Today, I went to the local bookstore to purchase the summer reading literature for my kids. When asked, “Why not go to the library?” I replied, “To support local business.” It’s something that has been important to me for years at Two Skirts Telluride, and even more so now.

Kristin Holbrook created a fundraiser for the Telluride Medical Center COVID-19 Response Fund by donating 10 percent of Two Skirts’ Telluride sweater sales. They raised 10,000 dollars. // Photo courtesy of Two Skirts.

I live in a small town and co-own a small business. I feel lucky every day that locals, second home-owners and tourists have made shopping at Two Skirts a tradition for almost 20 years. And, I never felt more grateful for that support than over the past few months during COVID-19.

When the ski areas and businesses were forced to close in March, I decided to get creative and give people a reason to shop and a cause to support. I created a fundraiser for the Telluride Medical Center COVID-19 Response Fund by donating 10 percent of my Telluride sweater sales. I was overwhelmed by the response from followers near and far who purchased sweaters and made donation matches. We raised 10,000 dollars, kept things moving at Two Skirts Telluride and dressed women around the country. Supporters realized we had to come together to make a difference or we might not survive the viral storm.

“We are all in this together” became the rally cry across the nation and locally. To me, this meant promoting and uniting with other small folks. I focused my social media on the independents that I carry at Two Skirts, and vice versa. Designer friends and I would not only fundraise for bigger causes, but work together to generate giveaways and contests for our customers. I encouraged my social media followers to “get-dressed” for dinner at least once a week, both for personal self-esteem and a chance to win Two Skirts Telluride credit. I highlighted local restaurants that were open for take-out and focused on designers who produced small collections, were sustainable, designed in the U.S. and were overall nice people. I believe that what goes around comes around.

It turns out that generosity spreads. Many Telluride businesses and residents were doing their part to give back to this community and make a difference. From donating hand-made masks and provisions to the Food Bank, to providing lunch for school children in need and delivering meals to the elderly, to teaching free yoga classes on Instagram to get people moving and in touch with one another, almost everyone was coming out for the good of the small town — all the while maintaining “safer at home” protocol and waiting out the storm.

We started to see the light in June with shops and restaurants opening their doors and returning to a “new normal.” But, the future is still uncertain, and it will take a continued conscious effort to keep small towns thriving. Awareness needs to spread that spending locally generates sales tax revenues for roads, drinking water and open space. Eating and buying supplies locally cuts down on the carbon footprint created by shipping, from the packaging to the transportation fuel. There is an education process that needs to continue to circulate in the minds of consumers about how to make meaningful purchases.

I believe there is a small-town circle of life — a healthy flow between the generous spenders and the hard workers and back around. When we keep our efforts local the result is a community that can maintain a real sense of home for old-timers, part-timers, full-timers and one-timers. Everyone wants to live in a town with a healthy and vibrant main street, and it takes a united town to keep that pulse beating.

Originally published in the Fall 2020 issue of SPOKE+BLOSSOM

"We Are All In This Together": Shop Small For Big Rewards