Local Spending, Lasting Impact

A stronger Santa Cruz doesn’t begin with policy or big programs — it starts with something simple: the next time you spend a dollar, where does it land? This is the very first episode of the Think Local First podcast, and we’re kicking things off with the people who keep this place stitched together: the shop owners, makers, growers, and do-ers whose work turns a small transaction into a hometown ripple.

In this episode, we sit down with familiar faces across Santa Cruz to explore why buying local isn’t a slogan — it’s a system. Freedom Meat Locker talks about the craft and care that comes from knowing the families you serve. Hideout Vodka walks us through that “give us ten minutes, we’ll figure it out” responsiveness that big chains simply don’t run on. Local business is personal, and memory — real memory — is a competitive edge you can’t automate.

We get into the numbers with The Boardroom and the stories with Ohm Gallery. They break down how a single purchase moves through wages, vendors, sponsorships, school fundraisers… all staying right here instead of disappearing into a national ledger. You’ll hear about shopkeepers who send customers down the street to neighboring stores, because in a healthy downtown, everybody rises on the same tide.

And then there’s The Homeless Garden Project — the reminder that local commerce and local compassion are branches of the same tree. Your purchase can create training, structure, dignity, and actual paychecks for people rebuilding their lives. That’s community at its most functional.

If you care about this place — our bookstores and bakeries, our surf shops and bistros, our growers and gallery walls — this episode is a road map. Start small. One gift. One dinner. One bookstore trip. Tell a friend. Leave a review. Keep the energy in the county where it can do the most good.

This is Santa Cruz, told through the people who make it work.
 Welcome to Episode One of the Think Local First podcast.

Transcript

Welcome & Mission: Think Local First

SPEAKER_02 0:00

Think local first. Hey, welcome to the show where Santa Cruz spirit is the only way to go. Every dollar spent here, every smile you see, builds a brighter hometown for you and me.

SPEAKER_06 0:17

Hey, this is Ryan Buckholt, and uh I'm with uh Hide Out Vodka in You Blended Spirits. And today uh talking with uh Anthony here from uh we're both board members on Think Local First, which is a uh organization helped to help small businesses here in the community thrive. Anthony, why don't you uh introduce yourself?

SPEAKER_05 0:33

Uh Anthony Cuhardo with Mi Host Takeria. I've been in town for about going on 10 years, but yes, a small business advocate, Think Local First, Capitola Village Business Improvement Association. I think we're just here to talk about supporting smoke local small businesses in the holiday season and shopping local and you know, shop the logo.

SPEAKER_06 0:52

Perfect. And we're here with Brian Upton. He's on uh Santa Cruz Vibes. And Brian, what do you got going on?

Meet The Hosts And Guests

SPEAKER_08 0:56

I got a special mission for Think Local First. Um, this is fun. This is this kicking off this podcast for Think Local First is part of an ongoing partnership that we've got. And the first assignment was this Think Local for the holidays. Um, but Ryan Anthony, what we decided in our meetings was we wanted to kind of create a 365-day narrative for Think Local First. And this is just a very specific way for us to kind of get into each other's sort of like ecosystem. And this podcast will be a consistent podcast for Think Local First. But I think because of the time of the year and because of, you know, the sort sort of current economic climate, we thought like a Think Local First for the holiday promotion would be great. So Janet Um Romanowski sent me out and I've had some conversations within the community, you know, that to lead up to this podcast, which will drop in after. It's not necessarily we have to segue through, um, but I dropped in at Ohm Gallery, Freedom Meat Locker, uh, Santa Cruz Boardroom, and then with our friends over at Homeless Garden Project.

SPEAKER_06 1:54

Oh, all great local businesses.

Why Launch A Year-Round Local Narrative

SPEAKER_08 1:55

Very good. And I think it was strategic. We had a couple uh cancel out just because of the holiday schedule, but I think this will be a fun platform. What we do is where I think, you know, vibes can go out on these missions and get some of these visual visual assets and have these conversations in a different way. And I think today for this podcast, which will make sense, is I'm gonna kind of guide it this podcast through as a guest on it, on your podcast, Ryan and Anthony, and just sort of ask you two the questions that we asked in the community. And I'm gonna blend the videos in from the answers from Homeless Garden project. And I'll tell you a little bit about each sit-down and we can linger there a little bit, like my impression of that business. And I think you know them as well.

SPEAKER_06 2:33

Oh, cool.

