This is the expanded version of our mask policy poster. In the past week, there’s been a sharp rise of interest in our policy and plans for masks. Here are our thoughts.

At this time, we do not require masks.

​We have no plans to, although we will respect and obey future government decisions.     
We do not want our policy to be appropriated into a political stance. To be honest, we are tired of the constant politicizing and polarization of this issue. What someone wears is a personal choice, not an attack on us or our politics. We need to give each other the respect and understanding we want for ourselves.

We'd like to make a special appeal to our fellow Christians. "You are the light of the world... let your light shine before others, so they can see your good deeds and glorify God." The past months have seen a steady increase of fear and uncertainty. And as politicians stoke the flames in hopes of political gain, people are looking for a safe place, a place of hope and calm assurance. We have exactly this in Christ. But are we offering it? "By this people will know you are my followers, if you love each other." Times like the present are an incredible opportunity for the Church to show Jesus. Whatever our fears and opinions, He is greater and far more important than any of them. So many Christians have gotten caught up in defending their freedom and their rights, and have forgotten that we are first and foremost citizens of a greater kingdom. We need to ask ourselves, how do our lives put Christ on display? Do people see supernatural peace in the face of uncertainty, hope when it seems desperate? Do they see us laying down our self and putting others first? Or do they see us clinging to our "freedoms" and insisting on our own way? We are free in Christ, and we need to live that reality, because it cannot be taken away. We are free from operating like we did before we knew Jesus. Free from judging "her" for being irresponsible and selfish for not wearing a mask, free from mentally calling "him" a coward for giving into fear and "their" rules. Free to see each other as people who Christ died to redeem. Free to live with joy amid all the hatred and division.

​We ask everyone to please look beyond the mask (or lack of it), and see a neighbor and fellow citizen who is facing the same turbulence and fear we’re all embroiled in. We all respond to conflict and uncertainty differently. We come from different backgrounds and worldviews. The beauty of our country has always been cultural and ideological diversity operating as a commonality.
We want to thank you for your amazing support during this time. We are committed to giving great service, the main factor in our own decision to not wear masks. We want to be a place where you can shop as normal, without hindrance to communication. We will continue to give you the best service we can, regardless of your choice of face-wear.

Tomorrow is Small Business Saturday. I guess the idea is something like this; after a day of frenzied shopping mostly done at big box stores or online, we pay homage to the flip-side of capitalism, the little businesses in our hometowns, the startups, our friends & neighbors.

On a national scale, our economy needs the big guys. But their impersonal nature often makes them easy targets for criticism. How many people do you know who are vocal in their dislike of Wal-Mart, yet can consistently be found there? There is often slight unease or guilt attached to supporting the big chains, yet in the end, most of us still give them our money. They just make it really easy to spend. If they didn't, they wouldn't be big.

I want to suggest an alternative to big-box-shopping guilt. The solution is to be aware as possible of the supply chain behind what's in our shopping carts. Know where your money is going & spend to support what matters. We don't always have time or money to shop around or make several stops for our shopping list. So we go big.

My challenge is this; use this day (or another free day in the near future) to really find out what your local businesses offer. It's often surprising what a town like Sparta has available. Being aware & staying conscious of what you can buy from local businesses makes it easier to shop local. 

As a culture, we need to regain our love for community. We need more person-to-person interaction & less impersonal transactions. We need to experience the beauty of a local economy working together. This isn't about never shopping online or at big-box stores. It's about identifying as a community and putting our money where our mouth is. It's about going home when we shop. 

Even if you can't make it to a local shop this Saturday, take some time to think about the people & places who are your local community.  Come up with new ways to participate in the unique economy of your hometown.

Creating a new website is mostly storytelling. The story of who we are as a company, and what our aim and ideals are. This presents a bit of a dilemma. How do we tell a story which is the right blend of fact and ideals? We've all seen company stories so idealistic and feel-good it's hard to tell what they really do. But a company without ideals is a company without a future (or at least a very boring company). Our ideals are what make us unique. Whether we talk about it or not, we all have a reason for what we do.  The danger of over-focus on ideals and vision is the very real danger of believing our aim is our reality. We live in and act out of a false narrative.
   Our goal is to allow our experience and our customers to shape our vision and ideals. That way, looking at who we are and what we do amounts to the same thing as looking at our vision. As we launch this new website, and as we move forward, we request your input to help keep us grounded, real, and effective.