I grew up in a pretty small town. Two little “main street” areas with local shops and restaurants, parks with gazebos, it was a regular Frank Capra sound stage. Daly’s Shoe Store was the local cobbler. Well, I don’t know how much Mr. Daly actually cobbled, but he did sell shoes. It’s where I got my first pair of Zips and Whiz Kids. I remember when my oldest brother had to have a pair of Nikes. Daly’s didn’t carry them yet so we had to travel four towns over for his red suede leather beauties. After all, he was starting Junior High. A pair of Whiz Kids could only be accessorized with snuggies and noogies from the upper classmen. Of course the next two siblings in line tried to follow in his footsteps (no pun intended) by breaking from the Daly regiment (pun totally intended). I couldn’t have cared less since the performance of my footwear was bringing in the Presidential Fitness Awards as quickly as President Carter could sign them. It wouldn’t have mattered even if I weren’t setting the land-speed record for a seven-year-old boy, unless I had a specific need for something Daly’s didn’t carry, my parents saw no reason to look elsewhere. They were big believers in supporting the local economy. It’s an idea they instilled in me, and one this club has been preaching since its inception. One of our goals as a club is to gain the attention of local companies and corporations so they don’t feel they need to look four towns over for what they think is a “better” agency. There’s plenty of work coming out of Milwaukee as good or better than much of the work in the books. Before you hit reply to yell at me, I know there are plenty of projects floating around local agencies and design firms from our local big brands. This is just a friendly reminder to all to remember to look in your own backyard.
And by “all” I mean us, too. As Adworkers we should remember to practice what we preach. We have a tremendous talent pool of vendors in and around Milwaukee who consistently deliver great products. Now I’m not saying every project up for bid should be kept to local talent. Certain projects require certain needs. But reacquaint yourself with some of the work done around town. Take a meeting and let them share their portfolios. You may be surprised at what you see.
If you’re wondering, yes, Daly’s did eventually close their doors. But not from lack of community support. Mr. Daly passed away. So off I went to the Big City where I got a pair of Asics Tigers. They were nice, blue with a white stripe, but I’m pretty sure I could have gotten the same thing at Daly’s.
Tags: cobbler, Joe Ban, local economy, Milwaukee, President