By: Jessica Goldbourn

Overwhelmed by the seemingly endless barrage of advice about where to spend your hard-earned dollars, you’re not alone. It’s something I think about maybe to the point of neurosis. Yes, definitely to the point of neurosis. The little voice shouting buy local in the back of my head is triggering self-inflicted anxiety. I need a glass of wine. While the wine may not be local, the shop I bought it from is, and so is the distributor that sells it to them. Phew. With this information and the first sip I start to breathe easier and quell the guilty panic feeling of my last Amazon purchase. What is it to buy local, to do what we can, and to give ourselves a break once in a while when we go to Chipotle instead of Square Scullery? I glance around the living room. Local art, a couple of masterpieces by yours truly included in the mix, Gretchen Pleuss and her angelic voice fills the room, chocolate from Heggy’s in the dish, candle from the Lit Wick burning.

I’m doing ok, but can I do more I ask myself? The answer is always yes. But my excuses are lengthy and make sense, at least to me. Who has time for shopping around Akron for all the things you forget you can buy locally made like toothpaste and salad dressing? Because I know much of the reason I fail to buy local is the perceived inconvenience of it. Trips to multiple stores, time spent driving around not knowing what I am going to find or not find on my list. Not any more time than I’d spend watching some terrible show. But the blog on rationalizing time spent watching “the screen” is another day. What if there was a more mindful way of making it fun? What if there were a list with what was available and where it could be purchased on a regular basis. Would I, could I commit then? Maybe a ladies day of it. Making our list and checking it twice while we brunch and shop and feel superior spending our dollars locally while others drudge through the mean aisles of the evil empire. Why am I making it such a chore to do the right thing here? If I knew the answer to that friends I would have written this blog a month ago. But in the meantime like you, I’ll make a pact with myself to do better, I’ll get to work on that list, and I’ll be inviting you in the near future to spend a day shopping for local, with the hopes to make it a larger priority in the future without beating myself up about it too much when I can’t.

Bio

Jessica Goldbourn is the Business Development Director of The Devil Strip Magazine. This work has her forging partnerships between the Devil Strip and the community to foster both business and personal relationships with the residents to ensure a more happy and prosperous city for everyone who lives here. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Art History and German Translation from Kent State University and has traveled extensively to champion life long learning and the study of art. Jessica has worked with Halloween Charity Ball since 2017 and is proud to be a part of their legacy as they continue to raise funds for Akron’s non-profits. Additionally, she gives of her time with smaller volunteer projects that peak her interest throughout the year. Jessica is WSET certified and takes great pleasure in continued wine and culinary education to complement her work in the community.