Hard Times, Real Questions For Owners

SPEAKER_08 2:33

But I think as uh you know, an overall kind of feeling of this podcast is um, you know, being out in the community. Maybe we'll start right here as far as the first question I asked every one of these community members is very difficult times right now. There's a lot of different global, national, which trickles down to local insecurities. And I think it eventually makes its way in this particular conversation to people's disposable income, where they're spending money, uh, what the world feels like right now. And one of the questions I asked all these businesses right now was simply um, how are you basically navigating this? And are you optimistic about where we are? And so now you're on the spot, and we'll start with you, Anthony. Like, how are you navigating these challenges? And I think in the in the group of it, um, let's just kind of talk about COVID, supply chain, political ramifications over the last four or five years on different levels, two different administrations, but it leaves a lot of people feeling insecure. How are you handling it from a local business level?

SPEAKER_05 3:33

For me, local business is it's about hospitality for us, right? This is the opportunity to reconnect with the customers on a daily basis. So if that's offering loyalty programs, new marketing, just connecting with them, talking to them, getting to know them, remember their kids' names, really connecting with the customer. Yeah. I think that's the touch you have to give to kind of navigate the competition in the marketplace because everybody's trying to get any customer they can. Right? Consumers are a little wary right now, consumers are spending a little bit less across the platform in the restaurants. You know, ticket averages are down, foot traffic's down. Um we saw some foot traffic down in Capitola Village this summer, just the traveling. So I think it's connecting, offering experience, but really trying to let customers know that we appreciate their business and that we appreciate the money they do spend in our communities.

Ryan On Supply Chains And Resilience

SPEAKER_08 4:21

Ryan?

SPEAKER_06 4:22

Uh yeah, COVID was hard trying to navigate that whole supply chain was terrible during that. You know, we're in a manufacturing business where we have to buy bottles and glassware and all different types of products. And so we stocked our warehouses full of product because we were scared we were gonna run out.

SPEAKER_08 4:37

Yeah.

Freedom Meat Locker: Service And Belonging

SPEAKER_06 4:38

And now it's leveled back to where now we can actually manage around it. Um but when you have a new administration and new rules and new everything, trying to manage around that, manage around tariffs and everything. So it's hard, but you kind of just you you have to work with the hand you're dealt and just staying positive and knowing it's all gonna work out, everything's gonna happen, everything's gonna move forward. And then also just supporting our community. Um, we need to be the first ones who are taking care of each other. Um, this week I just got a letter from a fifth grader at Bayview Elementary who was asking if we could donate money for the um science camp. When you work local, I have the ability to do that. So helping, again, our ecosystem here in Santa Cruz County stay afloat and take care of each other.

Leading Teams To Create Connection

SPEAKER_08 5:24

It leads me to the, you know, my mission out there in the public was talking to all these businesses, and part of the conversation we just had uh makes me think of the video we're gonna drop in here. Um, but let's talk about it a little more with Sarah from Freedom Meat Lockers. She had a similar answer, clearly different people, that during this difficult time, what they've doubled down on is that human connection. They've doubled down on the customer service, they've doubled down on making sure every single one of their employees is not just taking the orders, but trying to basically interact with the customers, engage the customers, make them feel like part of a bigger family. And we'll start back with you because it made me think of it before we play the video. Um, is can you expand on that a little bit? Like how do you get that to the street in not only as a business owner but a person in the community, how do you kind of like, I guess, kind of like walk the walk of that?

SPEAKER_05 6:17

I think it's leading by example and talking to your staff about that and getting them to kind of buy into that message. And so something similar happened the other day. We had a catering, the lady that hired us came up to me after, and she comes to the talkeria, you know, a couple times a week and she pulled me aside to tell me, I want to let you know how well your team is doing. They recognize my name, they remember my order. And so after I went back and circled back with her, I thanked her and I said, You coming decide to tell me that means we're doing the right thing. And that my staff is l listening to what I'm saying, but also appreciates work working with me and delivering the same message to our customers. They're bought in. And so when we're when we're all bought in together as a team, we're like family, right? We all work together, we all take care of each other, but then that goes to the customers. Well, because they see us interacting as a family and as friends and working together, they see the same message, and then that goes out to the community. And so then the cust the parents feel comfortable leaving their kids there to pick them up after school. And then I think that message and that energy goes out into the community, into the schools, into the parents, and then it kind of connects everybody together.

