Note: This post is part of an ongoing blog series called #costamesa365 where the author is striving to shop only* in her city of Costa Mesa, for a year.
I *heart* small businesses.
The courage, the hard work, the moxy it takes to go out on your own and start something – or even to buy someone else’s something and run the ball further down the field.
I also *heart* the makers, the side-hustlers, the volunteers, the coaches – anyone stepping up to do just a little more than expected. Neighbors taking their art, their community, their city just a little bit further than it might otherwise have gone.
These are the people of Costa Mesa who fuel the content of I Heart Costa Mesa. Without them – without you – there’d be nothing to write. We wouldn’t exist. Poof!
This one solemn truth is never lost on me: The thing I’ve created only exists because of all the hard work, building, making, risking and creating of countless other Costa Mesans who have come before me. I’m lucky I even get to cover it at all.
So to show a little extra love to the city we love so much, my podcast partner-in-crime, Brandy Young, and I, spontaneously decided to drop a couple fat-stacks of I Heart Costa Mesa stickers at some local businesses.
Just a gift. For them. For their customers.
A sticky, little love-bomb to show we care.
We hit The Globe Deli, Best Framing, The Attic Skate Shop and Gracie Barra Costa Mesa, then casually posted about it on our Instagram.
That’s when… boom!
Next thing you know, my phone is blowing up with so many other small businesses who are excited to share a little stack of love with their customers, too!
I couldn’t even. The reception was amazing. I burst into tears with gratitude and astonishment!
Then I dried my face, took a deep breath, and got to work stacking stickers. So many, in fact, I already need to print some more.
But I’ll do it.
I’ll keep printing sticker after sticker until every, single person who wants to love on this glorious city and share their hometown pride has an “I heart C M” to do it.
If you have a local business and want a stack of stickers, message us.
If you want a sticker, and can afford to buy one, check out our online shop. (Your purchase will help support what we do.)
If you want a free sticker, keep your eyes on our Instagram because we’ll post when and where we drop the next fat stack around town.
If you love Costa Mesa, we can help you stick it.
And if you don’t love Costa Mesa?
You can just stick it. ♥
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*We will always start by shopping / looking in Costa Mesa, first. But if we really need something and an alternative is nowhere to be found in Costa Mesa, we’ll stray. Also, as parents, we’ve decided that certain kid-related things (mainly educational) will need to remain baked in.
