Kiss My Aster: Local Hospitality

Amanda Thomsen

Garden centers by definition sell stuff. Some have way more stuff than plants. What is my definition of stuff? Well, it starts at bagged soil and pots, trellises and gnomes, water features and Buddhas, and extends all the way up to things that have no explainable tie to gardening. Things like fancy purses, sofas, marble cheese plates and reading glasses.
 
The range of retail garden goods available to garden centers is staggering—sometimes it’s utilitarian, sometimes it can be heart-staggeringly beautiful and sometimes it’s so tacky it’s hard to even. Oh, you KNOW the stuff. And to that, I say, isn’t that great? Something for everyone! But to all that, I ask you to think about adding metaphorical sprinkles on top of the icing on top of the whipped cream … Why not also sell goods made locally that are unique (or somewhat unique) to you?
 
Buying (and therefore selling) local is hot right now. By buying local, money stays in your ’hood to create a better future for everybody. Shipping costs are nada when you’re buying from down the street and when you eliminate shipping, you’re eliminating a whole lot of cardboard and, best of all, the evil packing peanuts.
 
Selling local-made goods is great for you, but it’s TERRIFIC for the maker. The maker gets to sell some goods, gain extra exposure and the cache of selling to a new possible customer base. Will you display their business card? Why not! Will you feature their work on Facebook, Twitter and hopefully Instagram? Mais oui!
 
The seller—that’s you—gets to brag of selling the work of local artists (remember, buying local is hot). You get the satisfaction of being part of the fabric of the community and you cash in on whatever buzz the maker can create with their own influence via social media or existing fan base. Will they hand out YOUR business card? Of course. Will they feature you on Twitter, Facebook and, whoa, totally Instagram? Yes. It’s a deal.
 
If you want to sell local, but don’t know how to find makers, try visiting a local craft or maker fair. Shopping for makers may give you a few hours out of the office someplace where they sell fudge. Hey, you could sell the fudge they make! Local fudge!
 
Another cool way to find local makers is to check Etsy. If you aren’t familiar, come out of that cave for a minute and I’ll tell you that Etsy.com is a peer-to-peer e-commerce site, focused on handmade and vintage items that keeps me awake at night, sparked by the possibilities. The objects of your wildest dreams? Someone makes them and you can buy them on Etsy. They will be delivered Tuesday. In the search options on their front page, you can choose to shop only makers that are near to you by typing in your town. (Nothing in my tiny town, but plenty one town over. I used the keyword “garden” and it supplied incredible watercolor paintings of Dicentra spectabilis and two birdhouses I’d be proud to call home). This gives you stealth ability to check them out from afar, perhaps during a bout of insomnia gained from all that fudge you ate.
 
Or, you could check with local non-profits to see who makes stuff. Adults with disabilities may be making ornaments you could sell at Christmas. An animal shelter may make and sell hand-tied bouquets from volunteers’ gardens. A school may be selling soap and you can say, “Hey, add some pumice to that and call it a gardeners’ soap and we can work together!” That’s buying and selling local at its finest. GP