SPEAKER_08 7:22

Ryan?

Rapid Response As A Local Advantage

SPEAKER_06 7:23

I'm just stuck thinking about tri-tep from Freedom Meet Locker now. Now I'm hungry.

SPEAKER_08 7:27

I got some on the way out. So it's uh yeah, so and Ryan, I think it's interesting because you you know, you you you're a community member and you know, you're part of Think Local First, but you're also kind of integrated in the real estate market and you've got the spirit company, but that conversation about like, you know, how do we kind of create a community DNA? How do we basically kind of like um you know connect in a different way with these customers? Because I guess what we're really talking about is um not hoping for things to basically work out for us at the cash register in this conversation, um, but create some long-term brand loyalty, you know, through a customer base.

SPEAKER_06 8:03

Yeah. So a lot of things we do is try to think about what the customers' concerns are without them having to tell us. Like, for example, um at Hideout Vodka, we'll get bars and restaurants giving us a call at seven o'clock on Sunday going, oh my gosh, we just ran out. We need more product in order to fulfill. We'll be right there in the next hour or so, you know, taking care of our customers. And then that just spreads goodwill from there. They're like, oh my gosh, guess what you know, hideout vodka did for us? This is what they do, this is how they work. None of the big box companies are definitely not going to do that when they have warehouses and you know, Salinas and they have to drive out here. It's nope, we'll get it to you next Tuesday. So just taking care of people is kind of what we're all about.

Generations, Nostalgia, And Community Pride

SPEAKER_08 8:43

That's exactly it. So let's take this look at this video with Sarah right now, the best of the you know, interview I had with Sarah at Freedom Meat Locker, and then we'll come back on the other side of it and sort of get the impression there.

SPEAKER_03 8:53

It sure would. And that's that's the beautiful part about Freedom Meat Lockers. You know, my kids have grown up here. We lived right across the street. So they would run over, Baba, Baba, and now my sister's kids get to do the same thing. And it's just it's wonderful, you know, to know that that sense of family and community is with, you know, it's with all the generations, you know, and it's just my cousins are all here too. And it's just, it's so special to all of us. It means so much more than I think people even know and realize what the freedom meat lockers means. I get choked up because you should. I just I'm so proud of my parents and my grandparents and what my mom and dad have done. It's just it's so special to us in so many ways. And I don't think people realize that that how deeply we feel about what we've created for everybody.

Boardroom: Where Your Dollar Stays Local

SPEAKER_08 9:45

So one thing I got out of that as we kind of keep going here is that um Sarah got emotion in there when she was talking about her family history and seeing sort of like being here for so long. I think 1969 Freedom Meat Locker. We'd all want a business to be around that long. She was sweeping floors for her grandfather who started the business. Um I got sandwiches in there when we go to the dump when I was a kid, you know. So it all kind of worked out in so many different levels. But she got more emotional, not so much about their own family history. What she got emotional about was connecting with the community and seeing the kids of, you know, she's starting to see a second, third generation coming into Freedom Meat Locker. And that's kind of the dream. And then we'll kind of move into the next set of questions. But let's finish off that first section first. Um, and Ryan, we can start with you as far as like, you know, when we build these companies and we have these businesses, it's transactional. We live in this world, we want to pay our bills, we want to be super successful, we want to scale our models. Um, but listening to what Sarah said there, um, we can never get away from the fact too far that we do live here. And I'm just talking about Santa Cruz, I'm talking about the planet Earth, and so there's always a little bit of a higher calling in all the things we're doing, right? Do you feel like as a um, let's take off the business hat for a second, when you hear that story or you hear a story about somebody that deeply connected, generational, sort of like um, you know, pride in what they're doing, just as um as a community member, when you're out shopping or you're going to a business, is your radar up for that connection when you shop or you're out?

SPEAKER_06 11:12

Oh, definitely. Like just the interactions that you have with people and when they go the extra mile to help fulfill your concerns, when they help make it easier on you, when they're out there um just being better at whatever it is they do is definitely it's like the butterfly effect where it keeps going and keeps going and keeps going. So um, yeah, I definitely feel that in the community.

Make Holiday Habits Last All Year

SPEAKER_05 11:34

Anthony? Yeah, 100%. Go any restaurant store we go into, you want to connect with the owners and the the merchants and the employees that are working there. But it's you know, some of those businesses that we come across, same with mine, those are our neighbors, those are the parents that the kids are go to school with, right? They're people we run across. I love watch walking into a grocery store or the gas station and seeing a customer of mine and saying hi and recognizing them, and then we're on that familiar familiarity with each other because it's more than just a transactional, it is we're in the neighborhood together. We coexist in the same community together, and how do we support each other?

