and boy oh boy – did they look good. So a quick correspondence with WW Homestead Dairy and we worked out a reasonable shipping rate (shipping to the midwest is much easier and less expensive than to North Carolina when it comes to keeping products cold) and soon I had my very own shipment of delightful cheese curds, cheese slices and butter. It was wonderful to have a little splurge and to support a small business at the same time. Check out their Facebook page here and their website here.

Next up was one of our local shops that I have shared before. The White Squirrel Shoppe in downtown Brevard has such a lovely selection of merchandise for tourists and locals alike. Lorraine has a great eye and started posting pictures of cute outfits on their Facebook page. I messaged her, ordered a couple of things and she promptly shipped them out. She was happy to do curbside pickup but at that point I was pretty hunkered down and just wanted to have the convenience of having it sent to me. When the package arrived I had to make a couple size adjustments and she met me at the store for that safe exchange. Of course now the shop is reopened under our state’s phasing plan with precautions and safety being put first but I loved that she was able to come up with some creative marketing to allow some shopping to happen. Check out their Facebook page here and the website here. I also wrote a post about The White Squirrel Shoppe that you can read by clicking here.

Finally when hand sanitizer was no where to be found I reached out to another Iowa source – Camille at Prairie Aromatics/Soyphisticated Candles had just what I was looking for and she was happy to box up my goodies and send them along quickly. I even ordered some items for our son and daughter in law in New York City and had her ship them there. What a great way to support another small business and get some hand sanitizer at the same time. Check out her Facebook page here and her website here.

There are great things that we can do while we navigate the challenges of Covid-19. Shopping with trusted small businesses is one way to support others during this challenging time. Acknowledging the delivery folks, the employees and wearing masks to show our concern and respect for others are other ways to be a good human during these challenging times. Have you had a good experience with a particular business during the past couple of months? I would love to hear all about it in the comments so Comment for a Cause – Transylvania Tomorrow. Each comment means a 50 cent donation to help our local small businesses.