Christmas Greetings From Conway Furniture

My contradictory life in retail is never more at the surface than at this time of year. From thanksgiving on, consumption of the unnecessary rises to a fevered pitch and the North American retail economy jumps to an unsustainable sugar high. Of course as a retailer I participate in every event from Black Friday to Boxing Week to January Clearance eager to cash in on the season like every other business.

My hope for redemption lies in the approach I take in my business to treat our customers and (and yes, even those who choose not to buy from us) with respect, and to supply products that will do what they are supposed to do, and hopefully in a manner that keeps it out of the landfill for a good long time, maybe even serving multiple owners in their lifetime.

We live in a world of plenty not shortage we just don’t share it very well. Money which has become the central feature of mankind doesn’t encourage sharing. This man made invention that is the focus of so much of our time, rewards those who hoard, those who are greedy and those who don’t care. Those who don’t care about the environment, those who don’t care about their employees and those who don’t care about the less fortunate actually increase their share of society’s assets.

Do not paint everyone in business with this brush. There are many businesses which operate with respect for others even thought the Law of the corporate land says they business is primarily, and only, responsible to its shareholders; not the environment our it’s employees. There are still businesses big and small who are leading the way to responsible capitalism and they should be encouraged. These businesses realize that employees are not expendable and that they should be treated fairly and flexibly. These businesses realize that reducing consumption is a good thing, not a bad thing.

While I like to think of myself as a Green supporter (both politically and environmentally), I believe in a new world order with hot tubs and beer fridges for all. We switched our lighting out to LED and substantially reduced our consumption of hydro. We now recycle all the ripped up carpets so they can be returned to their basic polymers and used as raw materials once again. We keep our vehicles tuned and promote careful driving for safety and fuel economy. I am always open to new ideas to improve our footprint. These things make sense. We do not have the option to go back to horse and buggy. We cannot go back to burning wood. There is no green way to support the world’s population using old technologies.

If you need something, buy it; if you don’t, don’t. Material possessions will make your life more comfortable but they will not make you happy. Count all the costs in the items you buy. How long will they last? Can they be recycled? Were they made by reputable companies who also recognize the importance of the new ways of doing business? It will take a little time and a little more effort and in all it may cost a little more money to purchase but in the end we will all benefit from the effort.

Wishing you and yours a Merry Christmas and a happy and sustainable New Year from all of us at Conway Furniture.

Paul Dekker