Ike Adams Column for December 3, 2014 POINTS EAST I never ventured forth on Black Friday because neither Mr. Parkinson nor I were in any mood to deal with flying elbows and cussing customers emitting bitter wails because that $99 television set they saw advertised in the Thanksgiving Day paper was already gone. What the ad didn’t tell them was that there was only one, to begin with and one of the stock boys snatched it up before the doors were opened. And what is this Black Friday Sale scam all about in the first place. Supposedly the Friday after turkey day is when retailers finally come out of red figures and start showing a profit (black figures) on the bottom line for the year because everybody does all their Christmas shopping that day. The way they do this is to sell stuff for less than they paid for it and the buying public rushes in to scarf up all that discounted stuff. Now, if Congress or the State Legislature made a claim like that, it would be understandable. In other words, in would be business as usual. But in my personal experience, every time I buy a pocket knife for $10.00 and sell it for $5.00, I lose money. Even when I waited wait until Black Friday to close the deal, something still didn’t feel exactly right about it. So this year, just like the last several, I waited to do most of my shopping on the internet on Cyber Monday. I needed to get my granddaughter a Big Wheel like the one Santa Claus brought her Mommy 35 years ago and I needed to get Loretta some fancy bloomers without being embarrassed while shopping for them in a retail store where some cute little sales assistant would stare me down like I was a dirty old man in there playing with the ladies’ unmentionables. I still have some shopping to do that will get me out and about. I especially like to give gifts that are made in or written by a Kentuckian. I can’t think of a town in my readership that doesn’t have stores that specialize in or at least offer a variety of locally made crafts, be they small toys, homemade quilts, or high end maple and cherry furniture. For instance, it’s worth the trip to Old Towne, Berea, even if you don’t spend a nickel. Christmas would not be Christmas to me if I didn’t buy at least one present at my old high school buddy, Terry Fields’, Top Drawer Gallery located there on Berea’s Broadway in Old Towne in the same neighborhood with over a dozen other artists and craftsmen. Terry has, in my humble opinion, the most diversified selection of Appalachian crafts under one roof in the entire region. Better yet, you can find something that fits almost any budget at Top Drawer, be it hand carved toy figurine, regional cookbook or a high end piece of furniture destined to be an heirloom. I also like to give at least one of my daughters a ceramic piece of some sort from Tater Knob Pottery which is owned and operated by my good friends, Sarah Culbreth and David Enge, there on Wolf Gap Road a few miles south of Berea. You can usually find David and Sarah busy at their pottery wheels or emptying out a kiln of just-fired spoon bread bowls there behind their display room. Tater Knob is another one of those places that is worth the visit even if you don’t buy a thing because just looking is something you will never forget. The best selection of books by Kentuckians and many other central Appalachian writers is an “on-line” store called Heritage Nook, operated by my friend, Brenda Salyers, in Pound, Virginia. Whether it’s very old or very recent fiction, historical or geographic information, a visit to Heritage Nook’s website will keep regional book lovers shopping for hours. I have not included addresses and driving directions to these businesses because you can get all the details you may be looking for by typing any of their names into any internet search engine and find out anything else you might need or want to know. And I am touting these locations only because I know, from decades of experience with them, that the proprietors are beyond courteous and friendly. But the more important point I would make is that every time you spend a dollar on something made locally, the more you are making it roll over and contribute to a fragile economy. Because I grew up on a subsistence farm, I purchase every single thing I can, be it butter, eggs, cheese and produce from an Amish business or family in Crab Orchard or kitchenware from a local potter. I know, from hard experience, how difficult it to live in a situation where every dollar makes a difference and I can’t think of anybody who is getting rich from doing just that. And besides, most stuff that you purchase from a local farmer or craftsperson is going to be far better than anything you are apt to find in a big, over-crowded box.
Posted on: Wed, 03 Dec 2014 04:17:08 +0000
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