Small Business Saturday: Buying local from Zeches

The non-black dog who is actually allowed on the new couch.

My daughter, Sydney and I swung into Zeches Appliance and Furniture Store on West Buffalo Street in Warsaw the minute they opened on Wednesday, November 12, intent on one goal: quickly purchasing a sofa to help accommodate our anticipated onslaught of holiday guests. "We can just drag our dining room chairs into the living room," my husband said, attempting to alleviate my concerns and protect his "emergency funds" account. I paused as he offered other suggestions on how to pack a dozen people into my teeny-tiny living room. "Bean bag chairs are fun," he exclaimed. "So was the World Series," I answered, glancing at his souvenir Kansas City Royals cap. He wordlessly handed over the credit card.

As Sydney had a college mid-term, we were under a bit of a time-crunch so we basically hopped from one couch to another down the entire length of the vast furniture gallery. Bounce, Bounce. "What about this one," Sydney said, sprawled on an over-stuffed model. "Too fluffy," I answered. Bounce, bounce. "What about this one," Sydney called from a couch with two working recliners and cup holders. "Too souped-up," I stated. "Well, what exactly ARE you looking for then, Goldilocks," Vanessa McCormick asked, laughing as she overheard our conversation. After hearing my life history spelled out to her in sixty seconds, the business professional accompanied me to my choice: a light blue couch with a built-in chaise lounge. She asked a few standard couch-buying questions before we began the paperwork process. "Do you have a dog?" (Yes.) "What color is this dog?" (Black.) "Are you aware that you are buying a light blue couch?" (Yes.) Assured that I was of sound mind and body to buy my couch, we proceeded with the sale and, twenty-two minutes after walking into Zeches, Syd and I were off to her exam. We paused at the door to high-five our sofa-selection and as I looked over my shoulder to say good-bye, I yelled, "Buy local!" Unfortunately, the door closed on my final syllable and I think that all Vanessa may have heard was, "Buy loco!" 

Small Business Saturday takes place on November 28th. To my way of thinking, when it comes to personal, caring service, knowledge and quality, EVERY day should be Small Business Saturday. You'd have to be "crazy" NOT to buy local!