A few weeks ago, I was struck by the thought that our media often highlights people who are doing bad things. How many times have we heard people say, "I can't even watch the news anymore because it just makes me so sad"? There is a yearning within all of us to hear the good things, to find the do-gooders among all the bad. Over the next few weeks I will feature different organizations and human beings who are doing tremendously wonderful things with what they have to offer.
Lanie Beth from Sinclair's Mercantile was my first interview, and here is what she has to say:
The sole hope of Sinclair's is to meet people where they are at. Brad and Lanie Beth, in her words, "live, work, and play" in McDonough — the people that wander into their store are their friends and neighbors, or strangers who might live just a few blocks away. They strive for excellence in every aspect of the store, every thread of the company has been chosen precisely because they believed it was worthy of being there.
"About 80 to 85 percent of our products are fair trade or they give back to some sort of charitable avenue after you make the purchase. We think that it's important where you spend your money: how and on what. But we also just want to sell excellent products. I don't believe in pity purchases. You know, a lot of do-good things are just a one-time thing, and we think you should be able to come back and find excellent products."
"We don't have a motto, per say; our tag is 'Clothing, Home and Other Finery.' I think our motto is just figuring out how to love people well, doing what we're doing and expounding on what we already know. It's very much our five loaves and three fish sort of offering to our community - seeing how we can leverage what we know how to do to help meet the needs of God's people."
"My advice to anyone thinking of starting a store is that you have to be authentic to yourself. Know who you are and why you want to do it and remain authentic to that cause."
"Do you have a message for your shoppers?"
"I don't know if this is a message for our shoppers or just people in general, but the Lord equips each of us differently and He cares about what He does with our days. And I think that there is purpose, and that we all have the same purpose and that's to love the Lord and to love his people. But I think our calling is how we live that purpose out, and yours is different than mine and mine is different than Dani's that works with us."
"Give us a chance. We are different, and our products are a little more upscale, and there's a reason things cost more. But out of that you'll get fit and longevity, and really, just good products."
"The Lord made us creative and interesting and He wants believers to take the industries. And so to think that there are certain things that we can and cannot do, like retail— it can be super vain, but at the same time it doesn't have to be and there's moderation in that. There is a beauty in that, understanding your limits, but also how the world perceives us it matters, whether we like it or not. And the Lord planted us here to love His people in the world, so you know we have to be cognizant of that."
"I feel like as believers, especially as creative thinkers, we have to be aware that while we want people to go to church we have to meet them in their communities. We have to be where they are, because church is once a week. That is a building that we're expecting them to take all of the necessary measures to actually get to, when in reality we can actually do life with them side by side, and that's important. Whether that is through being a lawyer, or an artist or a CPA, or you know, a coffee shop owner or a Mercantile owner, it just is important to always be aware of who your people are."
