Black Friday gets all the attention, but what about the independent shops holding our towns together the rest of the year? In this episode, Kim sits down with vintage shop owner and designer Lisa Tumbarello for an honest conversation about the realities of running a small business during the busiest (and most emotionally loaded) shopping weekend of the year. They talk about the unseen labor, the tough calls, the creative joy, and the very real pressures that come with trying to build something meaningful in a world obsessed with speed, scale, and discounts. If you’ve ever wondered what it actually takes to keep your favorite small shops alive, this episode is the truth-telling you won’t hear anywhere else this week.
HIGHLIGHTS

• The assumptions people make about small shops and the reality behind running one
• Why transparency is tricky when a small business is struggling or in transition and how that leads to us being shocked when they make an announcement that they're closing their doors
• The tension between curating what you love vs. stocking what reliably sells
• What Lisa wishes customers understood about hours, inventory, and bandwidth
• The misunderstood pressure small businesses feel around Black Friday and holiday shopping culture and why shopping small is about more than community, taste, and identity than sales
• Simple, meaningful ways to support local shops year round

FOLLOW

• Potomac River Interiors website and Instagram
• Kim on Instagram, LinkedIn, and website