Wine & Words

No, I'm not writing about the controversies surrounding end-of-life directives. I'm addressing the issue of keeping owner-operated businesses, "Mom & Pops," alive. And not just because "I are one." And not just in this economic whatever-it-is. But for the health of our nation, our economy, our social life, our posterity. Jean Thompson, a fellow owner-operator at Cat Bamboo in Washington, recently sent out information about a program called The 3/50 Project: Saving the Brick & Mortars Our Nation was Built On. The basic idea is to encourage everyone to pick out their 3 favorite independently-owned businesses and commit to spending $50 a month in each. The benefits are enormous. Here's the way the 3/50 organization puts it: Pretty impressive, no? It's the thing I've been talking about since this economy hit the skids. We can't save the world financial system. We can't wait for a government bailout. But we can put an oar in the water for our local businesses by thinking not only about how we can get the cheapest prices, but also on how our spending impacts our neighborhoods. As the poster says, for every $100 you spend with a local business, $68 stays in the community. That's our community, a place that's dear to our hearts. A place worth saving. Just sayin'.