This year, economic pressures are causing consumerist encroachments on the holidays like never before. It seems like every year, stores open earlier and earlier on "Black Friday" until this year when some stores will be opening for holiday sales on Thanksgiving evening.
Thankfully, Buffalo First is offering a couple of ways for us to stand up against the big box consumerist tide: Buy Local Week, which kicks off -- at normal-people hours -- this Friday, and "Markets Over Malls" on Saturday.
According to Buffalo First:
I spoke with Sarah Bishop, who is now permanent Executive Director of Buffalo First [congratulations, Sarah!]. Encouraging folks to enjoy the opposite of the "Black Friday" frenzy, she suggests that Buffalonians "take a pause, breathe, and experience Buffalo for what it is. Spend time with family, stop by your favorite local coffee shop (like Sweetness 7), browse for posters at Hero Design, etc." Or "Funkout" Black Friday with The Good Neighborhood. And if you shop online, remember to virtually visit local vendors who use local sourcing -- for example, the sale at the Buffalo Rising Store.
Sarah is also inviting folks to stop by Buffalo First's offices for an open house on Saturday (from 10 to 1, at their offices at 910 Main Street, above Hyatts Art Supply), and to share their experiences of Buy Local Week with the community through Buffalo First, through Facebook, or by email.
And Buffalo First is also promoting the ultimate holiday buy local experience: "Markets Over Malls," all day Saturday. Starting as early as 6AM at the Clinton-Bailey Farmers' Market, and extending till the close of the Broadway Market at 5PM, Buffalo's east and west sides will offer great shopping, events, and fun (even Santa!).
Participating venues are:
Clinton Bailey Farmers' Market
(1443-1517 Clinton Ave., 6am-1pm)
Broadway Market
(999 Broadway, 8am-5pm)
Buffalo Indie Market
+ Buffalo First Open House
(Buffalo First Offices, 910 Main St., 10am-1pm)
Elmwood-Bidwell Farmers' Market
+ Citizens Waterfront Project
(Bidwell Parkway, 8am-1pm)
Lexington Co-Op
(807 Elmwood)
Wintermarket
(Lafayette Presbyterian Church, 10am-2pm)
Also Saturday, the Broadway Market will be celebrating the holiday season with visiting specialty food and craft vendors, and the arrival of Santa, who will arrive by horse-drawn carriage at 11AM and be meeting and taking photos with children until 4PM. Santa will be there every Saturday until Christmas. The Market will have live music throughout the season.
Warmest Thanksgiving wishes to you and yours!
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Thankfully, Buffalo First is offering a couple of ways for us to stand up against the big box consumerist tide: Buy Local Week, which kicks off -- at normal-people hours -- this Friday, and "Markets Over Malls" on Saturday.According to Buffalo First:
Economists forecast that U.S. consumers will spend approximately $445 billion during the 2010 holiday season. Rather than sending those profits to corporations, Buffalo First urges you to make sure that our community benefits instead. Buy Local Week runs from November 26 through December 4. Buffalo First wants to remind the City of Good Neighbors of the many reasons they should give local a chance this holiday season.
I spoke with Sarah Bishop, who is now permanent Executive Director of Buffalo First [congratulations, Sarah!]. Encouraging folks to enjoy the opposite of the "Black Friday" frenzy, she suggests that Buffalonians "take a pause, breathe, and experience Buffalo for what it is. Spend time with family, stop by your favorite local coffee shop (like Sweetness 7), browse for posters at Hero Design, etc." Or "Funkout" Black Friday with The Good Neighborhood. And if you shop online, remember to virtually visit local vendors who use local sourcing -- for example, the sale at the Buffalo Rising Store.
Sarah is also inviting folks to stop by Buffalo First's offices for an open house on Saturday (from 10 to 1, at their offices at 910 Main Street, above Hyatts Art Supply), and to share their experiences of Buy Local Week with the community through Buffalo First, through Facebook, or by email.
And Buffalo First is also promoting the ultimate holiday buy local experience: "Markets Over Malls," all day Saturday. Starting as early as 6AM at the Clinton-Bailey Farmers' Market, and extending till the close of the Broadway Market at 5PM, Buffalo's east and west sides will offer great shopping, events, and fun (even Santa!).
Participating venues are:
Clinton Bailey Farmers' Market
(1443-1517 Clinton Ave., 6am-1pm)
Broadway Market
(999 Broadway, 8am-5pm)
Buffalo Indie Market
+ Buffalo First Open House
(Buffalo First Offices, 910 Main St., 10am-1pm)
Elmwood-Bidwell Farmers' Market
+ Citizens Waterfront Project
(Bidwell Parkway, 8am-1pm)
Lexington Co-Op
(807 Elmwood)
Wintermarket
(Lafayette Presbyterian Church, 10am-2pm)
Also Saturday, the Broadway Market will be celebrating the holiday season with visiting specialty food and craft vendors, and the arrival of Santa, who will arrive by horse-drawn carriage at 11AM and be meeting and taking photos with children until 4PM. Santa will be there every Saturday until Christmas. The Market will have live music throughout the season.
Warmest Thanksgiving wishes to you and yours!
ok, I am totaly against malls, hate them. But would'nt it of been better to use the logos of some Elmwood shops? What kind of Christmas shopping will I be able to do at farmers and food markets other than veggies? I would end up going to the mall if those were my only options.
Strolling around Elmwood on Black Friday is right in line with what Buffalo First is promoting -- and don't forget Hertel, where a relaxed pace away from the madding crowd combines with great gift finds in the antique and book shops (and good eats), for example.
Markets Over Malls isn't just about food. The Wintermarket at Lafayette Presbyterian, for example, can yield some great gift finds in antiques, home furnishings, etc., from my experience. And Saturday's Indie Market already has about a half dozen vendors lined up. Indie Market = real quality artistic finds, consistently, in my experience. And the Broadway Market invites in additional artisan vendors for the holiday season.
So you may be surprised what you find -- and how much you enjoy the experience compared to suburban mass retail. If not, well, Union Road and Transit Road beckon...