It’s likely that Candice Ferguson (above) made great bread and jams before COVID and that Amanda Murphy was a fabulous cook before March 2020.  They have both have turned their skills, ingredients from their gardens, and extra time at home into micro businesses.  Using Facebook posts, in just a few weeks these women are producing at capacity.

What does that say about who we support and how we buy in Colorado?  What we’ve known – that we love buying authentic products from people we know and trust. During times of stress, we even more joyfully rush to buy from these micro businesses.  I know this isn’t just a Colorado thing.  Still, I love that it’s as strong here as anywhere.

Back to our roots.

I find this gratifying – and I find it a thought-provoking reminder that in the age of multi-billion dollar retailers like Whole Foods who strive to meet all our comfort product needs choose to buy from our neighbors.  This desire hasn’t changed since we lived in tribes – wait – we still do!  This is an amazing reminder of why big brands (and even our own businesses) work so hard to build communities of consumers.

P.S.  Watch for the Fetch markets of Colorado artisans (formerly Denver Flea, a podcast episode in 2018)