When we think of small, locally-owned businesses, we rarely think of our local grocery store. I remember amid the early years of motherhood, the grocery store was often a moment of sanity. Just to be an adult, even for only that moment, meant the world to me. I knew what every aisle was going to have. I never had to guess where the pasta and cereal was. In some ways, especially when I was in a hurry, that sense of sameness was an absolute comfort and lifesaver. But I’ll never forget that one trip when I was in the canned food aisle of a major supermarket. There I was, looking at the beans. I don’t know why it was the bean aisle, but it was. I needed something different to cook, something inspiring. All I saw were beans staring blankly back at me, offering nothing new or original.
