This holiday season shop locally...

December 2006

I understand why people go to big outlets and department stores to fulfill their holiday wish lists. It really doesn’t take a genius to figure out the attraction. Large selection, great prices and terrific bargains are the primary reasons for traveling to the big retailers for holiday gifts. But what if I told you that spending your money in corporate establishments like those, while they certainly employ local people, actually works against your own self-interest as well as that of the economics of your home town community. How would you respond if I told you, you could save yourself the time for travel and the aggravation of wrestling with the public at the checkout lines and get the exact gifts you are looking for, while saving money at the same time? All this, without leaving your home town.

And, you’ll be greasing the wheels of your own local community at the same time. Think about it. Wherever you live ,there are more than likely a variety of locally owned shops which provide more than just convenience when it comes to satisfying the needs of residents.

A couple of Christmases ago, I needed a Drummel Wizard for my brotherin- law, who is in the construction business. I was all set to head out to one of the big home stores when I decided to check my local hardware store just for the fun of it. Turns out, not only did they have the item, but the price was just two bucks more than what I would have paid at the big retailer. Less than the amount of gas it would take to drive offshore. Right then and there I decided from now on, I was going to shop locally whenever possible.

After very little thought, it became clear that not only do local shops provide a community with much needed products and services, they also hire the youth of the community, buy their own personal and business products from other local merchants, own their home, raise their own families, and pay their own taxes. They have a vested interest in the community and its welfare, and barring prices that are way out of line, or service that stinks, you should give them your business. These local businesses keep the wheels of the local economic community very well greased, and if used properly and consistently, can save you a ton of time, aggravation, and money.

Independent restaurants vs The Chains...

I realize that the reason national “themed” chain restaurants are exploding in popularity is because of consistency of taste and reasonable prices.

However, it’s the very consistency of product, and how that consistency is maintained, which leaves us questioning the healthfulness of the final product. All of the so-called national “themed” restaurants prepare and package all of their key sauces and products in factory-like processing plants. That by itself does not represent any deficiency. But I ask you, would you really prefer the Fettuccine Alfredo at Carraba’s where the Alfredo sauce, although tasty, comes in a prepackaged bag? Or would you like your Alfredo made with fresh cream, egg yolk and parmesan cheese like they do at Touch Of Italy in Egg Harbor Township? Most locally owned independent restaurants utilize fresh local ingredients and produce. The chains, as noted, need to centralize the production of their food in order to maintain consistency. Of course, I haven’t even mentioned any of the preservatives needed to prolong the shelf life of the products. So, if it’s taste and nutrition you hunger for this holiday season, go with the restaurants where it’s literally “made to order.” Go with the independent, locally owned eatery. Twenty years from now, you’ll be glad you did.

“Flower” to the People...

One of the great things about the holiday celebration is, of course, the dressing up of America from Thanksgiving to Christmas. Everywhere you look, bright lights dot the outline of homes, holiday characters adorn the lawns and beautiful holiday flower arrangements are everywhere.

The only problem for holiday home decorators these days is standing out from the cookie-cutter clutter. One way to guarantee fantastic holiday floral arrangements and displays is to check out Fischer Flowers – fischerflowers.com – of Atlantic City and Linwood. Recently, two of their employees, Mary Gardener and Marlene Adams, have been accredited by the American Institute of Floral Designers (AIFD).

AIFD membership is prestigious and exclusive: there are only 1,300 members worldwide, and just eighteen current AIFD members in the state of New Jersey. AIFD designers are sought out by those in-the-know for a variety of reasons, including exclusive celebrity weddings, events, and home decorating.

“Many of the floral designs you see at high profile events and important places like the Academy Awards, Emmys, Rose Bowl Parade floats, the White House, etc., have been designed by AIFD designers,” said Charles E. Fischer, owner of Fischer Flowers of Atlantic City and Linwood, whose family has operated the Southern New Jersey Floral business since 1876. “To have not one but two of our designers accredited by the Institute is something we are extremely proud of. Mary and Marlene are both very deserving of their accreditation,” he said.

You can make your holiday season shine a bit brighter by giving your home, or business, that top professional floral designer look. Put in a call to Fischer Flowers today. In Atlantic City, (609) 345-8560, and in Linwood, (609) 927-3823.

Merry Christmas...

And happy Chanukah and Kwanza to all of our readers. Thanks for making this magazine the most sought after publication in the South Jersey market. May all your days “be merry and bright...and may peace on earth reign through the night.”

Dan Klein is publisher of the South Jersey Insider Magazine, as well as host of the weekly radio show by the same name, heard Saturdays from 1PM to 4PM on Newstalk 1400 WOND AM, and host of the weekend entertainment & events segments on NBC news Channel 40. Dan's segments can be heard during the news on Friday and Sunday.