SPEAKER_08 12:07

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 12:08

And that's the friendship that's more than just a transactional relationship. It's the guy that's the plumber, the contractor, the receptionist, it's the restaurant owner, right? Everybody's working together in the same community, and that's what we love about the county. When did you open? Uh 2016.

Intentional Spending Beats Convenience

SPEAKER_08 12:23

So nine years um coming up on, and you're probably in a space right now where some of your customers, let's say they're Soquel High Kids or New Bright and things like that, there's some of the top-end customers that might be starting to circle back around with kids of their own. I mean, you get an 18, 19-year-old, they're 29 or 28 right now. Um, and I think you're on the front end of the dream that we do when we build these businesses, is that we do want to kind of express ourselves through our business and emotionally, you do it through food, um, you do it through some spirits and helping people get out. Like Ryan always wins. Ryan, you always win these conversations. So it always ends up being like, who's got the who's got the liquor? And it's Ryan. But you know what I'm saying, Anthony, is I have you s are you starting to see a little bit of that where maybe not the kids is an extreme example, but maybe people that that's a stop coming home that's gives them a little nostalgia from the first year you open, like I gotta go get one of those, you know.

SPEAKER_05 13:16

We have kids coming back from college now, yeah. So now that they've we've become the staple for them and their family as they come back home and they want to make their stop through, or now they used to come with their parents, now they come on their own.

SPEAKER_08 13:26

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 13:27

We saw them going from kids being in cheese burritos now to ordering Baja Fish tacos. So seeing that growth that just can g builds again the customer base, but also it ties those kids to the community. Yeah. And they know that it's a safe place for them to come, a place that they recognize, and when we recognize their name, it's even more impactful.

SPEAKER_08 13:45

Right on. So the next video we're gonna watch is TC from the boardroom. And we'll kind of give this a run and then we'll come out on the other side of it with kind of like impressions of that video and questions that um you know I can kind of present to the two of you after we recap that.

Downtown Ecosystem: Habits Create Vibes

Quality Counts: Local Food And Goods

SPEAKER_04 14:00

Um every dollar spent here stays here. You know, it's it'll end up in your pocket because it stays here in the community. When you're shopping in these other sort of corporate Amazon-y type people, that money disappears from our community. Right. And when you spend in a a mom and pop locally owned business, that money trickles directly down through the community, and it makes an incredible difference for the small business owners, especially in today's world where it's so critical to support community. You know, I went through the storms in the early 80s, I went through the earthquake, I went through the fire, and Santa Cruz has a history of circling wagons around the community, and I feel like we're in a bit of a you know, a situation that's kind of dire for local business. And the time is now to support your locally owned mom and pop retail businesses. And uh and it feels good, yeah. And you're treated well, you know, and so it's you it's something that um makes you feel good, it makes these your neighbors feel good, and the best part is that those funds stay right here in our town. And that money goes through many people's pockets, which is the best gift that you can honestly give. You're giving a gift to somebody that you love, but you're also giving a gift to somebody you may not even know. And that's why I think it's so important.

Remember The Institutions That Built Culture

SPEAKER_08 15:18

Do you have a So that was one of the questions that we asked all the businesses as and TC answered it towards the end there, is this is a think local first for the holidays. It's a little promotion we're doing. It's a way, like we said at the beginning of the podcast, for us to get to know each other as partners at Vibes and Think Local First. Um, but one of the underlying themes that Janet and the whole team at Think Local want to do is make sure that um it's a moment and everybody this time of year, it's an easy way to focus. There's a lot of you know, uh goodwill at this time. But really what TC answered there at the end was like maybe that can become habit forming. Think local first for the holiday. I think the narrative we're trying to create is like maybe you create a new habit November, December, and we keep it 365 days a year. Um and so from a with your Think Local First hats on right now, um, maybe talk about from the back side of it, the little more details, how important it is, what happens to a dollar in the community when it's spent locally, because that's the thing that even some of these business owners, they have high hopes and intentions and they're members, but I don't think they know the actual kind of like it it's Janice, give me some numbers sometimes, and it sort of blows my mind that a a dollar spent locally isn't just a dollar spent locally. It it actually has, I think the second time we said in this podcast, it truly has a butterfly effect. From so with your think local hat, you know, think local first kind of mentality right now, talk about like not just for the holidays, what does it mean spending that dollar year round? Ryan, you can go first.

