Musings

Waiting out the economic recovery, I notice that there are some behaviors and concerns on the part of the consumer that have shifted, and may live beyond the (hopefully) inevitable recovery. The fast paced, fast food, mass produced, high volume world just seems to have less appeal and there seems to be a growing and welcomed interest in local, crafted, individualized products and service providers.  I, of course, couldn't be happier!  There is clearly a greater interest in value and quality.  Cheap, mass produced products are less satisfying and seem almost cartoon-like now.  The process of finding locally made/grown/provided products is gratifying in and of itself. The exclusivity of a hand-crafted, one-of-a-kind product appeals to something deeper in us.  An interaction and relationship with a person who actually makes something - boutique winemaker, jewelry designer, artisan baker - draws us.  As a designer and creator of products that each hold a little bit of me in each of them, I am gratified by this shift.