Shop local

Spurred in part by a book club discussion of Bill McKibben's book Deep Economy, I'm trying to do most of my holiday shopping locally this season. A week ago tonight, I hit the annual Bonus Club sale at the Record Exchange. (What a scene that was ... I saw everyone from Curtis Stigers to Built to Spill's Doug Martsch to hip local artist Grant Olsen.) With the evening's discounts, I scooped up three CDs, one EP, and two DVDs for about $86. Just out of curiosity, I tallied up the same items at amazon.com. They were all cheaper online, but with the RX sale prices, shopping at amazon.com would have saved me only about $10.

Ten bucks is nothing to sneeze at, and if you missed the RX sale, you are looking at an even greater difference. But shopping locally helps keep our money circulating around our community, and it's just a cool thing to do. For an even more local experience, check out the Capital City Market on 8th Street from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. these next two Saturdays. You'll find locally made breads, wreaths, baby blankets, dog bandannas, soy candles, jewelry, and much more, all available direct from our neighbors. Happy holidays!