Shop Local • Shop Small • Buy Nearby • Shop a Store with a Door

Shop Local • Shop Small • Buy Nearby • Shop a Store with a Door. These are all taglines you’ve probably heard, encouraging you to support your local small businesses.  Never has there been a time when this concept was more important.  Small businesses are, well… small!  We do not have corporate funding and investors to get us through a global pandemic.  We rely mainly on the support of our loyal customers, with a possible small business payroll protection loan thrown in for good measure.  The picture above was taken following our Two Fish team meeting on Thursday.  That’s us – the entire Two Fish team.  All 6 of us, social distancing, wearing our masks, taking things day by day.  Mothers, daughters, sisters, wives, friends. This year our team is small but mighty.  It has been quite a year, and it’s only mid-June.  So many things have changed, yet so many things have stayed the same.  Our loyal customers are still here.  You have all been amazing.  When our physical doors were closed, you placed web orders.  Now that our doors are open again, you are showing up – AND you are still placing orders.  You are getting us through.  Quite frankly, it is hard to be a retailer right now.  We do not want to be the mask/social distancing/hand sanitizer police, but we have been put in that position, and we will keep enforcing those rules to keep everyone – especially our families – safe.  We appreciate the kindness of those that follow the rules and tell us how happy they are that we are open.  Every day, we are doing the best that we can.

The importance of supporting our fellow small businesses has really hit home, and we have been doing just that.  The t-shirt I’m wearing in the picture is from the Leland Merc – in case you can’t read it, it says “Eat – Shop – Love  LOCAL”.  That pretty much sums it up!  At our team meeting, we passed out some cold hard cash to our employees to thank them for all they have done to help team Two Fish this year.  We gave them just one requirement – spend it locally.  So far, they’re having a ball.  Buying tugboat leggings from Leland Gal, a great summer read from Leelanau Books, an iced latte at Blue Boat or a bag of Swedish Fish from the Dam Candy Store – we’re all supporting each other.  After all, we’re all in this together.