inside out

I saw a lock today at the gym. It stuck out like a sore thumb because it had green sparkle paint on it. I walked over to check it out and I saw this fake gold plate on it that proudly displayed "made in china". The lock itself was kind of under built as compared to the other locks that were on the lockers. All politics aside, I don't think you would want a "made in china" label on display to the rest of the world on the $1 lock that might be securing a $250 cell phone and the $100 that might be in your pocket. Not that it necessarily matters I guess because people just throw their stuff in a locker without any lock at all and I never hear peeps complaining that their stuff got ripped off. To me, if you're going to buy a lock at all, you may as well get one that would actually do the job if you needed it to. Or at least turn the label to the inside so that peeps can't openly see that it's made in china. I'm just saying.

mr. two hearted ale

I just spent a half hour talking to the owner of the party store at the end of my street. This is my party store because it's within walking distance of my house and they have Bell's Two Hearted Ale, my new favorite beer. These days, this is somewhat rare because the majority of the places that you shop are corporate subsidiaries of some sort and have high turnover. It's rare to even find the same person working in the same store for more than a year. I can only think of a handful of places where that aint the case.

Anyway, we talked about beer, wine, America, Ron Paul, etc. The half hour felt like 5 minutes as it usually does. I was reminded all over again how great it is to be a regular anywhere. Where you walk in and they know what you want without even asking. Where the beer is in front of your stool before you can even sit down. Whether he knows it or not, he has a unique edge on the competition. As a business owner, he can get to know his customers and tailor his business to their desires. He will be around long after the guy at Rite Aid who says "I'm sorry sir we don't have Bell's Two Hearted Ale" has quit and moved on to greener pastures. Also he has the ability to openly support any cause that he deems worthy. He can display whatever info he wants in his store as long as it is legal and he doesn't have to check with "corporate" to see if that's ok.

It's a shame that peeps don't value mom and pop stores anymore. Their contributions to society are much more than selling their wares.