drawn in by a homemade sign, a wave, a hi
to my favorite kind of store
some kids, a table, and some stuff
selling
apples, lumber, and shiny rocks
they had not sold anything
i’d love to be a customer,
but i’ve no money with me, i said
it’s okay, take some things and pay us tomorrow
we might even have juice then, too
they gave me credit!
—
“without hustle, talent will only carry you so far.”
— Gary Vaynerchuk
j. leach
local english teacher and writer
has launched
a wonderful new business in my town called,
‘why not pie?’
it’s a virtual bakery
where she
creates homemade pies
each week
for pickup or delivery.
she’ll try most any flavor you request
using locally-sourced ingredients whenever possible.
this is really a win-win situation in my eyes
and i can’t wait to try one.
or more.
—
—
if you wish to make an apple pie from scratch,
you must first invent the universe.
– carl sagan
—
credits: current magazine, reddit.com, whynotpie.com
met this group of young entrepreneurs
while walking back
from the downtown art fair
found them
just on the perimeter
in a safe zone
for guerilla marketing
and a cash business
in a bright spot
future lemonade magnates
with
a plan
a happy disposition
and
a wagon-load
full
of quiet enthusiasm
they had made sixty dollars
on the day before
while
rotating jobs
one sign-holder
three salesmen
at street level
offering up cool cups
of
sweet relief
to all who wandered by
with shy smiles
and a price you couldn’t refuse.
stopped by
a local independent pharmacy
with a name that ends in ”II”
even though
they have no store with “I”
after its name
and
fell into a time warp
i was
in an old five and dime and drug store
both rolled into one
the aspirin
and many other things
looked like
they had been there for ages
with a slight yellow tint to them
some
were the only ones
left on the shelves
time stood still
in that little store
nothing had changed
in years
it had slipped
through the cracks
and then
i looked closer
and
saw the rest
there were
tiny glass animals
titanic coloring book
wild buck notecards
men’s dress socks
magic tricks
meercat attack animal warning signs
chocolate milk
grill mitts
mermaid activity books
comfortable chairs for waiting at the pharmacy
golden books
necco wafers
animal suction cup toothbrush holders
a metal cigarette box
with an exotic woman on it
saying
‘i stole your boyfriend’
face powder
ceramic neon sandal
fax service
how to tie nautical knots book
prescription delivery sign
kitten puzzles
postcards with puns
dream catchers
a grab bag for $1.00
filled with
old greeting cards
you had to take your chances
it was all whimsy
and old-fashioned-ness
mixed with
medical supplies and drugs and novelty
and a dash of
i loved discovering
all of
the special things
about it
and the best of all
was
the tiny woman over 80
standing vigil at the front register
who rang up the order for a total of
$3,403.26
a young manager
quite pregnant
on her way out
stopped
when she called to her for help
came back
to fix the slight overcharge
and said,
‘now, don’t give her change for $3,400, she didn’t give you that much’
it was
$1.75
for my tiny glass giraffe
she nodded
so
sweet
unruffled
full of grace
her hair was done
wearing
matching earrings and necklace
the beautiful older woman
was relieved
when i paid cash
i gave her 2 worn singles
she gave me
a shiny quarter back
wrapped my animal
in tissue paper
folded it into a little bag
she smiled
and told me to come back very soon
i will.
—
time flies over us, but leaves its shadow behind.
– nathaniel hawthorne
—
image credits: longs drugs 1938, salvador dali, persistence of time 1931, getty images
Washtenaw Dairy has been many things to many people in the community, and a home away from home for the neighborhood for almost 80 years. what began as a dairy, has continued on as a family-friendly gathering spot for locals and visitors from all over, with ice cream and home made donuts and coffee and smiling faces, always happy to welcome in anyone who stops by.
when they proposed raising the price of a cup of coffee by 10 cents, topping out at over a dollar,
to at least break even, some of the morning regulars were upset,
so they decided to keep selling it at the old price,
and see it as a service to their loyal community.
with the second generation of owners, one in their 60s, and his partner in his 80s, their quote sums up their approach “We won’t put on airs, we’re pretty much just workers,.” The workday starts early to make sure everything gets done. The first employees get to the store at two in the morning, the managers follow at four, and doors open at 5 a.m. “every day but Christmas.”
While ice cream is a big part of the business, the store also sells 150 dozen donuts a day.
“we don’t even know how to turn on a computer, we missed the whole tech thing and for us it’s really hard to get into.” despite the owner’s lack of technical know-how, they’ve been a major presence in the community for a long time. they donate ice cream or money to several hundred causes a year ranging from a the zen buddhist temple to the local high school hockey team. “we support the community, because the community supports us. that’s why it’s worked all these years. it adds up on your bottom line, but these same people come down with their families and buy ice cream. they’ve come for years and supported us.”
The important thing is not being afraid to take a chance.
Remember, the greatest failure is to not try.
Once you find something you love to do, be the best at doing it.
– Debbie Fields
I didn't have my glasses on.... 
