09/22/2026
This post from our friends over at 121 hits hard. Small businesses like ours are fighting to figure out how to make it work. We cant compete with big box store or the bakery carts that are everywhere now. We are trying to pay employees, absorb increasing costs, support our families & still somehow keep costs reasonable so you can afford to buy from us. I know our community loves & appreciates our little store so its not about that. We know that you shop with us when you can.
We know that finances are a lot tighter for most families. Keep supporting local when you can. Keep sharing posts, liking pages of small businesses & spreading love in small communities. Thank you for continuing to support small businesses & being adaptable with we make changes. We want to be here for you & we are doing our very best to make that happen.
Its a little long but please take a minute to understand and read.... ❤️❤️
Fuel prices are hitting everyone right now. And I know every single one of you is feeling it when you pull up to the pump, buy groceries, pay bills, or simply try to make your paycheck stretch a little further.
But I want to share a little perspective from the small-business side, because small businesses feel these increases almost immediately.
This morning I put 23 gallons in my truck. The pump shut off at $150.00. Fuel was $6.29 a gallon.
And if you think that doesn't have a long-term ripple effect, let me tell you—it absolutely does.
We spend a LOT of time on the road picking up products directly from local farmers, producers and other small businesses. That's part of what makes 121 what it is. But every one of those trips requires fuel.
Picking up pumpkins requires my truck. Picking up milk is a long drive. Picking up produce, meats and locally made products means miles on the road. Many of those products already have a small profit margin, so when it suddenly costs significantly more just to get them here, that comes straight off the bottom line.
Our Mobile Market is currently sitting unused because, at these fuel prices, I simply cannot justify taking it to an event unless I believe we can do close to $1,000 in sales. It takes fuel to pull it there and back, fuel to run the generator, and an employee to stay at the market while I'm gone. The numbers have to make sense—even when my heart wants to say yes to every community and every event.
And fuel isn't the only thing increasing.
Egg prices went up again this week. Dairy prices are increasing with nearly every order. Flour and other baking staples continue to be a concern. Packaging, ingredients, transportation—it all trickles down.
We're trying really hard to absorb as much of it as we can.
We're combining trips. We're watching every mile. We're comparing prices. We're trying to be smart about inventory. We're doing everything we can to stay competitive and keep our prices reasonable.
Unfortunately, I've already had to cut employee hours because sales have been down. I hate doing that. These aren't just numbers on a schedule. These are people who depend on those hours too.
And please understand—I KNOW you're feeling it too.
You're standing at that same gas pump. You're buying the same groceries. You're looking at your budget and deciding where your dollars need to go. You're trying to make smart decisions so your money stretches farther.
We are in the same boat.
Both Mitchell and I are self-employed, and both of our businesses depend heavily on fuel. Mitchell runs a mobile service business, and you probably don't even want to see that weekly fuel bill. It's scary. Some weeks, what goes into fuel alone is what many people bring home in a couple weeks of work.
I'm not sharing this for sympathy.
I'm sharing it because sometimes I think it's important to show you what's happening behind the price tag.
We are trying. We are fighting hard to keep 121 affordable, competitive and here for our community. We want you to continue shopping local whenever your budget allows it.
And if there are products you need, things you'd like us to carry, ways we can help you stretch your grocery dollars, or ideas that would make shopping 121 work better for your family—please reach out. I want to hear them.
Because at the end of the day, small businesses need their communities, and communities need their small businesses.
We only stay strong if we stick together. ❤️
Thank you for every purchase, every share, every recommendation and every time you choose to walk through our door.
It matters now more than ever. ❤️
