The "Stuff Bell Curve" and the 3 Stages

While we concentrate on being an advocate for our customers we’ve noticed that they transition through three basic stages and we help them to explore their options whether they are:
1) gathering
2) changing
3) distributing
their quality, prized possessions. Picture it as a kind of bell curve that slowly arcs along a person’s life cycle and it is common for all kinds of folks to need help and for different reasons. We have found that although most are very proficient within their own field of expertise they usually need a bit of help when it comes to one or all three stages of the “Stuff Bell Curve.”

The desire to create and maintain a “home” and its decor can easily become anything from a mundane grind to an overwhelming endeavor. Options are myriad and choices must be made and are usually best made with the aid of a trusted advisor. Whether that advisor is a friend, family member, a decorator/designer or a certain, familiar shop keeper…with whom you have a deep sense of confidence…oh and, of course, trust!

We believe trust is best achieved over time and where the exchange of ideas and goods is open and honest. Pushing an extrinsic sale or promoting impulsive buying can prematurely shorten the development of a long term relationship. A good conversation along with some listening and thoughtful consideration will usually result in better decisions. Nothing builds trust better than a good choice that provides long term satisfaction!

Do We Shop Locally?

I woke up today filled with questions! Think for a moment where we tend to shop. Do we know if we tend to shop local, regional, national or international? Do we know where the things we buy come from? How they arrive in our hands? Are we aware that as an active member of economics 101 the “where and how” we shop shapes the world in which we live? Is it possible that we have at least some control of our local destiny?

For years we have been carrying on a national dialog about the effects of the “Global Economy!” We engage in populist speak and toss about references to NAFTA, the WTO and the IMF, etc. We carry on like Jekyll & Hyde with our discomfort over how another local factory has moved to China or the corner clothing boutique just closed without giving us proper notice. On the one hand, we feel a bit unsettled about it. On the other hand, we push it a little deeper. We push it past the horizon of our immediate sense of urgency as though we need to accept the inevitable.

What happens, years from now, when we look back? Will we see the local community that attracted us to move away from more familiar environs or the once reviled hometown? Is it possible that the local shops we blindly drive by today will become impossible to avoid as we can’t help but notice how many are gone? What if, for the next few days, we just count the number of locally, owned and operated shops as we drive through our daily grind? If we merely count them today, will we be able to count on them being there tomorrow?