| Dear Loyal G&G Customer:
As we look forward to 2021, most of us will make New Year’s resolutions to eat better, exercise more, and maybe even to drink a little less. I’d encourage you to think about one more: “buy local.” Grapes and Grains was founded in late 2019, and 2020 was our first full year of operation. We are blessed to be part of the John’s Creek community, which has the best and most generous customers in Georgia! In fact, over the recent holidays, our customers contributed more than three truck-loads of presents for the Toys for Tots program–filling up the entire front section of our store at one point!
While we have benefited from your patronage over the last twelve months, many other privately held, locally owned businesses have not fared so well. The pandemic has had a devastating effect on small businesses in our community and across the country while national firms have prospered due to the lock downs that have impacted virtually every community.
The value of companies like Amazon, Google and Facebook have skyrocketed since March 2020, with increases of 69%, 62%, and 68% respectively. National retailers such as Walmart and Costco have increased nearly 30% over the same period. At the same time, nearly 80% of small businesses have seen a decline in sales with nearly 30% of them permanently closing.
These shuttered businesses have a direct impact on our communities as their employees are furloughed or released, retail centers go empty, and reduced tax revenue force local governments to cut back on necessary safety and community programs.
At Grapes & Grains, we have a unique program called The Neighborhood, which is designed to have a positive impact on our community by directly benefiting local businesses and charities. Our customers can redeem loyalty points to be used to purchase goods and services from businesses like Brooklyn Bagel, Stone’s Cuisine and Cocktails, Your Serve Tennis, and nearly a dozen others. In addition, customers can request that their reward points be donated to local 501c charities. Please visit our website or ask one of our sales associates about The Neighborhood program next time you are in our store.
As we put 2020 in our rearview mirror and focus on making 2021 a better year for our families and community, please support your local businesses and help get our community back on its feet. We at Grapes & Grains are dedicated to expanding The Neighborhood program to include more businesses in our community over the next year and hope that you will make one of our partners part of your shopping routine in 2021.
Cheers to a Bright 2021,
Ty Dealy
Founder and Co-Owner
Grapes and Grains
P.S. If you would like for your business to be a part of our The Neighborhood program, please contact me directly via email at tdealy@grapesandgrains.com |
