This past weekend reminded us exactly why we do what we do.
If you’re not familiar, Rural Route Ramble is one of the most special shopping weekends of the year. It’s two days, the first Friday and Saturday of December when shoppers map their routes from town to town, store to store, intentionally choosing to support small businesses. It’s not just about shopping—it’s about connection, community, and creating experiences that feel meaningful. And this year, even with some not-so-great weather, you still showed up.
Cold hands, messy roads, full hearts—you came anyway. And we can’t put into words what that meant to us.
Shopping small isn’t just about where your dollars go—it’s about who they impact. It supports real families, real dreams, and real livelihoods. It helps keep small-town storefront lights on. It creates gathering places, job opportunities, creative spaces, and community hubs. It allows us to curate intentionally, support other makers and vendors, and give you something special you can’t find everywhere else.
This year during Rural Route Ramble, we also witnessed something truly beautiful happen in our shop—our Pay It Forward Tree.
We watched customers purchase shopping credit not for themselves, but for:
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A teacher
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A mom in need
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A young shopper
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A stranger they may never meet
And because of your generosity, we were actually able to use some of that Pay It Forward credit for a few customers who truly needed it in the moment. Seeing kindness move from one heart to another—right there in the middle of a shopping weekend—was overwhelming in the best possible way.
This is what shopping small looks like.
It looks like neighbors helping neighbors.
It looks like generosity without recognition.
It looks like community over competition.
It looks like choosing connection over convenience.
We are endlessly grateful—for every mile you drove, every stop you made, every gift you purchased, and every act of kindness you shared. You didn’t just support our small business this weekend—you supported our why.
From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for believing in small just like we do.
With so much gratitude,
— Nested Collective