Shop Small this Holiday Season

The last 9 months have gone by so fast yet felt so slow. It’s like it’s a never-ending spiral of despair. A lot of people are reaching out and asking how we are doing at Venue Kings and if we will be filing for bankruptcy. Fun times. It’s a justifiable question as the government has, in one swipe, seemingly ended our field of work. We are fine, had backups in place, and are already selling tickets in America for their events. But, other small businesses are not the same. All around us, a lot of the cool experiences we have are because of small business. Whether it’s booking a limo with Boss Limousines or going to Harmony Donuts and getting a cool donut, it’s the small businesses that help us every day.

The issue with this is that because they are small, they often are a bit more expensive, maybe not as fast, or the technology is not as good. Which is unfortunate because all that stuff comes from scaling. Doritos are cheaper at Walmart because Walmart forces Doritos to give them the best price and raise the price on all the other people who they sell Doritos too so that people do not shop anywhere else.

Companies like Joeys Restaurant (who I love) because of their large enterprise and relationship with banks can withstand the punishment that a pandemic can bring. Their banks don’t pull their lines of credit as easily, their customers are quick to come back, and the places they buy from need the orders, so they probably get preferred pricing. It’s all part of the deal. The bigger you are the easier it is to do business. With all this in mind, I found myself asking myself why I kept going to Starbucks and Joeys and all these big chains that didn’t need my business.

I’ve decided for the next month that I will do everything I can to avoid going to big businesses and try and support the small businesses that make our communities better. It’s going to cost me a little more, it’s going to be a little slower and it will be more annoying, I’m sure, but I think it’s important and I am challenging you all to join me in this quest and get people to join you.

Last night we went to Sopra Sotto on Hastings. It was great. The pizza was great, the pasta was great, and Preet love the appetizer we got. No more Joeys for a bit, no more Starbucks. (Also he is responsible for moving the Sonics from Seattle so we probably should never go back there anyway haha … Softy I got you) No more Walmart just some nice small businesses that can use all the help they can get in these times.