Supporting small business Back home,David almost left town with this 1976 F250. (it was parked in front of my sister & BILs boot store- one of the rotation of store mascots)Crowes Boot & Shoe is tucked into a former 1920s Buick-turned-tractor-dealership in the southern Illinois town of Carlinville (Pop.6000).A half dozen years ago, my little sister Holly & her husband Adam bought three storefront windows, and the adjoining 1800s shop/ building (rent it out) and another historic brick building behind them known as the combine shedTheyve repurposed it all to a dream small business of Main Street Americana.They are Mom & pop shop, proudly stocking 30 brands of everything that the locals cant get Walmart (the Goliath that has shuttered every small shoe store in town)Their whole brick compound sits right on Main Street- where they keep the local trade workers outfitted in boots for :Carpenters.Lineman. Mechanics.Arborists.Contractors & more (These have been the trades of my family for generations, whove stayed loyal to life in rural Illinois).They also stock boots for the rest of us (My favorite @DannerBoots and Davids daily @RedwingShoes came from Crowes.)Its long been said that when you support a small home town business, you arent helping a CEO buy his 4th beach vacation house. Youre helping to paying for piano lessons & little league jerseys. For mortgages & college funds. Its true. Heres to the small shops - like my sisters - that keep us outfitted.And to continuing our support of them all the days after the holidays- when they need it most. -They appreciate their supporters, and shoot portraits of many their hometown regulars (scroll to meet some of them) #shopsmall #crowebootandshoeco