I am so honored and flattered to be, once again, part of the Biz X Awards' distinguished list of nominees. I am no economist or financial expert; however, in an economy so volatile, I believe it is key to support our local businesses and community. I personally love the momma and poppa shops! I always go back to the sitcom ‘Cheers’ and remember the intro song “sometimes you wanna go where everybody knows your name”, and I think of that in comparing my experience at big box to ‘momma and poppa’. I love the warm fuzzy feeling of walking into a place, whether it be my local organic grocer or café and a being greeted by my first name by the same one or two people every time. We chat about life, share stories and often times brighten one another’s day. It makes me feel like a person not just a statistic, and there is undeniable value in that.  

I am not sure if we (momma and poppa shops) are a dying breed. I certainly hope not, although it is so hard to keep up with the multi-million dollar corporations. The Biz X awards and Biz X magazine in general have a huge hand in helping to keep us alive. They bring ‘us’ to the forefront in events such as the prestigious annual Biz X awards ceremony, monthly Biz X mixers, promoting local events etc. Often times even I, as a business owner, am unaware of local businesses in my own neighborhood and Biz X introduces me to them. I firmly believe that our strength lies in supporting one another (‘united we stand, divided we fall’) and I thank Biz X time and time again for playing a huge role in keeping this awesome network alive and kicking.

I can’t wait to party with my fellow business owners at the fabulous Biz X gala…see you there!

http://www.bizxmagazine.com/nominations.php