Bryan Mariah Articles –

Big Box stores like Walmart and Target are certainly convenient, offering so much of the things we need in one place, and the prices they offer can’t be beat. However, there is a section of our local commerce that brings us a local flavor, a taste of home, and makes sure that your purchases really support your local community.

Independent Retailers are our neighbors, friends, and family, whether they’re running the corner store providing gas to keep us on the move, or local craftsman who bring us the best in cheeses and handcrafted furniture, Independent Retailer Month reminds you to help support them to support your community.

History of Independent Retailer Month

Independent Retailer Month was established by Clare Rayner, known throughout the world as “The Retail Champion” to help get local communities working with their local retailers to help keep local money local. There’s been a lot of loss of culture and community throughout the years as big box companies move in and start driving the smaller companies out of business. Without being able to deal in the sheer variety of products and services, and to purchase in the sheer quantities they do and thus getting better prices, the independent retailers are in a significant amount of trouble.

The only way for them to survive is with the support of their community, and the loyalty of these people to their local businesses. Since the creation of Independent Retailer Month, millions of dollar in revenue have been returned to local businesses as people start shopping locally and discovering the hometown feel you get from shopping with your friends and neighbors.

Independent Retailer Month is your opportunity to get in and support your local community, the dream of small business is still alive and well, even with big box stores trying to squash it out of existence.

How to Celebrate Independent Retailer Month

There’s a few ways to celebrate independent retailer month, but the most prominent is getting out there and shopping at local stores and farmers markets. Don’t buy honey from some distant apiary when you can pick it up from your local beekeeper and know that it’s all been born and bred locally.

Milk doesn’t get much fresher than when its purchased from the dairy down the street, and you know that when you buy from a local store, all of that money stays in the community helping to keep the local flavor alive.

Special offers for Independent Retailer Month celebration!

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Fashion Retailers 2 Promotions: Save 18% Off on All Orders at Zaful –

When people ask how have I kept on top, I have to say with the help of every photographer, make-up artist and hairdresser I’ve ever worked with.

Art has been an expression of the human soul, and a salve for the same, since time out of mind. One of the most ancient art forms is watercolor painting, and World Watercolor Month celebrates it and encourages everyone to give it a try!

History of World Watercolor Month

World Watercolor Month was founded by Charlie O’Shields, creator of Doodlewash®. He realized after looking at the yearly calendar that of all the forms of art that had a day or month dedicated to them, watercolor was just plain left out!

Through his efforts, July was established as World Watercolor Month once and for all! Watercolor painting has a history stretching back to pre-history, with the earliest examples gracing the cave walls where ancient man used to live. Since that time art has played an important role in our society, bringing us together, inspiring us, and lifting our hearts during our darkest days.

It has also played an important part in education, serving to help bring equality to areas and topics typically impacted by socioeconomic boundaries. How odd is it then that art classes are one of the first sacrifices when budget cuts come along for our educational institutions?

Doodlewash turned its efforts to combating this trend by partnering with The Dreaming Zebra Foundation to provide awareness to those young men and women who may otherwise not be able to develop their artistic creativity. Even better Dreaming Zebra has created a whole new type of recycling, art & music supply recycling! They gather up gently used art and music supplies and return them to people in need.

How To Celebrate World Watercolor Month

Celebrating World Watercolor Month is easy! Just head out to your local art supply store and pick up a container of watercolor paints and something to paint on and put your creativity to the test. Once you’ve created your masterpiece, post it online with the hashtag #WorldWatercolorMonth. Next, it’s time to help by donating to The Dreaming Zebra Foundation to help children across the world reach their artistic potential, just 10$ ensures that a child gets art supplies!

To celebrate World Watercolor Month, we have special activities and deals!

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Recycling is emphasized everywhere, but there’s not enough holiday to indeed enforce the idea of how easy it is to recycle. When it comes to plastic, plastic has become the number one product people use each day, despite how damaging it is to the environment. Plastic Free July is a holiday dedicated to teaching people about the dangers of plastic and challenges people to avoid plastic for a month. Read more to learn about its history and see how you can get started.

