Shopping Small at the Phoenix Flea

Very busy at the Flea

We love supporting local artisans and entrepreneurs. Wherever we can we shop small and buy local. That's why we loved visiting the Phoenix Flea this weekend. We have tremendous admiration for people who are following their chosen path, and put in their own blood sweat and tears without succumbing to the lore of corporate riches.  There are so many reason to shop locally.  Here are just a few:

• Keeping Dollars in the Local Economy
• • Locally owned businesses invest a larger share of their revenue back into the local economy, creating jobs locally and often provide a better quality of life for their employees than large companies do 
• Local Character and Prosperity
• • In an increasingly homogenized world, communities that preserve their one-of-a-kind businesses and distinctive character have an economic advantage 
• Entrepreneurship
• • Entrepreneurship fuels America's economic innovation and prosperity, and serves as a key means for families to move out of low-wage jobs and into the middle class 
• Environmental Sustainability
• • Purchasing products made locally, reduces the need for environmentally damaging transportation
• Better Products
• • Having many small businesses is the best way to ensure innovation and creativity over the long-term

Lots of great makers

As well as seeing some great items on sale, we met Travis and Lauren from the Small Room Collective who not only travel the country in their Airstream, they convert it to a pop-up gallery/boutique selling all kinds of cool, art, apparel, vinyl and small goods lovingly crafted by talented people in the USA stuff.  

I have been a little critical of Arizona and the hideous amount of urban sprawl that exists here. This is a rare antidote to that characterless consumerism.  We had a great couple of hours at the flea, so much more fun than a couple of hours at the faceless mall!