Take Advantage of this Opportunity

COVID is a bitch. I said it. I miss restaurants, my friends, my kids being in school, seeing you all regularly, and all the other things I took for granted before all this began. I really want life to get back to the way it was. But wanting something doesn’t make it so, or I would be a Wimbledon champion.What I do know is that as weird and unsettling as this all is, it isn’t going to last forever. This slow down in pace and acceptability of hanging out in our yoga pants will be over before we know it. So, while we’re at home, we should take advantage of it. Yes, take advantage of it.I know we’re still busy. Work hasn’t stopped. Life hasn’t stopped. But for most of us, it has slowed a bit. The pace isn’t as frenetic as it was pre-COVID. A lot of us are working from home… not me, but a lot of us. So, home has become more important than ever.It’s important to take time to enjoy the small things. Take a bath, read a book, get a project done. All of our Stylebook contributors are here to help make that happen. It’s essential we all stay safe. That goes without saying, but we have to make sure to support small business or when this all ends, our area may look very different than it does right now. We are willing to deliver, to run things to the curb, to do whatever is necessary to make you feel safe, but we need your support. Early on, everyone was worried about us and so we managed to make it through with your help, but once things opened up, oddly things took a turn for the worse.  I guess everyone assumed that once we opened, we’d be okay. That’s sadly not the case. No one is walking the streets. No one is coming into the stores. If this continues and gets worse as the winter arrives, we’ll lose a good number of businesses. The big-box stores can spread the loss and make up for it with online sales. We can’t. But the big box stores don’t know your names. Don’t know your kids. Don’t know you. We do. I, for one, don’t want to shop where nobody knows my name. So, please… stay safe, but don’t stay isolated. We miss you. Keep in mind that we have a lot to offer right in your neighborhood.Bellacara has great candles, bath products, home manicure items, and skin-pampering items like facial masks and serums.  Helen Olivia has beautiful flowers to brighten your days.The Hive has wonderful clothes and accessories to make you look your best on Zoom calls.  Red Barn Mercantile has culinary items that would make great gifts (if I stopped eating them first.)  Kiskadee has just introduced plus sizes in great styles and a teen capsule is next.  Stomping Ground has the best take-out. You don’t even need to cook. No, I’m serious, it is almost addictive how good and how easy it is to order from them.Alx&Co. can give you pieces that you’ll be proud to hand down from generation to generation. I never had one of those growing up and I always envied those who did. I intend to start the tradition. I plan on getting pieces from them that I will give my boys to give their children and hopefully, they will then pass them down to their children. Once I decide on the pieces, I’ll be sure to update you.Ivy Lane Living can give you spaces that you enjoy being in as you look around your home. More than ever, home has taken on a new importance. How we feel at home matters. If home is not your sanctuary, if you don’t love your spaces, you should give them a call. Even if you have one room you treasure being in; it makes all the difference.Alexandria Wellness has a program to keep you fit, not just physically… but mentally as well.529 and Monday’s Child have wonderful items for your children. They need spoiling a little now more than ever. Why not head into these places and pick them up a little treat? It beats candy.I could go on and on about how special and unique our boutiques are. How lucky we are to have what we have here. How we are like a big family… boutiques and customers alike. You know us. We know you. I have never experienced a place like this before. I don’t want to lose it. Let’s make sure to support each other now more than ever.