History of Plastic Free July

Beginning with just a handful of participants in Western Australia back in 2011, the holiday idea has since grown into its own independent, non-profit organization and an annual event in over 150 countries. They originally began through the organization Earth Carers, a community that focuses on a wide range of environmental issues in the world and educates people about the consequences of hurting the environment. Their vision, after separating and becoming their own organization, is all about a world without plastic waste, and many people caught on to the message they sent out because of their concerns for plastic waste across the globe.

Hence, Plastic Free July is all about encouraging people to be more aware of their plastic use and creating a cleaner world as a result. People can participate in this holiday by avoiding all products that use plastic products in them throughout the whole month of July. This holiday also helps educate people about the different types of plastics out there and what happens in the recycling system when plastic is introduced. This initiative aims to challenge the material system the world has in place when it comes to its economy, focusing its efforts on a global span as well as a personal one. By reducing how much a person uses, they can make a small difference and help others do the same.

How to celebrate Plastic Free July

Begin by avoiding single-use plastic such as straws, water bottles, and plastic produce bags. Use more reusable products such as glass jars, metal utensils, and use metal tin lunch boxes and containers for storage. Avoid highly processed foods and begin using homemade recipes. Learn how to make your products like toothpaste, deodorant, and mouthwash. Share this holiday to your friends online by using the hashtag #plasticfreejuly and see if you can convince them to join you in your efforts to stop using plastic.

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It’s hard to find logic in things sometimes. That’s why I can’t analyze things too much, because it often doesn’t make much sense.

We all know the situation: being subjected to someone else’s conversation while in a public space. Speaking on a cell phone makes some of us forget our manners! Celebrate Cell Phone Courtesy Month by following these tips for cell phone etiquette.

When you are in a meeting, don’t check your phone constantly for texts and emails. Concentrate on the people you are with.

Set your cell phone to silent or vibrate when in a courtroom, theatre, or place of worship.

Don’t embarrass yourself; if you need to make a call which you know is going to get intense and emotional, save it for when you are somewhere private. The rest of the world doesn’t need to know about your relationship issues!

Finally, check your personal volume control. It’s all too easy to start yelling into your cellphone. Everyone in your vicinity will appreciate your good manners in avoiding “cell yell”!

To celebrate Cell Phone Courtesy Month, we have special activities and deals!

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You may have a fresh start any moment you choose, for this thing that we call ‘failure’ is not the falling down, but the staying down.

Who doesn’t love cozying down with a good book now and then? It’s a great way to pass the time and can take you on wonderful adventures in other worlds, or recount amazing lives of people in this one. Even better, there’s little that helps one drift off to sleep as easy as a good book, though the peril exists of being caught up in ‘just one more chapter’ mode. The problem is, you can’t read while you’re driving, or when it’s completely dark, can you? What if you could? Audiobook Month celebrates the invention that made this all possible! The audiobook!

History of Audiobook Month

Almost from the moment that a method of recording the human voice became available, audiobooks have been in existence. When Thomas Edison first invented the phonograph, Phonographic Books were one of the ideas that he had in mind for those who were sight-impaired. Even his first words spoke of this vision, with “Mary had a little lamb” being the first words he spoke into a phonograph. A year later he demonstrated the capacity of the phonograph at the Royal Institution in Britain, where a recorded verse of Tennyson’s poetry was played back for the attendees.

Unfortunately, his original vision wasn’t to be, as the original cylinders used with the phonograph only held about 4 minutes of audio, and even when they switched to the flat platters the duration was only 12 minutes, hardly sufficient for the recording of long chapter books. While the 60-minute cassette developed in the 70’s helped the situation, it wasn’t until the invention of the CD that Audiobooks really came into their own. Audiobook Month celebrates these wonderful tales on tape and the millions of people they aid every year.

How to Celebrate Audiobook Month

Celebrating Audiobook Month is simple, find your favorite book in an audio format and try listening to it on your way to work. You can listen to it while you’re in the shower, or laying in bed, or even riding the bus or driving in the morning. The opportunities are endless, and the types of books you can find on tape are growing every year, from compilations of mythology to books on learning a new language, and even certain forms of technical manuals can all be found in an audio format. What would you like to listen to during Audiobook Month? Start making a list!

To celebrate Audiobook Month, we have special activities and deals!

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