Local vs. BIG BOX

Since we live in a town that I would rather not be in, I have been on a search to find things to appreciate about living here. Why dwell in misery when I can try and find things to feel good about, right? I do have to say I have found some great places in this city. The 17th Street Market is a great place to grocery shop, outside the big box stores, and still get decent prices. They had organic pineapple for $1.49 and it was very good! The market also supports local musicians and it is great to hear live music while shopping . I ate at El Charro for the first time in the 20 years I have lived here.  It is a Tucson institution where allegedly the chimichanga was invented. El Charro is in a contentious rivalry with a restaurant in Phoenix over this title for decades. The food was good and the guacamole was decent even though it was not prepared table side (which I think it should be).  Another really great find is BICAS, a nonprofit organization, offers used bikes and bike parts. You can volunteer at the shop and earn credit to get a bike. There are classes available that teach how to build your own bike and you can rent space to repair if you need to. It is a very cool concept. I looked there first for a bike but none were built and ready to go the day I went. My brother found some inexpensive replacement parts for his bike that he needed. And, BONUS, they had a flier up for Youth Works, an organization that makes compost bins from garbage bins thrown into the city dump. The following Saturday I bought a huge compost bin made out of recycled materials for $40! It feels really good to buy and support local businesses and organizations.

That said, I have been wanting to buy a bike to ride around the neighborhood and I got this one last week:

I love the whitewall tires and the fenders . I ride it to my yoga class on Sunday mornings and around the neighborhood with Peanut.

I ended up getting it at……. Target (::sigh::). I wanted to buy local so very much but it came down to a lower price at Target (50% lower easily) on clearance for a pretty good deal. And I think that is a real issue that local businesses have to contend with: prices and availability. I would certainly buy local even if it costs slightly more. But, 50% less expensive; well, my wallet talks too and it says, “We gots to save somewhere!”