One of the Many Reasons I LOVE Local Businesses

This morning I woke up to the sound of the power going off.  Not fun, especially since this is the coldest night we've seen this year, with temperatures in the 20's.  Of course I immediately decided to stay in bed until Little Miss woke up, hoping the power would be back on by then.  It wasn't.

I got Little Miss ready as quickly as I could and got her off to school so she could have a hot breakfast and be warm.  I then called the power company and found out that it would be several hours before the power would be coming back on.  I decided this was a good morning to try out one of the new eateries in town that I had been meaning to drop by.  Nancy's Haute Affairs is mainly a to-go place, but I hoped that they would have room for me to sit and eat while I was there so I could warm up some.

When I walked inside, I quickly realized there was only one small table, and someone was using it.  I asked the girl at the counter if they had any inside seating available, and she said just the one table, and the patio furniture out front.  I told her that my power was out - she quickly found a space for me to sit, got me some hot coffee, and then told me to sit down and she'd bring the food out to me shortly.

After I finished eating my yummy breakfast and went up to pay, she told me that she hoped my power came back on quickly and offered me more coffee for the road.  I can't imagine getting such personalized service at a chain!  It seems to me as though local places always go the extra mile to help out and make you fill at home.  I think I could have sat there all morning if I wanted to, but I told her that I was just going to go in to work early.

This holiday season, remember to shop (and eat!) locally!  You'll be building a stronger community, and likely get better service as well.