Supporting Local
Earlier this year, my family and I took a vacation for the first time in over two years, which was refreshing and just what we needed. During the past year or so we have been talking about projects we want to get done around the house, specifically updating our basement. What better time to get a renovation done than while on vacation, right? In preparing for our vacation I started working with some LIBA members to plan the project. The interesting part was figuring out the timing of the project to make sure everything fell in line and was completed during the time we were gone. We ran into a few unexpected hurdles along the way and still got the project completed before we returned to Lincoln.
Working with our local businesses for projects such as these is rewarding and knowing the contractors through connections as LIBA members gave us a special sense of trust in the project and opening our home to them while we were 700 miles away from home. We were confident in their abilities to complete the project and we only had a few conversations over text and phone to make sure the project was completed. When we returned home, we rushed to the basement and see how the renovations turned out. It was like children rushing to the tree on Christmas morning. The renovation exceeded our expectations and we couldn’t be happier with the outcome of the project. Only after the project was complete was I able to show the “in process” photos to my wife because I didn’t want to cause extra stress to her during our vacation.
Why is this basement renovation story so important? Because we worked with local business owners – the people in our community who are invested in our community and in it for the long haul. I love working with our local business owners each and every day to help them to stay in business for the long term viability of our community. I enjoy the service we get from our local businesses whether it be for a project at home, shopping for and with my family, or shopping for LIBA, we enjoy the service our local businesses provide.
I recently saw a post on social media noting we are less than 100 days from Christmas. How in the world has the year gone by so fast that it is time to start thinking about the holidays? As I think about the return we have seen to “normal” activities like concerts, dining out, football games, volleyball games, high school events, and more I think how important it is that each of us commit to making sure we are supporting our local businesses. They have endured the past 18+ months of the pandemic and are fighting every day to continue their business and to serve our community.
As we embark on the last stretch until Christmas, I urge you to get out and support our local businesses. Buying gifts from these local businesses or giving gift cards to your local businesses keeps our local economy running here in Lincoln and Lancaster County. These businesses are the ones who constantly step up to support our local organizations with a donation for a raffle or auction. These are the businesses who step up to advertise at our local school events or activities. These are the businesses who are supporting local youth sports. During the pandemic these businesses have “paid it forward” in our community and now is the time for us to pay it back to them.
Now more than ever, we need to make sure we shop local!