starting off...

I began this blog to show the progress of the design of my future biz, the Urban Mercantile. My concept allows me to dive into a pool of self-discovery, in how my life affects the community around me. Thus, it is also about my journey towards living a sustainable lifestyle, well, first learning what exactly that means. For me, sustainability means simplicity, freedom, localizing, caring, community, health, real wealth, and balance. Easier said than done. The end goal is to design my life and family around these values, and I hope to pronounce those values in the materialization of my business.

The Urban Mercantile, or the Merc, came about as I fell in love with urban Denver. We moved into our home in Sunnyside in Dec of 06. It is about 5 minutes or less driving to some hot spots downtown, like Coors Field, LoHi, Confluence Park. It's close enough to take a leisurely walk down there. I started spending a lot of time in downtown Denver, going on walks with my husband and baby, visiting a coffeeshop, going on runs, checking out the pockets of sweet indie biz. The open space parks, welcoming green grass, trees, and the rushing Platte River give way to a killer view of the city scrapers, new condos, the bridge trilogy, Elitch Garden amusement park poking at the gorgeous span of the Rocky Mountain range. I was in awe of how beautiful a city could be.

Lots of new developments are popping up around there, just west of the tall city buildings. Go a little further west, and you take a walking bridge over the interstate I-25 and there's more new developments, intermingled with the old Victorians and new businesses popping up like dandelions. This is the area, Lower Highlands, and Highlands, that connects downtown with my neighborhood. People are moving to all the places I mentioned in droves. It's recession-proof, bad-real estate market-proof you hear. It's hot. These people first off, can afford to live there, and they also seek the urban life, which has just been becoming more and more attractive, as Denver has been working hard to infill, revamp, provide more services, restaurants, and shopping, and getting their public transit to be more convenient and accessible. Also, they are hiring the developers that rock it out when it comes to making cities viable and magnetic to people that want community, sustainable living, convenience, and fun.

However, the mixed-use developments are still up and coming. As they build condos, retail and office space is being worked on, but it's not keeping up with the pace of residential spaces. There's no convenience stores with a few blocks of these condos.
Well, who wants a 7-11 around there anyway? It would not fit the vision of the area. So, I want to retail convenience items to the residents in a different way than 7-11, or Walgreens, or even Safeway would. It will be different because everything in it will have what the locals want and need.

Be it known, this biz will NOT be a indie full scale grocery market. I will have ready to eat meals from a local deli, and staple groceries, snacks, beverages, maybe even some fresh produce, but I will have dry goods. Goods like office supplies, bodycare, petcare, hip Denver tees, medicines, toiletries, some decor and gifts, cards,.....you get it. Lots of sundries. The way I see it being is a sundry shop....lots of variety, lots of stuff. I want to set myself apart from the dollar store and emphasize the importance of quality product options, this won't be no little plastic market, nor will it be a scary bodega. oh so much more!!

For me, this is not just a business idea, a way to just risk my life and money, it's a way to enhance the urban life of what we all hope to make more sustainable. As we can see, the suburban life is more of a hassle than ever. I want to help my urban community by helping consumers shop local and educating them on why its worth it, allow them to stay close to home, making it an option to buy green or organic if they are willing to spend that extra dollar, and to provide an enjoyable, engaging shopping experience.

When I imagine my business, opened and in the running, I see a bustling shop, where people see and chat with their neighbors, where you can find out anything going on in the area, where you can just get what you need, and enjoy doing so. I want to create an atmosphere that takes you out of yourself and your little city world for a moment, and that makes you want to buy something....because that thing represents something more, it represents a new way of living that brings freedom, peace, and community to our big-box, plastic, isolated, money driven society. So what if you may have had to spend a couple extra bucks......."Every dollar we spend makes our world either better or worse.." totally forgot who said that, but I just read it last night. I'm learning more and more that this is true. I'll post soon how it can actually save you money and help our economy by shopping local, how you can help our earth by shopping green, and all the other buzz about it.
Wow, thank God that babies sleep. Nice long blog for ya.