Homeless Garden Project: Jobs And Training

SPEAKER_06 16:45

Yeah, it's it's putting more money back into the community. It's helping out our friends, our family. You know, it's it's not always easy to do what's right, but it's better to do what's right. So if you just take the extra little time, I know it's easy to go on Amazon and click a button and have it already be here. It's more difficult to get in your car and drive somewhere, but think about the impact that you're creating in the community and would you want that for your family? It's hard, but you it it's impactful. Totally meaning be impactful all year round.

SPEAKER_05 17:15

Anthony? Yeah, we're all guilty of convenience shopping, right? But how do we think purposefully and intentfully when we're spending those dollars? So if it's going to Freedom Meat Locker for your turkey, for your ham, for your steak, for your chicken year round instead of the knobhill or the Safeway grocery store, right? Shopping with the local merchants for clothing instead of going on to Target or Macy's, but spending those dollars like Ryan said earlier. The kid reaches out from Bayview and says, Hey, can you donate to our school? Well, the money spent with him stays in the community. Right. Right? Those dollars we're gonna give back out to donations, to fundraisers, to troops, and that money uh helps the community that gets spent with us. And so it's uh it's uh tough, he said, and we're all guilty of it, but it's uh intentfully shopping local within your community. And that's the whole thing local first. I shopped the logo for that. And as much as I think local first we're promoting the businesses, it's also getting the consumers to conscientiously think differently when they're shopping.

Beyond Holidays: Year-Round Support Matters

SPEAKER_08 18:15

I think that's really good. And you know, for me, I think as we we say that and it'll segue perfectly into Ohm Gallery, you know, the next video coming up, but um you know, to to stay on that point for one moment, I think sometimes we w live in a world of extremes, right? You know, people are thinking like thinking locally, shopping locally, um it's more time in my car, it's more time going to these locations. But I don't think we're asking them to basically, you know, transfer 100% of their disposable income to local. I think the habit thing we're talking about is we're big proponents of 20% of something, intellectual property, time, you know, money if you've got it, 20% of you giving um makes a huge difference in the world. And that's on a business level. And this think local first agenda, even if you committed 20% of your holiday spending and tried to keep that going through the rest of the year, it would have massive impact on this community if people 20% more if they're already doing a good job, and 20% to start if they're 100% Amazon, for instance, you know. Um, but that leads us to our next video, which is you know, Ohm Gallery. And at Ohm Gallery, it's interesting because the conversation that came up there that I want to have here on the other side of the video is more about thinking local first and what it can do for not just the cash register, but a little bit more of a downtown that's its own ecosystem. And if you can start changing these habits to not just the dollars, but being able to kind of participate in downtown, um, what that can do for a community. And we'll come back on the other side.

Rethinking Success, Work, And Community

SPEAKER_00 19:46

I mean, I'm always sending customers to other shops locally. If you know they don't find what they're looking for here, I will definitely send them to my favorite other shops that I think might have. That item. I think if we build a better community within the downtown area, I think that will help all of us grow. And I'm always a big believer in, you know, camaraderie and teamwork and you know, really trying to push, you know, people, you know, other places because I hope that they'll be sending people our way as well.

From Spending Local To Thinking Local

SPEAKER_08 20:27

So what Ohm Gallery represents to me as we look at that video is you know, think local first. We keep talking about how farther it can go, but maybe it's sometimes about the, you know, thinking local first, getting down there, getting a cookie at the cookie company, going to Ohm Gallery, maybe seeing a movie at the cinema. And I know that's all still transactional, but when we talk about the habits, it's habits about lifting up and downtown that's struggling right now. You know, and in in Santa Cruz, um, I'm talking about the Pacific Garden Mall right now, through construction, through the library, through parking, through, you know, city issues as far as enforcing, you know, even some of our house list guests and things like that that are around. You know, there's a lot of struggles down here from a business perception. And so I think some of these habits, when I was growing up here, downtown was a mandatory first date night kind of swing around. You know, and same thing in the Esplanade in Capitol. We all had sort of our grooves, but I think we're finding our way back there a little bit. So talking with the girls at Ohm Gallery there, um, I want to kind of linger on that fact as far as like spending habits, yes, but also just creating kind of like, you know, it's like the Studio 54 kind of effect. We get more people downtown, more people participating in the community, it's just the vibe is better in the community. Ryan, do you have a thought on that?

