There's a Guy for That

My boyfriend is convinced that, for everything in the city, there's a "guy"-- the shoe guy, the fruit guy, the chicken guy... For the most part, he's correct. I do go to a fruit guy (sometimes the best place to buy fruit- fresher and cheaper than the neighborhood grocery store), a shoe (repair) guy, a chicken guy, the coffee guy (who always charges me less because I live on the street), the bodega guys (there are 2), the list goes on. I love it.

I think it started with Wegmans (a grocery chain) in his town. Much like the multiple "guys" here, I could swear you can buy anything there under one roof. They even have daycare while you shop! The place seems about as big as Macy's Herald Square (literally the biggest department store in the world). It's a slight exaggeration of a comparison, but not by much. They've got a pizzeria, Chinese food, a full-on bakery, deli, groceries, housewares, hardware, a full health food store, a candy shop, daycare, dry cleaning... you get the idea. They're probably 2 sheets of drywall short of being a Home Depot, too. They even carry furniture on occasion. Holy cow!

So, yeah, I miss having access to things like Trader Joe's without a line out the door (we only have one here, so it's always super crowded) and a giant fully-stocked Target, I am glad for the many "guys" and small, local businesses, like the neighborhood hardware store and health food market (not combined, though nothing would surprise me here). It's a lot more small-town service. They may not know my name, like Cheers, but they know my face. In such a big city, it's nice to find the comforts of home in one's neighborhood and beyond.