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
Monday, October 26, 2026
Sunday, October 25, 2026
Saturday, October 24, 2026
- Ada Icon headlines, October 24
- Are you a friend of the Bluffton Public Library?
- Weekend Doctor: What you need to know about flu season
- Courtney Linke joins CNB as VP Business Banking Officer
- Blanchard Valley Health System Announces Updates to Board of Trustees
- Blanchard Valley Health Foundation Announces Changes to Board of Directors
Friday, October 23, 2026
- Village of Bluffton announces late afternoon drill at Bluffton Schools, October 23
- October 23 Bluffton Schools athletics lineup, streaming
- Pirate volleyball eliminated in sectionals by Archbold
- Pirate boys soccer knocked off by Bath
- Main St. closure rescheduled; parapet work to take place Oct. 27
- Bluffton student to reflect on diabetes research experience
- Bluffton University receives $8,000 Stinner Summit award for youth agricultural and environmental education
- Elections matter, including midterms
Thursday, October 22, 2026
- Ada Icon headlines, October 22
- ICAPP study: Ohioans strongly oppose data center expansion and tax breaks
- Pirate girls soccer ousts rival Allen East in sectionals
- Strawberry Fields Forever: Fruit polyphenols and brain health
- Last call for Bluffton Cars & Coffee for 2026
- Icon calendar gets a little more elbow room
- Bluffton Board of Education recap: Contracts for coaches and new bus driver
- Bluffton Lions Club update for October 2026
- Bluffton chamber photo competition display and reception announced
- Bluejays and buzzards catch the eye of this Accounting prof
Wednesday, October 21, 2026
- Ada Icon headlines, October 21
- Village of Beaverdam requests suggestions for park grant application
- Charles “Chuck” Wendall Collins, 63, owned Eagle Press Repairs
- Dwain L. Leiber, 87, owned Leiber Garage
- Kimberly Dawn Murphy, 55, taught at Findlay City Schools
- Kaleidoscope Farms honoring veterans, thanking current troops, Nov. 8
- Filmmaker to preview documentary exploring life beyond incarceration
- ONU mobile health clinic at Senior Center on Oct. 28