SPEAKER_06 21:40

Yeah, definitely. You know, I think the vibe is um a hundred percent better in the community. You know what you see your friends, you see everybody out there, you're spending money. We didn't even talk about like quality of products. Right when you buy local, it's like so a hundred times better. Such a good point. Yeah. Just I enjoy like even going to the the local farmers' markets and the the fruit's better. Like everything is better when it's local. Yeah. And yeah.

SPEAKER_08 22:06

That's such a great point because we're we're talking about it like it's um like something you have to do and make a huge sacrifice, but there's another side to the story. It's better.

SPEAKER_06 22:15

Yeah. If you go to LA for the weekend, I'm like, gosh, I missed the lettuce and the fruit and everything back at home. Like, I can't wait to get home and it's 300 miles away. But we're in a different world.

SPEAKER_08 22:25

Anthony, any thoughts on that little part of the conversation as far as like like energy vibe that comes with thinking local first?

SPEAKER_05 22:31

Yeah, I think you're you're supporting the community and I think that's an impactful transaction, right? But when you're talking about downtown as well and going down there, there's a lot of businesses and restaurants that have stood the test of time down there, right? That people need to go back and remember that this is what built that culture, especially downtown. And getting Zoccolis, chocolate, right? Keanties, like these places that have been here for a long time. The bookstore, right? And you can talk about going to the movie or going to Own Gallery and Paci Pacific Cookie Company, go to the bookstore. Don't buy the books on Amazon, go to the bookstore and browse and bring your kids in there. And and you know, bookstores have kind of gone away, but get them back into that community atmosphere that Santa Cruz and downtown you know contributed to. And then that energy matriculates throughout the out the county.

SPEAKER_08 23:15

I love that. And that's a perfect segue to the last video which we'll play here is the Homeless Garden Project and sat down with Omar and Brian over there. And this one for me, uh the timing of it was perfect because when you go into businesses like Freedom and you go to Ohm, and you know, you go into the boardroom, it really is kind of like the standard think local first kind of customer. Uh Homeless Garden Project is doing such amazing work. And they're doing it in literally mentoring, in the dirt, creating careers, creating opportunity. It's a nonprofit, then it has a front-facing, you know, a lot of people uh you know would look at it, but when you're in there, it's a transactional storefront on the Pacific Garden Mall. And so they kind of operate in both worlds, but really the spirit of that place, and we'll see in some of this video, um, Brian in particular, some of the things that he talks about, is that thinking local first, building more engagement within the community, if the community does better, nonprofits also do better. And we'll listen to this and we'll kind of talk about that and tie this up on the back end.

SPEAKER_07 24:22

I mean, for me, I guess what I think about a lot of it, it's mostly just like they're getting that opportunity to be able to go to another store and say, I worked here, I worked with other people, I've worked in like the farm, I know how to work with groups, I know how to work independently. This place really helped me essentially get onto another job or a career path. And so this is a place that we really do our best to make sure that they feel like they're getting the tools they needed and not just being like, you just need to come Tuesday to Friday, you're gonna get paid. And whether you do work or not, you're getting paid, right? Like here, they're coming every day. We're really strict on like coming at nine. We have a break, we have a lunch, and we're trying to stick to that time so that reminding them when you go to another job, these are the same things that we're providing, the the same things that we're doing here, they're gonna ask you the same thing there. And so it's really just getting them the tools they need. So when they find the job, they can say, I've done this, I'm prepared. Wait, I didn't know I get at like a 10-minute break or a 30-minute break, or like I came in at 10 and I know I'm supposed to come at nine. They're like, no, I know I start at nine, that's when I start. And so we're really giving them the tools they need so that when they find jobs, they have that and they can easily just transition to another place.

