Small Business Saturday

In the spirit of my general abhorrence of Black Friday related shopping (note: this does not apply if you find yourself legitimately needing to purchase something the Friday after Thanksgiving. My abhorrence is reserved only for the crazy unnecessary sales and lines, etc.) I decided instead to participate in Small Business Saturday today. We have several excellent local business at a small retail node about 10 blocks from here, so I took Felix out for a spin to check things out.

First stop:

In addition to shoes, they have all sorts of outdoor gear. A really great store.

I found some nice gloves (my previous gloves were slippery and thus can't be worn while driving. A problem in winter), some Smartwool socks, and these:

Full disclosure: I am now a person that owns a pair of Uggs. 

My Sorel boots, while really marvelous for MN winters, are sometimes simply too much boot for certain occasions. I was looking for something that didn't scream WINTER BOOT but that would also be warm and walkable on ice. These are lined with wool and have excellent treads on the bottom, so they fit the bill, and I felt good for having found something to buy on my Small Business Saturday quest.

Also in the neighborhood is Oxendale's Market, a local, independently owned grocery store. So I picked up some essentials before heading back home to EMSA (who was watching very important college football) and the cats. Lucy likes the box my new boots came in:

Yes, dad, I know - no cats on the table.

One more day to go! I think we can do this.