“Shop Local.” You probably hear that more and more these days. It doesn’t necessarily mean the same thing to everyone, but to me, it’s something I’ve always done. Shopping local means keeping money in my community. It means supporting the small independent business owner that grows hothouse tomatoes in the shoulder seasons and the family that packages canning supplies in bulk. It means buying my barbecue sauce from Front Royal, my meat from Edinburg, and my apple cider from Timberville. I buy all that I can from the small business owners I meet and I keep the big box grocery stores for the items I just can’t find “locally.”
So to celebrate Small Business Saturday, I spent some time hitting my favorite stores and buying some of my favorite products.
Shopping Local
From left to right (mostly):
The Market in Woodstock: mulling spices
Mowery Orchard in Woodstock: local molasses, apples, Route 11 potato chips
Shenandoah Farm Market: ketchup from Linda’s Mercantile, hot sauce from Firefly, Cider from Old Hill
The Farmhouse: fig jam from the Country Canner, coffee from Cabin Creek Roasters, flour from Wades Mill, BBQ sauce from Golden Blends Barbecue, soap from a local company
Grandma’s Pantry: apple cider from Showalter’s Greenhouse and Orchard (home of Old Hill), honey from Golden Angels Apiary
Mountain View Tree Farm (below): a Norway Spruce
local Christmas tree
*** This site is comprised solely of the opinions of its author, Stacey Morgan Smith. She works to promote gardening and tourism in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, from Roanoke to the Potomac River.***
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