Sunday, May 31, 2015

One Year Local



Anyone who knows me, knows that I love challenges. When I get a good idea or a desire to do something, it'll probably never happen unless I set a goal for it. I have cut out chocolate for a year, completed my 21 before 21 challenge, and done a bunch of other things when there was a goal or a time limit or a prize at the end.

I have been wanting to support local businesses more. There are so many reasons to do this. It helps the economy of your town, you get to discover restaurants and stores that you would have never known about, and you avoid the greasy fries at McDonalds. 

This idea came to me only a few days ago, as I explored West Chester, a town about 15 miles away. The downtown was lined with cute little restaurants, cafes, and shops. I only recognized one chain (a Starbucks, of course) amidst all of the local shops. The shop right next to Starbucks was a little stand that sold tacos and fresh juice. While the latter sounds good to me, the number of people in Starbucks (coming in and out, dozens already seated) compared to the number of people lined up at the taco stand (one) was terrible. 

I have always thought about it and encouraged my friends to try downtown restaurants instead of going to chains, but I have never committed to doing it. Knowing my reputation of actually doing things when there is a time limit or goal, I decided to eat local for one year. 

I have already found so many independent restaurants that are fabulous. My favorite Thai restaurant, my favorite burger place in Philly, my favorite cafe, my favorite vegan restaurant - they are all independent. 

Although I started a few days ago, I bumped my official "start" date up to June, just because it sounds better and is easier to remember. From June 1st 2015 to June 1st 2016, I will be choosing local restaurants to eat at and local cafes for coffee. While I am sure I will still shop at grocery stores and Target, I will keep my eye out for local stores and farmer's markets that I can also shop at.

Exceptions - When a big group of friends, or the bridal party of my best friend's wedding, or a family friend's big family all decide to eat out - I am not going to miss out just because they go to Applebees. I'm going to spend time with my friends, even if they vote on going to a chain restaurant. This happens rarely and to me, it is more important to make memories with your friends than prove a point and complete a challenge. 

However, when it is my choice, or when I am going out with a few friends and I have a big say in where we go, or when I go on a date with Nick (I already convinced him to try this with me), I'll try somewhere independently owned. 

I know some of you aren't able to commit to a whole year, but if you ever discover an independent restaurant/cafe/store, write a blogpost about it to encourage your local friends to try it. Comment with your link below - I'd love to see it! 

Follow my instagram here and my twitter here as I'll be sharing each time I discover a local shop. Use the hashtag #oneyearlocal whenever you find an awesome independent restaurant or store, I'd love to see what you all discover! 

About the picture at the top, for all of you coffee addicts, you probably recognized the green straw. Yes, it is a carmel macchiato made with coconut milk from..Starbucks! A few days ago, I used up my Starbucks gift card (so that I could have no excuse to cheat). I had to photograph it because it was my last purchase from a chain for (at least) one year. Here's to one year local! 

4 comments:

  1. this is awesome + so bold!!! can't wait to hear about your journey doing this. the town we live in is so awesome and good at having tons of local markets and stuff like that so I may do this challenge as well, esp in coffee shops. I love starbucks but local shops usually have way more fresh coffee!

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  2. I really like this challenge! I'm a fan of small, quirky, independent restaurants. When we lived in Michigan all of our favorites were little family-owned places.

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  3. What a great idea!! I hope that you post updates. ;)
    Alisha @
    myrainydayreads15.blogspot.com

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  4. This is a really cool challenge! I often think it is often better to support local restaurants and other local places. We have a two coffee shops in my town I can think of that are local and not a chain that I love to visit when I get the chance. Thanks for your post and inspiration. I think I'll follow you on Instagram and see where your challenge takes you.

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