This column is as dull as warning you to exercise daily
SPOILER ENDING
Skip the malls this weekend. Stay in town. Shop local.
IT GETS WORSE
Oh, come on, you’ve heard this before. It’s as dull as a warning to exercise daily or you’ll gain weight.
WEIGHT…WAIT, THAT’S THE PROBLEM
“We” are the problem with our small town if we don’t support our own businesses first.
MARK TWAIN WARNED US
It’s like the weather, says Mark Twain. “Everyone complains about it, but no one does anything about it.”
GRIPE, GRIPE, GRIPE
The truth might be that too many gripe that “there’s nothing to buy in Bluffton.” So, those non-thinkers head north or south on I-75 for supposed greener pastures.
THE FOREST FROM THE TREES (Yawn!)
Here’s our dare – no, make that our challenge - Think about Bluffton’s Main Street. What could you buy as a kickoff to holiday shopping in Bluffton that is truly unique?
THINK…THINK
Better still, walk down Main Street. Window shop.
YOU WON’T FIND
• a sales clerk with braces checking your driver’s license to make certain you are who you say you are. (Rats, you’ll miss the fun in proving the clerk wrong)
• a parking spot in Level 3, Row 8 of Section G.
• you get the idea.
WE MIND OUR OWN BUSINESS
That’s why Saturday, Nov. 26, is called “Small Business Saturday.”
GO YE
Shop local. Be careful, however. It’s a bigger Main Street than you think.
BOTTOM LINE
Bluffton shoppers can flex their small town muscles on Saturday, Nov. 26.
Our small-town life-style depends upon it.
Stories Posted This Week
Thursday, October 1, 2026
- ICYMI: September 2026 Bluffton Icon Highlights
- October 1 Bluffton Schools athletics lineup, streaming
- Ar-Hale Family Foundation supports Crime Victim Services
- Bluffton Police answer 672 calls for service in August 2026
- Pressure: Beets for the heart
- BHS Junior Class fundraiser for Post Prom
- Beaver and Pirate homecoming doubleheader
Wednesday, September 30, 2026
- Pirate volleyball loss vs. Lincolnview
- Village of Bluffton meetings announced, Oct. 1-Nov. 2
- 100 years of being Beavers: 2026 Bluffton University Homecoming, Oct. 2-4
- Check out October 2026 BPL Update
- Final call for for Bluffton photos contest
- Pandora-Gilboa HS crowns Homecoming King and Queen
- Bluffton Council recap: Purchase of Marsh Run acres approved
- Senior Center's October membership dinner
Tuesday, September 29, 2026
- Pirate volleyball sweeps Wapakoneta
- Pirate boys golf 4th at NWC tourney; Meyer places 2nd
- Pirate girls soccer shuts out Lima Central Catholic
- Pirate boys soccer shuts out Lima Central Catholic
- Pirate girls tennis blanks Kenton
- Bluffton Fall Festival overflows with family fun
- Stauber exhibit at Massillon Museum through November 1
- Arlington invites generations of alumni to all-school Homecoming
Monday, September 28, 2026
- Beavers sports roundup, September 21-27
- Alan K. Yoder, O.D., 86, owned Family Eye Care Clinic of Bluffton
- I-75 lane restrictions in Hancock County, Sept. 28-Oct. 2
- Travis Michael Swank, 40, was a salesman
- NetVUE panel highlights chaplaincy, vocation and meaningful work
- Bluffton Presbyterian hosts community-wide Socktober drive