Me, on the right, absolutely cheesing with holiday-induced glee. That's the magic of local businesses turning shopping into an experience; a direct way to support your neighbors. 

As I walk into the Volume One and Local Store building on the corner of Dewey St. each morning, I often take a big gulp of the crisp morning air. It is quiet, though there is some traffic as folks travel to work; while local business owners ready to open up shop for the day (most downtown coffee shops are brewing long before then, thankfully).

Those seconds before I walk/trudge/stomp upstairs to my desk are, sometimes, the last stress-free ones of my day. And that’s okay. I am most often stressed about my job, which is something I’m really lucky to genuinely enjoy. Whaddya know, caring this much about something can be stressful!

Sometimes I’ll work up some nerves ahead of interviews, put my head in my heads over trying to plan out the next issue (there’s just too much to write about, which is a good problem, really), or get a bit angsty about an article I’m hoping will make a significant splash for a new local business.

We'll keep chatting up this place we call home. It's what we've got, and it's worth building up.

The latter has been top of mind lately. Not so much a particular story or business, but the local small business scene in general. I may not have every area business organized alphabetically in my brain, but I do spend an above-average amount of time researching and writing about Chippewa Valley businesses. It doesn’t take a trench coat-wearing, magnifying-glass wielding detective to see quite a few of them have been struggling lately.

I think folks across the whole Chippewa Valley may see that, too, even if they're not talking about it. But some people are starting to talk about it, in pockets. There’s a whole slew of reasons why local businesses have been having a particularly tough time this past year (or five), and I’m not getting into all that right now. I’m just hoping more people start to notice, to talk about it, and not just for gossip’s sake – but to spark actionable ideas and ripples of tangible support. 

The only cheesy thing about me (I think) is how much love I not-so-secretly hold for our corner of world, here in the Chippewa Valley. Especially for the folks running some of my favorite local shops; serving up grub at my go-to restaurants; smiling at me as we walk past each other on the street.

It may be fitting, then, that this issue features our annual “Start Up” guide, offering information related to business ownership in the Valley. That’s on p. 30 of this issue (or here online), if you’re curious. Otherwise, see you in the next issue, where we’ll keep chatting up this place we call home. It’s what we’ve got, and it's worth building up.