Have you ever been to the town of Caimbridge? It is right in the county of Jefferson and just south of that one mall on 94 and the Johnson Creek exit. Do yourself a favor and skip the brick and mortar mall and head a few miles south to Caimbrdge. I spent my Saturday visiting family and heading to good old fashioned Main Street, what a great little city.
There are about 3 blocks of really cool stores. You will find antiques, art galleries, coffee shops, specialty stores and lots of fine food establishments. I went to almost every one of the shops today, spoke with the owners and had them show me their treasures.
The one thing that was mentioned more than anything, was how tough it is getting to keep a small business open during these hard economic times. These are Mom and Pop Shops that have been in business for 20 plus years all facing the possibility of losing everything. It is unbelievable to me that every little town I visited this past spring/summer has their small business owners all talking about closing their doors. These places are our communities, these folks are just like you and me...going to work seven days a week, barely getting by and all so they get to do what they love. The American Dream is dying in our own backyards...big corporations are coming in and destroying our small town charm, soon we will see nothing but Wal-Mart, Target, Walgreens and Starbucks on every corner because no one else in America will be able to own anything.
One other great thing about Caimbridge is Lake Ripley. Beautiful lake, great fishing,boating and swimming for the whole family. Before our weather changes drastically...visit this town of fine Mom and Pop shops, a gorgeous lake and so much charm you will be sure to make it a yearly event!
Tags: Antiques Coffee Shops Lakes Cafes
