Shop Small, Love Big

I have a shop around the corner from home, a place where friends greet me, where my kids are spoiled with attention, where I can always find that perfect something. It’s a place I love to sneak to for a breather, a small shop I love to support, and, consequently, where I’ve found support time and time again.

It was the Christmas season of 2017 -- the Christmas that barely was. There was no tree in my house, no Christmas spirit within me, but there were still presents to be purchased. My son Max had gone to Heaven just two months prior and, though it was also my baby’s first Christmas, I had no enthusiasm for the impending holiday. I wanted it over.

I hadn’t been to Mint Juleps, my shop around the corner, since I lost Max. The girls in the shop knew me best with my three boys in tow. Max, the oldest of my tiny crew, is the one who always said “hello” and engaged them with conversation. Max loved the girls at Mint Juleps, and they loved him back.

Like his mama, Max was a big fan of Adele, especially her bellowing hit “Hello.” During a visit in the shop one day, the girls played “Hello” on the speaker in the store just for my boy. His face lit up, his arms raised in the air, and he kept saying “hello” in an Adele-like English accent. The girls at Mint Juleps made his day and warmed his mama’s heart a million times over.

Going back to the store without Max was a step forward and I didn’t want to take a step without Max. As I attempted to peruse each item, all I could see was my son, his smile, his perpetual joy, and I was overcome with pain.

I stood in the middle of Mint Juleps and wept. While I cried, I was embraced. Both Michelle and Teri came over and they wrapped their arms around me. They cried with me and shouldered the weight of my loss. They have continued to do so for five years.

Because of Max, I made a million connections that I would not have made otherwise, Mint Juleps included. I’m a friendly person and I have always loved people, but Max, with his engaging personality and knack for greetings, gave me no option- together, he and I made friends wherever we went.

I am confident Max opened the door for me with Mint Juleps, that because of him, the girls in the shop recognized me and we became closer quicker. Because of my boy’s enthusiasm for people, I had a warm opening that led to quick bonds. God, what an angel you gave me.

When I launched Max’s eponymous foundation, the girls at the shop stepped in stride. Whatever I did, they cheered me on and contributed however they could. They’ve supported our golf tournament, promoting it in the store and connecting me to vendors. Mint Juleps has a featured booth at Max’s Moon Run each year where they enthrall kids with their toys, sell treats with custom stickers for my boy, along with a slew of other cute items. Those precious shop girls show up again and again, and their presence is never lost on me.

This year we are hosting a Christmas party at Mint Juleps to benefit Max’s foundation. Max’s music teacher, Miss Mary, will be singing carols, friends will be bopping around, greeting each other with hellos and hugs - Max would love it. My shop around the corner will be bustling in honor of my boy, and the thought of that…words don’t suffice.

Last Christmas, four years after the year I wept in the heart of Mint Juleps, the girls in the shop helped my husband and little boys shop for me. My babies left with full arms and full hearts. When I walked into our home that evening and found a load of new packages beneath the tree, I felt the boys’ eyes on me and saw proud smiles lift their full cheeks.

Days later, I thanked the girls at Mint Juleps for helping the boys pick such perfect, thoughtful presents. They laughed as they recounted how fun the experience was. I especially loved the part my husband Dan shared, that he got to the counter and didn’t care about the cost, because the experience was so delightful. When Dan says the cost is inconsequential, I know it must have been special.

I’m so grateful for Mint Juleps. They’re unlike any other store, any chain, or Amazon. It feels special to hear their bell chime when I walk through the door, to smell the yummy scents wafting in the air, to touch all the pretty things, and catch up with friends as I mosey through the maze of beauty. It’s a small town, old-fashioned experience, one that may slip through our fingers if we don’t love on small businesses enough.

Shopping small has given me so much - precious friendships, best of all. I’m invested in Mint Juleps, and they’re invested in me. God bless the shop around the corner.