The 3/50 Project

This is an old photo from the entrance to Aaron's Beach, taken in the summer months. That sign and those green reeds are not there anymore. The sign was done in by the hurricane that was called a nor'easter back in November. The green reeds always disappear or turn crispy brown in the winter time but should be returning in full force along with the mosquitoes, the ants, the horseflies and the fiddler crabs soon.

The reeds and this sign are in some ways representative of our local businesses. (Hang with me here.) We see them, we admire them from afar, we appreciate that they're here, and we assume they'll always be around.

Like the beach sign above, though, one day a small business might be here in the county; the next they're not.

One of my two local readers, Anonymous Hallieford Resident, owns the Sandpiper Reef Restaurant in Hallieford, about a mile-ish or two from my house. Imagine my surprise when I picked up last week's Gazette Journal and saw her picture right there on the front page in an article about the 3/50 Project, "a simple way to support local business."

Acknowledging that it's extremely difficult for small businesses to thrive and sustain themselves (especially in a community such as Mathews), the project encourages citizens to "pick three independent businesses in your community that you would hate to lose and spend a combined $50 at those businesses in a month."

Mathews County is a very, very tricky place to own a business. In such an isolated, insulated community, grocery stores are one of the few businesses practically immune from failure. Although we have two, they're distinct enough that neither one should have any worries about the other running them out of business. (Remind me to do a post on those differences, I could write a book on the topic.)

There are several other core businesses and services that we'll always need, such as gas stations, Dollar General, a decent Vietnamese restaurant, home repair services, auto repair services and medical professionals, to name but a few.

Restaurants must maintain a steady stream of customers to stay afloat, particularly in the not-so-busy winter months. In the sweltering warm summer months, the weekend influx of Richmonders out-of-towners descend to their summer homes to boat, fish and enjoy the seclusion, and the restaurants tend to do better.

There are many benefits to the consumer for supporting local businesses, two of which are doughnuts and ice cream cake. (Hang with me here. Again.)

For example, Saturday night I went to Sandpiper Reef Restaurant in Hallieford and thoroughly enjoyed the music and the company, which included the infamous Pookie and Husband, who were celebrating her 75th birthday. In addition to the pleasure of listening to her talk, I was right there when they plopped down her ice cream birthday cake, made by none other than Mathews Mark. It was outstanding.

Next, Mathews Mark took orders for doughnuts from Not-So-Anonymous Hallieford Restaurant Owner's brother who owns Blue Collar Joe's in Daleville, Virginia. As we speak, a dozen doughnuts sit on my counter in various stages of destruction. Although the doughnut establishment is not local to Mathews (much to my chagrin), it is a small, independently-run business that depends on its local community to survive.

(I received my greatly anticipated bling bling doughnut which is indeed heavenly but my new favorite is a chocolate doughnut with a banana frosting dotted with chocolate chips. Oh my. That's all I have to say. Oh my my my.)

So in summary, using Chesapeake Bay Woman's logic, which is an oxymoron: Support your local businesses, because if you do, you'll eat homemade ice cream cake and the best doughnuts in the universe. The End.

For more information on the 3/50 project click here.

p.s. Blue Collar Joe's doughnuts are going to be the official doughnuts of Blog Fest, even though Blue Collar Joe doesn't know this yet. This is fair warning to all Blog Fest attendees that I call all the bling-blings and the chocolate/bananas in the bunch. Also the coconut ones. And any that have caramel on them.

Thanks to my basketball days, I can--and will--box out anyone who thinks they're gonna come between me and my bling-bling/chocolate-banana doughnuts.