I think along with the script thing, which I've been neglecting lately... I think I'm going to come up with an extensive business plan for a mom and pop store to kinda work at over the next few years. I'm waiting on my friend to come and get me so I'll ramble for a second...
I think we are going to see a resurgence of local mom and pop shops, farmers markets, and the general philosophy of supporting small business when this is over or it winds down. We were kind of inching there the few years before the collapse as a country, but my generation was really embracing stuff like urban farming, flower bombing, and organic food - a market some corporations were finding a way to sneak into. This is just initial thinking that is pretty ignorant and totally anecdotal, but I really think this is where we are going to go. The fact that liberalism and extreme progressivism has had an explosion (no pun intended) since the last election only goes to support that idea.
I'm going to a place today called Valpo Velvet which I will post about after I get some of their food, but this place is an institution here and has been around since the 20's I think. I thought they only sold ice cream, but I guess I was extremely wrong. I'm not sure if I am going to stick with this idea for more than a few days, but I'm going to start putting stuff on paper today. It's not that I have an intention of starting this business or that I'm wanting to make millions or anything, but if I can come up with some solid ideas over the next few years and a few pounds of pot, I'll share it with the local business around here to help boost my own community and benefit from it that way. It really isn't about the money.
I need a name for the project, so I can tag it appropriately. What is something catchy and short? It's my own one man exploratory committee that will hopefully teach me more about civics. Oh yeah, the reason I want to share it with you guys too is that, I think small business thrives more in your region than anywhere else. Maybe you can give me ideas or tell me about the local shops around you. I don't think it has to be as expensive as most people think. One idea I had in the shower just now was based off when Kerry told me about bison meat. We have a bison farm here... That is the kind of thing that people would want to try and would set the store apart from chains. Buffalo Burgers or Buffalo Steak...
The video below is of a man who stood up to Pepsi and opened his own soda shop that sells over 500 brands. The amount may be off because I haven't seen it in a long time, but his story is what counts. He discusses CRV laws (the 5/10 cent returns on glass bottles), corn syrup, and distributors. It doesn't seem like a ten minute video on soda business would be interesting, but you'd be surprised. Also, I may have already posted this on the blog. I'm having a hard time remembering if I've discussed stuff on here or not. It's because I pretty much post everything I'm interested in on this blog, and I don't know if certain things I was really into happened BB or AB. That's cute right - BB/AB?
If this is interesting to you, here's what I would find really helpful beyond general comments: the mom and pop you frequent the most or like the best, names for a tag, or any resources on relative information. I'll discuss the ideal kind of store I have in mind and strategy on the blog later. I've already got some good ideas, then I'm going to smoke in a few minutes which will give me better ideas. I'm totally manic right now. I wonder if I'm not bipolar.
