In 2018 I had to travel to Fort Collins, CO to do a sales pitch during a sales meeting at The Group, Inc. After arriving at the airport, I realized that I had forgotten to pack my sport coat. Luckily I had some time to make a few stops. I asked around and found a local boutique that sold men's clothing. Once there I struck up a conversation with the woman who was working at the store. She was incredibly nice and when I told her I was from North Carolina she got excited because she was from there too. It’s indeed a small world, it turned out that I was friends with her cousin.
So after purchasing the jacket, she told me where to eat and where to go for a hike. When I shared why I was in town and the mission of our company to support local, she told me the story about the owners of the boutique donating profits at the store to a charity for a rare disease that their son has.
The entire experience reinforced why I choose local shops over the big chains. Yes, I potentially paid more for the sport coat, but because of the small size of the shop, I was able to connect with someone in a meaningful way, find out they were from my home state, learn about local spots and support a meaningful charity with my purchase. Now each time I wear that sport coat I remember that entire trip fondly.
Years later, sporting my jacket with the fam on Easter.