by Peggy Robin
If you call DC home as I do, then you might also have as one of your missions in life correcting the widespread misapprehension nobody really lives here – that we all hail from somewhere else and don’t feel deeply rooted in DC, and don’t love this place the way people from the Heartland or the South or other big cities beyond the Beltway love their hometowns. You might also feel a need to counteract the belief that because our town’s main industry is government, we’re all somehow part of it in some way, and not in a nice way, either: You’ve heard people speaking of federal employees as if they’re part of a hive of unthinking drones, soulless bureaucrats, or worse.
We have few ways to combat these pernicious stereotypes. When we meet people from elsewhere – whether newcomers who have just moved here or tourists or business visitors – we can show ourselves to be the opposite of these negative assumptions by expressing our love of this city, expending our energy to improve it, and by being warm, welcoming, helpful, and considerate of strangers. But perhaps the easiest, most practical and direct way to demonstrate our support for our city -- its economy and its people --is by joining the “buy local” campaign, supporting the people who make and sell things we need. You can do that by doing as much shopping right here in your neighborhood as you can.
Beyond that -- just this weekend there is a whole new way to shop local and show your pride in DC: That’s by patronizing the Shop Made in DC, which just opened its doors on Thursday and is throwing its opening weekend celebration today and Sunday.
Details here: https://www.facebook.com/events/120605695296357/
More about the store at https://www.facebook.com/shopmadeindc/ -- but here’s a quick list of what you can expect: arts, crafts, food, drink, gifts, clothing, health and beauty products, furniture, jewelry, home décor, stationery – and more artists and makers are being recruited every day to supply unique, DC-origin items to justify the store slogan, “Our city is full of makers – now there is a space dedicated to helping them grow.” [http://shopmadeindc.com/]
Shop Made in DC is at 1330 19th Street NW, just off Dupont Circle.
Shop Made in DC is at 1330 19th Street NW, just off Dupont Circle.
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