2 parts road rage, 1 part my-child-wet-the-bed

The hipster revolution. Love it or hate it, it’s brought some good things back into our consciousness.  The desire to be known, and to know people – to really know them – is one of its greatest contributions.

But what about…

Conscious consumerism?
Shop Local?
Buy Ethical?

Are they catch-phrases of a generation, the product of too much time and too much analysing? Or do they really matter?

For the past decade, my husband and I have shopped at Preston Market. Ok, mostly my husband and the kids – (market day = a quiet house for mummy!) This routine started long before it was “hip” and I’d love to say that it was born of some altruistic desire to “shop small” and “buy ethical” but it was actually just cheap. As young newlyweds (married at 24, yes I know, we were babies) saving money on the groceries made a huge difference and shopping at the market was half the price of the supermarket.

And over time, relationships were built. The lady from the deli who still likes to sneak my daughter some twiggy sticks, because she’s known her since she was a wee baby being carried on my husbands back. The fact that my kids know which shop to get which fruit from – for price and quality. Small, subtle observations that have formed a family culture.

And what I have realised over the years is that building community starts with the simple everyday moments.

Grabbing a coffee
Picking up your wine
Filling your prescription.

And because I believe deeply in community, I want to use some of this blog real-estate to talk about local businesses and tell local stories – because these are stories of our neighbourhoods.

We still shop at the market because it’s still cheaper than the supermarket, but also because it ties into a bunch of other family values – knowing about food and cooking from scratch as well as those boring catchphrases – shopping local, building community.

The point, of course, is not about where we shop or where you shop. I don’t really care about where you shop (though feel free to tell me), the point is have you thought about it?

Most of the time, these choices are based on ease. The supermarket is convenient and Kmart is on the way home.

The easiest thing is usually the most convenient, the least threatening and the least demanding on us and that means that sometimes we do what is easy, not what is best. Not what our gut tells us to do. And let’s face it, we have a lot to make decisions about every day and we can’t think through every single issue.

But there are some things that are worth thinking through – there are some things our gut tells us we should think about.

And obviously, I think that community, and cultivating it is one of those things.

Four blokes, a room and a thought that maybe things could be done differently.
A co-op.
Local owners.
Quality.

Hipsters before hipsters were a thing? Truly local people running truly local business.

Ok, so maybe it wasn’t exactly four blokes, but it was a group of publicans thinking that they could change things. The price of beer had been deregulated and the challenge was, as for so many small businesses, how do we stay competitive against the giants?

A co-op was born. Local publicans working together to run small businesses in their respective communities. Thirsty Camel, a bottle shop with a difference – convenient and local. Businesses that will order in your favourite product if they don’t happen to stock it. Businesses who want to be part of the community they inhabit, donate to the local footy club, get to know the regulars, stock the kind of products their customers want.

It’s the anti-toxicity that we like in our locals – they aren’t just about profit, they like what they do and they like the people who go there.  They make you feel like a person, not a person with a wallet.

Above is Ben, I had a fantastic conversation with him when I popped into my local Thirsty Camel. I watched him interact with the clients that came in – he called them clients, not customers. The value he places on cultivating community and truly serving people was, well…. exactly what you expect from a ‘local’. I left my visit wanting to come back, wanting to chat with Ben again, feeling like I’d been seen, not just served.

When you shop local and get to know your community, you support literally the people who live in your neighbourhood. We all want to be known, there’s nothing like getting a cafe where they know your name and your order. Or a bottleshop where they throw in an extra bottle of something because they wanted to do something kind for you, because they care, because they know you will love it.

Businesses like this are innovative – they don’t rest on their laurels like so many of the giants. I can’t stand entitled people and equally, businesses that think they deserve my custom are the worst kind. Small businesses aren’t like that – it’s not in their DNA. They innovate, they care, they do things like offer online buying and drive through pick up for example.

Now, before we get too carried away with this ‘over thinking’, and before I crack open a bottle of red to warm myself this freezing June day…

Why don’t you try it for yourself? Maybe you already care about this issue, or maybe it’s something you’ve been meaning to do something about. Well, I’m going to give a $100 Thirsty Camel gift voucher to the person who can come up with the best name of a bottle of wine – the kind of wine you’d like to drink on a Friday night after the week is done. You can even tell me what variety of wine it’d be if you’re creative juices are so inclined. Just leave a comment below with your entry.

Here are some of my suggestions:

* 2  parts road rage, 1 part my child wet the bed – a nice, 2012 Shiraz
* Mount Washmore meets My-kids-wont-eat-it – a fruity, 2014 Pinot Gris
* I stepped on lego today – A Cab-Merlot, my least fave kind of wine to match my least fave kind of parenting moment!

{COMPETITION IS NOW CLOSED}

The fine print.
To enter:
1. Leave a comment below to say what you would name your wine.
2. Only one entry per person.
3. You must be an Australian resident
4. Make sure you leave your comment by midnight AEST Wed 22 June 2016.

Terms and Conditions:

The name of the promotion is: Thirsty Camel Giveaway
The promoter is Skipping Girl
The conditions of entry are as stated in points 1-4 above.
Employees, immediate family members, retailers, suppliers, associated companies and agencies are not eligible to enter.
The giveaway will close at midnight AEST, Wednesday 22 June 2016. Comments submitted after this time will not be considered for the giveaway.
This is a game of skill. The winner will be awarded based on the strength of their answer to the question in point 1 above.
The winner will be notified by email.
The results of the giveaway will be published on this site on Thursday 23 June 2016.
Prizes are not redeemable for cash and are non-transferable
The total prize value is $100AUD
If for any reason beyond the Promoter’s control the agreed prize is not available a product of equal or greater value will be provided.
The Promoter is not responsible for prizes once they have been dispatched to the winner.

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