Cheese Shops
Shop Small
If there was one thing I would ask of people, besides vote (or read a book,) it would be to shop small, especially at cheese shops. We’re heading into the holiday season, when most retail makes the profit that helps them through the rest of the year, usually barely hanging by a thread. Q4 keeps retail alive, so now is the time we have to ask ourselves who we want to survive.
The Privilege and the Paradox
I want to acknowledge the privilege involved with shopping small. Not everyone can afford to. Being able to choose where you spend your money is a luxury these days. We’ve all heard the lament that all the mom and pops are disappearing. But it’s like complaining about traffic in traffic. Dude, you are traffic too. It’s ok, we all do it. But we can be aware and try to do better.
I also recognize the irony, that I am writing this post on a MacBook in Google Docs and sharing it on Meta platforms. The system is hard to escape. But purity politics will not save us. Just do what you can.
How the Big Boys Win
Smaller shops rely on foot traffic, so they require presence in higher rent areas. Unlike large businesses, they cannot order ten thousand units of anything, so their costs are higher. But their ethics usually are too. When you buy from a local food shop, you are supporting people who do not have the bargaining power to underpay others.
I have watched small producers cut their margins to sell to major chains for “exposure.” They trade profit for visibility, hoping that someone will discover them in a Whole Foods aisle and later seek them out in an independent shop. The reality is that small shops keep small producers in business.
Aritz Rind: People are angry about billionaires ruining the world. So stop giving them money! Why is this so difficult? You can save the world with your wallet. You want a superhero cape when you go shopping? Heh. I will get you a cape.
Not Just Cheese Shops
If you knit, you know how important it is to shop at your Local Yarn Shop (LYS to knitters). They stock higher quality, often more environmentally sustainable, and way more interesting yarn than any big box store. They’re also staffed with people who can actually help you solve a knitting problem. And if I’m going to spend dozens of hours on a project, I want to use the nicest wool I can.
Shopping at a local yarn shop is a win-win-win. I get to poke around in a cute space and get help if needed, I support local small business, and they, in turn, support small wool producers. When I travel, I love visiting an LYS. Getting a skein of yarn is the perfect souvenir. I knit a scarf or hat with it and always have something to remember my trip by.
Cheese Shops to the Rescue
Recently on my travels, I visited Arrowine & Cheese in Arlington, VA, and Wedgewood Cheese Bar in Carrboro, NC. I highly recommend both. The DC area has a lot of international and well-traveled folks, so it makes sense they’d have such a serious assortment. Wedgewood is smaller, but well-stocked and cute as a button. It even has a horseshoe cheese bar where you can sit, get a personalized board, and have a glass of wine. Sweet. Both had knowledgeable cheesemongers ready to help.
I work as a cheesemonger at Formaggio Kitchen, one of the most respected cheese shops in the country, and I can tell you that shops like these run on passion. I’m proud to support the people, farms, and stories behind the cheese.
Eglantine Crumb: I’m from Yorkshire, so I’m glad Jennifer mentioned wool as well as cheese. We look after our sheep and cows properly and make good use of what the land gives us, each place in its own way. When I’ve travelled, I’ve seen so many towns start to look the same. The same shops, the same cafés, the same everything. If you love to travel, you’ll want to keep the real places alive. Local cooking, crafts, and trades only last if folk care enough to keep them going. So let’s do our part.
What We Can Do
If you have a local cheese shop, go there now while it still exists. Let someone behind the counter feed you something they love!
Every dollar spent at a small business is a vote for a different kind of economy. And in the next post, we will talk about why your local cheesemaker, and every small food producer, needs you just as much.
Jennifer Tolliver is a cheesemonger, teacher, and founder of Crumb & Rind, a small business in Boston devoted to cheese, craft, and community. Before cheese, she worked as a social justice lawyer, and she still brings that lens to the food world, believing that how we eat and who we support can change the story.