The 2020 series continues as we’re now officially into Fall and six months in since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Businesses have long since reopened but there are conditions and limitations and everything else to worry about. Now more than ever, it’s very imperative to invest in our communities and our small businesses which have been devastated by the pandemic.
I’ve begun the process of pouring my heart into local communities such as Greensburg, as well as Latrobe and Ligonier. A few small businesses I followed opened their doors just before or during the pandemic. Spring was an especially weird time and summer wasn’t much better. Who remembers all the phases of red, yellow, and green?
Despite all of the craziness that is going on in the world, Ligonier still held its annual Fort Ligonier Days celebration on Columbus Day weekend. I attended on the first day and visited a few of the local shops. Masks were most definitely a requirement. The Diamond was really packed. That night, I stopped in downtown Latrobe and checked out a Harry Potter-themed event.
That Fall I made it a habit to shop small and I spent a lot of that time at local gift shops. One of the shops in downtown Latrobe had its grand opening over Labor Day Weekend (it was broken down into four days from Wednesday to Saturday). I attended the event that Friday night, even though I was tired from spending most of the day in DuBois for work. I bought some things from the event that I still have to this day, one of them being a book on Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. That Fall, I even bought a Hallmark Christmas Book filled with activities and interviews from actors who starred in many of the holiday movies.
The same place also had a Harry Potter themed gathering called the TriWizard event. It had a lot of cool Harry Potter merchandise (some of which I bought) and references to the movie such as Sirius Black and the Sorting Hat. I didn’t understand any of those things even though I was familiar with some of the characters like Harry, Ron, and Hagrid. Three years later, I would learn what all these things meant as I became a big fan of the series. In August, I began reading the books and earlier this year, watching the movies.
I’ve also bought various Gilmore Girls themed sweatshirts from there (the girl who owned the shop is a big fan of the show). I watched the series during COVID. The shop was called Masterspieces but sadly, it closed down in the Fall of 2021. However when one door closes, another door opens. Threadmasters is doing well.
My fashion journey had just begun, as I bought a bag and a couple of infinity scarves on Amazon. It would heat up as the calendar turned to 2021. I also got to know other bloggers and influncers, thus spending lots of time on Instagram that fall.
My initial feelings in March when everything shut down were no different than before. I thought I was going to be able to make the magic from the year before happening once again in 2020. Unfortunately, that just wasn’t the case. I sold my soul the year before and thus, 2019 was a great year for me despite all the tragedy in my life. As the current year went on, my emotions began to spiral and eventually crashed and burned. I began to feel needy and lonely and hungry for attention, especially as my journey was beginning. I felt like I needed people’s approval and that I wasn’t crazy.
Thanksgiving and Christmas just weren’t the same this year as we weren’t able to get together due to COVID cases spiking over the holidays. The Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend is always Small Business Saturday. Thus, with a renewed focus on small businesses in 2020, I took to the streets and visited all of the local storefronts in Greensburg.
2021 would mark the end of an era in more ways than one. While that year was a lost one, the pieces on the chessboard were set as I tanked at the right time late in 2020. This coming on the heels of previous success which included going to Disney and also, getting my Distinguished Toastmaster award.
My temporary, short-term rebuild has just begun.
Stylish 🍒 