In my hometown of Frederick County, Maryland there is part of the town that everyone just calls "downtown." Going to Downtown Frederick is the best date idea, whether it be a friend date or a real date. There is a big park, a creek running through the town with bridges, and lots of shops and restaurants.

I recently went to Downtown Frederick with one of my friends. I hadn't been there in a while because I've been at school. This day in the city reminded me how much I love going to Downtown Frederick. Some of my favorite places are within a couple of miles of each other.

My friend and I like to go to this little restaurant called Cafe Nola. They make good food and lattes with pictures drawn in the milk. After we will walk up and down the streets window shopping. We usually only go in the same couple of stores every time we go. This time when we were there, we decided to go to every store that we passed.

I never understood why the phrase "shop local" is so highly promoted by some people. When going in these stores, they were all little and more unique than the typical stores that you might go in. All of the employees were so much nicer, and they had real conversations with us.

I talked to a lot of people that day. They cared more about their customers than the normal retail associate usually does. With all these stores combined, you could buy just about anything that you would want or need. In these local stores, everything that you buy would be something original that not a lot of people have.

It is true that these stores are a little more expensive than the stores you will find at the mall. I think that it is all worth it to be able to help your local economy a little more. There is something special about making purchases within your community. This is my encouragement to you: go into your community, visit some local shops, and get to know some of the people around you. This simple thing can be a whole day for learning more about where you live.