SPEAKER_08 25:36

I'm glad you hit that because I think in this, I cut my stuff out here, but it's like I think that's so important. I think the biggest misconception of this place is that it's a favorite. There's a bunch of dudes that are homeless, they go over, make some candles, then they're right back on. They they miss all the infrastructure. So I think what you both said there's really good. Um finish it out right on the kind of on the nose. And I think it's the think local for the holidays is sort of the campaign. Um, and uh, you know, and I'll ask it this way, you know, this time of year it it's raining, it's darker earlier, uh, people start putting up lights, um, and they have more compassion than they do the rest of the year. You know, historically, it's a time where people do care. And I think the question for you guys is like, you know, yes, we want to think local first for the holidays, um, and we can work that into the answer as you say it. But also, um, you know, this one uniquely is is different where you know we need to think local in this context 365 days a year. So let's kind of talk about, you know, both of you can start, like, think local first for the holidays and one part of it, but also maybe you know, a little emotional pull why we should be thinking local for Homeless Garden Project all year long.

unknown 26:45

Yeah.

SPEAKER_07 26:46

Yeah, I would say the holidays is like any other store, it's crucial. It's really, especially for us, it really supports the trainees because they're making reads during the holiday season. And that's when they're getting to be the most creative, and people get to buy those, support us, and you know, buy for their friends for the holiday season. Again, it's really supporting us during the holiday season, but we're open pretty much all year round. So moving away from the holidays when people want to buy something for uh Valentine's Day or some other holidays or just for themselves, again, they are supporting us every day of the year. And so by coming here, not only are you supporting us during the busiest time, but when you come early in the year, middle of the year, we still need that support. This place doesn't just shut down during the after the holiday seasons. We are open pretty much what seven days a week from uh pretty much uh 11 a.m. to six p.m. holidays, 11 to 7. But the support is always needed year round. You know, we employ our we employ about 20 people in the program. And so by them purchasing, by supporting us throughout the year, it really is still supporting the organization, which helps us pay their uh checks, uh pay making sure that we're still afloat and kind of doing everything. But maybe Brendan can.

SPEAKER_08 28:03

Brian, that would be the micro, and then I think it's a really good one to stay in that thing, but from the macro, like you know, like I think that's a really good, you know, stay away from like that's kind of a little in the dirt. And I mean that with, you know, like the where this all kind of starts. That is the grind part of it and the opportunity. But you know, from your position, let's talk about Think Local first for the holidays and then the big picture.

SPEAKER_01 28:24

Yeah. Again, I like your questions. Uh they are getting me thinking on a deep level. I I'm pretty existential, I guess, about this question a bit. Uh why do people in our society, in Western culture, in the United States, in Europe, specifically in the United States, in California, why do we choose the careers that we choose? You know, most people are going into careers. If you're like some of my best friends are first generation immigrants from Jordan, from Pakistan, from Taiwan. What are the three careers they want to go into? Engineering, being a doctor, and being a lawyer. And those that's because they provide financial security as the priority. Now, I'm not saying financial security should not be the priority, but really should it be the only priority? Because that seems to be where our society is headed, in my opinion. And it's unhealthy to an insane degree. You are in denial about the interconnectivity behind all of these uh social and environmental and you know, all these just justice topics that are being thrown around, the injustice of people being underpaid, the injustice of lack of opportunity, uh, the injustice of going to the grocery store and paying too much money for whatever is there or inflation. In my opinion, the career that we have chosen at Homeless Garden Project, being a nonprofit that provides services to people that otherwise don't have opportunity, uh environmental benefits from organic farming, I think is very altruistic within itself. I think that should be more of a priority for all of society. And yes, we have a more of a keen awareness in the holidays, which I definitely wouldn't discourage. I love, you know, the communal spirit, the family vibe of holidays. Like, who doesn't love going home? And that's the one time it's like, don't talk about politics today, enjoy your turkey, have put your brave face on, even if you disagree, it's it's time for love. And we can do that year-round. I think it's totally worth trying to be in a career that's both financially stable and gives back to the world on a lot of different levels. And maintaining that love in our community, I know it sounds kind of cliche, but the more products people buy, we see it as an expression of love because people that don't have jobs that are living in a tent around the corner when it's pouring rain and windy and the tent falls in them, get an opportunity to get out of that situation because they bought a tee. You know, and people really connect to that. I connect to that. I wouldn't work here if I didn't, honestly. So I don't want to meet a person that doesn't.

