Last winter, my husband and I started the journey to a new kitchen.

We had a few ideas of what we wanted - colors, styles, and an overall feel for what our “dream kitchen” would look like.

We met with a company and started the process only to get our hopes deflated by the final price tag. (Thanks inflation for raising construction prices).

So after taking a hard look at the numbers, what we thought was a “sign on the dotted line project” turned into a journey of learning for our family.

Over the last several months, we have researched, spoke with and hired several different people who specialize in the things we know were out of our expertise.

We went small business and as our kitchen is now more of a reality than a mental picture, we are thrilled that we chose to go small instead of big box retail for our project.

Our cabinets are a true work of art, handcrafted by veteran Mark Olving of Rustic Cut Woodworking. Looking at them, we know they will withstand the test of time and probably outlive us.

Beautifully and meticulously created using a variety of Pennsylvania harvested wood makes them stand out above the cookie cutter cabinets of many kitchen specialty companies.

Our flooring was handled by Redline Floor Covering in Lehighton, another small family-owned company, which we have trusted with pretty much every other floor in our house.

Their years of experience made the process of installing a new floor a lot easier. Actually, Bob and I would still be sitting in the corner of the room, trying to figure out which way we thought the tile should be laid and what kind of “pattern” we wanted to create.

Countertops will be by Broad Mountain Stone in Weatherly, who knows granite better than most.

Their friendly staff was a pleasure to work with and the selection of styles and colors made for hard choices.

Andreas Plumbing and AOK Heating, Air Conditioning and Electrical rounded out our major contractor choices and they are both friendly and knowledgeable in what they do.

Throughout this process, between emails and phone calls, this project has made me realize just how important small businesses like these are for the working class of our region.

They are your friends. They are your neighbors. They are working to make ends meet without breaking your bank account.

And they do it with a smile, a laugh and a handshake as they relate to you when you welcome them into your home.

Without these men and women, the region would not amount to the flavors of the day.

There would be no competition. There would be no one exercising their skills and coloring outside the lines. There would be no customization in a black and white world. There would be only out of the box products, cookie cutter molds that people would need to live within and nowhere to find inspiration even though inspiration is all around us.

This is why it is important to stop, take a step back and support small business whenever you have the chance.

Without them, the world would be a less bright and less innovative place.