This is Fanny. Fanny lives in sunny Carpinteria, California.
Fanny is old, mostly blind, and she’s got attitude, but Fanny sure knows how to take it easy.
We could all learn a thing or two from Fanny.
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This week Costa and I went umbrella shopping on Granville Island at a local, family-owned store, aptly named The Umbrella Shop.
“Just like Papa made them”, read a giant poster on the wall, next to a life-sized photograph of who I assume was Papa himself, touting one of his original hand-made umbrellas with a smile.
The walls of the shop were lined with row upon row of umbrellas of all sizes in a kaleidoscope of colours of patterns.
“Racks of floral chintz umbrellas, frilly parasols, men’s tie prints, and one-of-a-kind hand painted cottons make the shop a colourful feast for the eyes.” – The Umbrella Shop
Costa chose a medium-sized burgundy umbrella with a dark wooden handle. It felt sturdy and opened with ease.
The friendly man who sold us the umbrella (Papa’s grandson, perhaps?) assured us it would be the strongest umbrella we would ever own – guaranteed to never turn inside out even on the windiest of days. Best of all, the umbrella came with a 2-year warranty – if there are any problems we can simply drop it off at the factory nearby and get it repaired for free.
This experience reminded me how grateful I am for the many opportunities we have to purchase goods and services from people who are passionate about what they have to offer, care about building relationships, pay attention to detail, and who value quality, craftsmanship, and experience above all else.
It’s important to notice when you find a product or company that brings you this kind of satisfaction and pleasure. Here’s what I do when it happens:
1) Say thank you. I tell the company that they’ve made a difference for me and I let them know why. Sometimes I’ll offer to write a testimonial if it would be helpful for them.
2) Show loyalty by continuing to purchase from that company, even if it might be less convenient than shopping for lower quality products and experiences elsewhere. (I recently ordered a set of Mighty Tieton notebooks, only available in the USA, to be delivered to a friend’s house in California whom I will be visiting later this week.)
3) Get rid of the old to make way for the new. I pare down my belongings to make room for more of the good stuff.
4) Show loyalty by sharing my discovery with others.
How do you know when you’ve discovered a gem? What do you do when you know?
For further reading and discussion on this topic, check out today’s piece by Gwen Bell: What to Do When You Discover the Best
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