SPEAKER_08 31:15

So as you can see there, Homeless Garden Project really kind of brought this whole thing home, which is, you know, we're I I guess in a lot of ways, I saw the Homeless Garden Project as in in a way the macro of all that we're talking about, the micro of these businesses, in, you know, we're talking about habits, we're talking about think local first for the holidays, expanding it in to summarize this whole podcast. But I think the human side of it, sitting down with Brian and Omar and talking about the work they're doing over there and a call to action in a lot of ways that thinking local first not only benefits these local businesses, but it creates a stronger economic ecosystem for Santa Cruz County, and that helps these nonprofits. It helps people we wouldn't know about. And I think, you know, let's finish on the Think Local First mission here a little bit, because I know that you kind of it touches a lot of different bases. It's not just a sticker on the window, but that conversation made me think about what you guys are actually doing over there. You're doing this hard work trying to create community engagement, awareness. Um, and as I told Janet a lot of times, I think you guys have gotten really good the last few years at finding a heartbeat, a heartbeat of what the messaging is, staying front-facing. But um kind of like listening to what you know the Homeless Garden Project talked about as far as how much it means to a community we don't normally engage with. How's that, you know, kind of tie that into your think local first agenda and how that makes you feel?

SPEAKER_05 32:39

I think it's a mindset, right? Because they're community members. But it's about bringing our whole community together and working together to lift everybody up. So it's that shop that think local first mindset, I think, should matriculates to everybody as just being having the energy to lift up your community, the energy to help out, the energy to volunteer, right? Volunteering in this community is a big thing. And getting people to go out there and do those things bring like you said, it brings the boats up, brings everybody up to do it a little bit better, and then that mindset changes throughout the community. And then it's shopping local, it's helping your neighbors, it's volunteering, it's working with the kids, it's cleaning up the beaches, you know, the daily activities that just make our community better, but thinking like that all the time. Ryan?

SPEAKER_06 33:22

Yeah, so a couple weeks ago, uh, Think Local First did the event with I believe it was uh Chamber of Commerce where it was the boots and brews down at uh the Seabright area, and we were helping the businesses there, and that was such a great event. All of the everybody who lived in the neighborhood came out, they were all super appreciative that we were putting something like this on as a whole community. Everybody was having a great time, got along. They're like, Can we do this every three months? Can we do this more often? I didn't even know. My neighbor told me, hey, come down here and we're hanging out here for the last hour, talking and you know, enjoying music and a good time. It really brings together all of that. And if we can keep that going as a community and supporting each other, it just makes living here the best place ever. It already is, but to have the sense of community with everybody is hugely important.

SPEAKER_08 34:13

That's so good. And I've never thought about this way too saying those words that I think because of the relationship, because what it is, think local first is associated with spending local first, right? Like, but I think what you just said is like maybe it's just that, maybe it's think local first. Forget about money. Forget it. Think local first, and not talking hyper-localism, I'm just talking about your community, your friends engaging more. You know, think local first, maybe bring it down a notch or two, and maybe think local first has a different meaning on top of what it on the sticker. Maybe it means like maybe it's more boots and brews than anything else. Then you know it could be mirror lifting up. But this was great. I enjoyed being uh the guest host for what will eventually be your guys's uh I you know I'm really excited for this partnership. I think it's a good way to kick it off and then you guys will land on a a pace um of what this podcast is going to be. But I think, you know, I think talking to you guys and talking to Janet, the goal is it's some semblance of this format where I think in Bibes will kind of go out and do some groundwork and put it at your feet, and then the conversations, maybe we set something up today, Ryan and Anthony. Maybe the maybe what the template for the podcast is is engaging that way. So we're not just talking about other people. We're always bringing new conversations in. And then over a long period of time we can get them all in. You know, eventually those little cameras talking to people. I really enjoyed it because we, you know, I really enjoyed it. They're only 10, 15-minute conversations, but I walked away from each one really lifted up, you know, and and you know, we only have so much time in the day, but I've got enough time for that.

SPEAKER_05 35:41

Trevor Burrus, Jr.: They're community conversations. When was the last time some of those businesses had somebody ask them those pertinent questions to make them think about it, right? Those are community conversations that everybody deserves to hear, and everybody deserves to understand more as we progress forward.

SPEAKER_08 35:57

Aaron Powell Yeah, and you'll see the full edit. And I think the difference with vibes as far as other ones, I think people are used to asking that quick man on the street questions. That's not what that's not what this was. You know, this was was a little bit more vulnerable, a little bit more transparent because I don't want to ask those questions that are just you know the the canned questions. And I think this was a good it's a good template for what we're doing right now and possibly you know really good structure for what the podcast will be.

SPEAKER_06 36:19

Cool. I'm looking forward to it. I think it's gonna be great.

SPEAKER_08 36:22

Thanks, guys. See you next time.

SPEAKER_06 36:23

Thank you.