2025 has been the year of getting (back) into physical media for me. CDs, DVDs, hard copy books and art, etc. Because of this, I've been looking around my area more for local, brick-and-mortar shops, and I've been delighted every time I find a new one! My goal in 2024 was to eliminate drop-shipping from my life, and it made me a much more frequent customer of yard sales, market stalls, thrift stores, and the like. I also just make, reuse, and recreate so much more for clothes, decor, and even practical items. I haven't bought anything from Amazon in 20 months, and it's one of the best decisions I've ever made! It's made me think about what I consume and where my items come from, and it's so freeing (ironically) not having the option of just having sometime shipped to my doorstep.

This!!!  It's so easy to take these places for granted, especially ones that have been there a long time and how today speed and convenience are praised so highly over quality and passion.  I think we can get used to that and forget all the things that make that tiny little dusty record store or incense smelling witchy shop special.  You can get to know the people and see their friendly faces and know your money is going to a good home, oftentimes to someone who really loves what they make, too, anything you're buying you can more than likely find out anything you need to know about it, or how to solve any problems, and you get such special customer service.  It really gives me that feeling of community that you just don't get from huge businesses.  It is so easy to overlook though, it wasn't until I started my own business and was in tears because someone recommended a friend or had shared a social media post that I realised how much of a difference such a simple gesture can make and how important it is to make it when you want to keep the place around!  Wow that's a ramble but loving your videos!!

More recently, I've been saving to buy from vendors at events like Oddities & Curiosities or other gothic festivals and music festivals. At Dark Force Fest in particular I found alot of things, including a uniquely designed jacket with cyber sigils on it that I added shoulder spikes to. You can sometimes find very unique pieces to add to your fashion that you may never find anywhere else.

🖤🩶🖤 MOTHER 🎵🎶 DANZIG 🖤🩶🖤

I went into asda the other day and they are selling items with the word goth on them 🙄we've become mainstream.