How much do you love CraigsList? I know there is that ugly shadow side to the List that has been in the news. However, like life, we can live in the light without delving in, or even being aware of, the dark. The simple decision of reaching out, posting something, or responding can be an adventure no matter. Yes, I know it can also be a waste of time, but I’m talking about the good stuff here…
My first sale on Craigslist was a large piece of carpet we pulled off the stage. Durable and multi-colored to fit most any decor, I knew someone could use the remnant. Right away I connected with the purchaser. Diane is another local women entrepreneur and artist of photography. Wedding photography specifically. Her eyes lit up when she spoke of how she enjoyed capturing the happy and tender moments of each bride and grooms special day. As small business owners we exchanged concern on the state of the economy and the costs of doing business. The meeting ended with me not only recycling a good piece of carpet but also picking up a Web site order. All she needed was a clean, simple, professional Web site she could update regularly without breaking the bank. This was an easy task for us of course, perfect size site to turn around quickly and an ideal client who knew what she wanted. She’s able to update her site easily and we even set her up to have her own blog. Of course a shout out to Kalyn at Connection Group for design and production of the site. 😉

The most recent CraigsList encounter took us south-west Michigan to the outskirts of Kalamazoo. I have been searching for reasonably priced, large, wooden whiskey barrels to use outside the school house as rain barrels. Have you ever priced these puppies? Not cheap – and I can’t get past the irony of using plastic barrels in an effort to being green… I’ll do it if it means keeping the water away from the historic building – but only in the back. You can’t argue, the plastic ones are seriously ugly. After a month or so of searching companies on the Web and ads in Craigslist we found two in Kalamazoo. The price was right so we headed South. In a quaint wooded setting tucked just outside of the urban sprawl of the university town we met Bonnie Jo Campbell. An award winning novelist who sells us the most perfect wooden barrels the universe could provide. Now where else but Craigslist could I find cast oak barrels, a women entrepreneur, artistic writer and micro-brewer in her own right? Check out her Web site and blog. Be sure to look for and purchase Bonnie Jo’s books at a local book store near you. Her cutting style is fresh and the stories center around rural Michigan at it’s core.

Until my next adventure I just needed to share some gratitude.

Support Michigan artists and buy local.
Cheer’s CraigsList