Independent America

I'm hoping to make it to a free screening tomorrow of a documentary called "Independent America: The Two-Lane Search for Mom & Pop." Have any of you seen it? It sounds interesting to me - it's about a husband and wife reporter team who set out to find towns where small, local retailers are winning the fight against the big chains of the world. During their journey, they stick to state highways and secondary roads - no interstates - which I'm sure makes for very interesting characters and stories along the way. My town, which despite it's small population has a Target, Walmart, and Home Depot nearby, still has a local hardware store, butcher, pharmacy, florist, and appliance store, but I always worry that at some point we are going to lose them. I always wonder: What if all of us townsfolk were a little more careful with our purchases - for example, if besides going to the hardware store just for that chainsaw part we need and are grateful they carry, we also bought our garbage bags, paper towel, and other day-to-day needs instead of automatically throwing that stuff in our cart at Walmart? Or if we didn't use the pharmacy only for prescriptions, but also our vitamins and shampoo, on a regular basis? These little changes in shopping habits just might help keep the Mom & Pop stores we love around. :)