BLACK FRIDAY at the Aging Abundantly Gift Shop

I don’t know about you, but I’ve never been much of a Black Friday shopper. I do love a bargain, but I find no pleasure in battling crowds to get one. My sister, on the other hand, loves to shop anytime, anywhere, any day. Back in the days when my husband and I lived in metropolitan New York she would visit us from Virginia for the Thanksgiving holiday. When I look back on it, I’m pretty sure her favorite day was not Thanksgiving! Invariably, shortly after she arrived she began her campaign to enlist every female standing to head out early morning to hit the shops. I dreaded everything about those holidays!

All these years later, neither one of us has changed a whole lot when it comes to our shopping habits. She has mellowed a bit. I’ve come to appreciate what her shopping efforts have achieved. Because she’s such a careful shopper, she almost always only buys things she loves and keeps forever. She doesn’t buy cheap, she buys smart. I, on the other hand, always watched my pennies and never really knew what I liked and didn’t like until after I had it home. As I dislike shopping, I also dislike returning things! I think now it pays to be a careful shopper, to buy quality items, to still look for things on sale, but to only buy what you really want and/or need.

It occurs to me, as I watch my offspring and their wives yearning for this or that thing, that we spend our lives accumulating, or longing to accumulate, only to send it all out the door once we’ve reached a certain age. Many of us are downsizing with the same intensity that we upsized. Was it worth it? Did we enjoy it? Was it meaningful?

Still, I love finding treasures here and there. I love giving gifts – warm, fuzzy gifts – gifts that are whimsical, or useful. Most people I buy gifts for need very little, but they could all use a little smile, their spirits lifted, their lives made easier. I think that’s what I love most about the items I added to the Aging Abundantly Gift Shop. I bought my first Alice’s Cottage item at a little gift shop in Blowing Rock, North Carolina while I was enjoying a weekend in the mountains with my hubby.

Alice’s Cottage is a family owned business that incorporates Alice Backman’s wonderful artwork into all natural textiles. In business for 23 years, they have become a leader in the fabric giftware industry. I love supporting small women owned businesses. Having been a small business owner most of my life, I understand the challenges! Therefore, everything that you will find in the Aging Abundantly Shop will be items created and produced by women. I hope you’ll take a moment to stop in and doing a little Black Friday shopping from the comfort of your home.

Happy Holidays!

Dorothy

P.S. You can also purchase a personally signed copy of my quote book from the shop as well.