WHEN WE SAY travel, we tend to think of world travel—or at least going to another county or state. But most of us travel every day without giving it much thought. Sure, we might be more conscious these days of the cost of gas (and its impact on the environment), but how much do we know that our local travel can make a big impact in other ways?

Do you have a beaten path to Wal-Mart, Target, Starbucks, etc. that you could almost drive in your sleep? I’m not suggesting you never shop in those places, but adding some new travel habits to your routine could prove life-changing.

Thanks to online friend Judy Clement Wall of Zebra Sounds, I’m now a member of the 3/50 project: Saving the Brick and Mortars Our Nation Is Built On. Have a look at these numbers from their site:

Get behind the 3/50 project!

3 – Which three independently-owned businesses would you miss if they disappeared?

50 – If half the employed population spent $50 each month in locally-owned independent businesses, it would generate more than $42.6 billion in revenue. Imagine the impact if 3/4 of our employed population did that.

Below are my picks for the 3/50 project. I already have fun spending at least $50 a month between them, so my extra push is to feature them online with a link to each business.

My 'serene' route for errands

Brian tells me I’m saving gas because I’m driving slower (35 mph) and not doing the Stop-Go for traffic lights and stop signs. I get to share the road with walkers, joggers and bike riders instead of maniacs in SUVs.

Peaberry’s Café & Bakery

4350 Boardman-Canfield Road, Canfield, Ohio 44406, Ph: (330) 702-9230

Having a local coffee hang-out is essential to my writer’s lifestyle, and Peaberry’s meets my stringent criteria. The coffee’s always perfect (I drink double-shot breves), the service friendly, and I can sit in one of the quiet back booths to write.

Peaberry’s also makes killer gourmet sandwiches. My favorite at the moment is the #9: Cucumber with Asiago Peppercorn, Red Onion and Muenster Cheese on Croissant (I ask for turkey to be added). Yum!

The Flaming Ice Cube: Vegan Shoppe & Café

1449 Boardman-Canfield Rd., Suite 260, Boardman, OH 44512, Ph: (330) 726-4766

I *love* this business! I’m not vegan so I’ve only eaten in the café once, but I do love to shop in the eco-friendly New Age half of the store. I have bought candles, aromatherapy, books, a water fountain, CDs and other treasures. I found an agate candle-holder-cum-bookend that was just what I needed for a shelf in my office.

Cool merchandise: The Flaming Ice Cube

Fittingly for the theme of this article, the sign in the picture reads:

Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.

Health Food Center of Youngstown
(new Website coming soon)

6015 Market Street, Boardman, Ohio 44512, Ph: (330) 965-1515

I buy a lot of herbs and supplements, and I’m fussy about the quality of what I consume. This shop not only feels inviting as you walk inside, they do stock many items I was buying online.

I’ve also bought organic bananas for my organic banana bread, neem toothpaste (Do you read your toothpaste label? Do you know what you’re putting on your gums?), herbal shampoo, almond milk for my protein powder and more.

Which three businesses will you (or do you) support in your local area?

Visit the 3/50 project for more inspiration!

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MILLI INTERVIEWED ABOUT THE 30/50 PROJECT ON WKBN:

Story by Steve Pacer of WKBN, Youngstown, Ohio. Thanks, Steve!

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Photos in the body of this article Copyright © 2009 Milli Thornton. Feature image courtesy Chris Cole of Peaberry’s Café & Bakery.

EVERYONE KNOWS BURGLERS will target a house with uncollected mail bulging from the mailbox. And by now we should all know the dangers of identity theft should our mail be stolen.

But what if we don’t have kindly neighbors to take care of that for us?

Sure, we can trudge off to the post office and fill out a form to put our mail on hold. But there’s a faster and easier solution you might not have thought of: go online.

I must confess I hadn’t thought of this myself until I was preparing for our trip to the Montreal Jazz Fest. I didn’t want to ask the neighbors yet again. And I didn’t want to drive to the post office. I was way too busy!

That’s when I looked up the USPS Website and, sure enough, there was an online option. Here’s the scoop from USPS:

— This online service will electronically notify your local Post Office to hold your mail.

— For same day service, online requests must be submitted by 2AM CST Monday – Saturday.

— Mail can be held from 3 to 30 days.

— We will resume normal delivery of your mail on the date you specify.

— Online access to request this service is currently limited to certain ZIP Codes.

I live in a minor city so did not have high hopes that my ZIP code would be serviced. But, Yippee!, it was and it took only a few minutes to fill out the form.

I was skeptical it would be as efficient as claimed. But the day after we got home our mail resumed as requested. We’d been gone only four days so the backlog of mail did fit nicely in our box. If there had been too much for our regular-size box, I would have had to go pick it up. But that’s a trade-off I’m willing to make.

Ready for vacation? Go to Hold Mail Service at USPS and fill out the simple form.

Bon voyage!


Photo for this article Copyright © 2009 Milli Thornton

From the happenin’ waterfront, terrace restaurants and cobblestone streets of old Montréal we progressed to Chinatown on foot. The narrow street that turns the corner at Chinatown’s Imperial-looking gates was clogged with Jazz Festival traffic, as well as a youth band and their supporters.

Falun DaFa Youth Band

The audience sat on the steps of a pagoda-style calligraphy store or joined the old people sitting at stone tables. It was easy to imagine the old men sitting at those tables on a quiet sunny day, perhaps playing checkers or swapping stories of the Old World.

The band was rousing, but I was keen to explore the shops.

Chinese kites hung from the porch of the calligraphy shop

Across the street I found a shop full of feng shui treasures that again severely tested my discipline. I found better prices for genuine red money toads and other lucky wealth objects than I had seen online. Many of these objects, though small, were quite heavy. Since I’m still attempting to master the art of packing light, I didn’t relish the idea of lugging home more poundage.

Lucky bamboo and money cats in the window of my favorite shop

(Well, maybe not easier. But it gives you a whip for your conscience.)

I was also tempted to sit down with the little old man advertising palm readings on a tattered handwritten sign. He looked bored and lonely and badly in need of a client. But there was so much still to see and do: Reluctantly, I concluded that was the wrong moment to park my bottom for a stationary activity.

We had to stay on schedule so as not to miss our festival shows that evening, so we didn’t get to try any of the restaurants in Chinatown. Yet another reason to visit Montréal again!

A truck delivering Chinese beverages to local merchants

“No trip to Chinatown is complete without sampling some of the local cuisine, the best that Chinatown has to offer will find you at Restaurant Hong Kong, Le Jardin du Nord and Ming Yeng, serving up Chinese specialties for visitors and locals alike. Choose from a variety of dishes such as Won Ton soups, dumplings, Peking Duck, Crispy Chicken, General Tao, Sea Bass and Lobster dishes.”

Alright, already. Stop torturing me! I don’t wanna know what I missed!

Ring, ring.

— “Can you deliver to Youngstown, Ohio?”

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Falun Dafa: Over time, the principles of Dafa unveil the deepest and most profound truths of the universe. Following the principles, practitioners of Falun Dafa are able to reach very high realms, enlightening to the true meanings of life, and finding the path of return to their origins and true selves.

While the exercises have deep inner meanings, they also help to reduce stress and can bring great improvements in health and fitness.

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All photos on this page Copyright © 2009 Brian Williams

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