Love Where You Live ~ Shop Local – Community Spotlight
We hear the ominous warnings in the local and national news “Buy your turkey sooner rather than later” and “Shop for Christmas gifts” early. The apprehension of supply shortages is real and just one good reason to Shop Local.
We can all help keep our money in our local economy. I’ve read statistics that state if you buy locally, approximately half of your expenditures will support local jobs and nurture our community.
And speaking of our community, it’s been really exciting to see all the development in Waynedale over the past nine months. Hello Sunshine Bakery, in the former home of Waynedale Bakery, is serving up an array of amazing sweets and their Landing Zone counterpart inside, boasts fresh coffee brewed from beans roasted in house.
Top Notch Restaurant opened strong in March with a large menu featuring great breakfasts and lunch in the former Azar’s location. Morgan’s Tap and Grill took over the Waynewood Inn and are getting rave reviews for their fish, smashburgers and pork tenderloins.
More recently, Solly’s Coins moved across the street and Tazza Café, a cute as a button coffeeshop, took over their site offering a selection of coffees and food items.
Lola’s Café, freshly opened at 2801 Lower Huntington Road (formerly Pepper and Spice Jamacian) serves homemade papusas, tamales and empadillas. Owner Loly Flores says she “Loves the Waynedale community” and you can count me a fan of their deliciouis Hibiscus Tea.
Rigo’s Taqueria restaurant has also newly launched in the Marathon gas station 5858 Bluffton Road, formerly Miami Grill, and I have heard positive feedback about their cuisine.
Many of you know I am a strong proponent of protecting our environment through our work of the Greenways Adopt a Trail program. By shopping local you also conserve energy and resources by limiting our carbon footprint in the form of less transportation and packaging.
Personally, I love to be able to take advantage of the expertise of our shop keepers plus enjoy the sensory pleasure of feeling a fabric, thumbing a book, trying on a garment, feeling the weight of an item or smelling the aroma it has. I sure can’t get that online.
Entrepreneurship is what our economy is based on. I truly believe with the diverse businesses we have to offer, Waynedale can become a destination for people to shop, not only for the holidays but every day.
There are other newer Waynedale businesses besides eateries that have caught my eye such as a new hair salon Jordan Palace on Lower Huntington. I also enjoyed a Refresher at Elevate Energy located at 6429 Bluffton Road. They opened about four months ago and feature healthy shakes and energy bombs. Who couldn’t use a bit more energy as we approach the holidays?
But let’s not forget those long-time staples that have been with us and are upgrading to serve us even better. Arby’s has a fresh look with their recent face lift and Pizza Hut will open their brand spanking new from the ground up restaurant before long.
Another way to support our local businesses this season is to check out the Wreath Auction that will be held at the Waynedale Public Library. Local businesses, some mentioned above, along with Blake Family Dentistry, Curly’s Village Inn, Edward Jones, Frecker Optical, Hair Affair, Hill’s Meat Market, It’s Personal Embroidery, Midwest America FCU, Rich’s Auto, and Superior Auto will decorate holiday wreaths to be bid upon between November 29th and December 11th at the library. Proceeds will benefit the Waynedale Trails & Sidewalks Initiative. Our thanks to the businesses for helping support this venture by creating wreaths and to you for purchasing them!
So please join me in supporting our community and exploring all the wonderful businesses and shops we are blessed to have – SHOP LOCAL!
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