Hello my friends,
Today is a post that is very dear to my heart. A few months back, my brother in law brought to my attention an article about Bob Page, the owner of Replacements,Ltd. The company has been on my radar forever, as my mom has always trusted them for china, silver and crystal replacement pieces. Recently, Bob was in the news for standing up for gay rights & gay marriage by opposing Amendment One. Bob has owned & operated Replacements,Ltd. since 1981, he lives in North Carolina ( the company's home base) with his partner, Dale & their two sons.
( Bob & one of the china patterns they carry, which is also my wedding china :)
The reason I wanted to talk about Bob and his company is because when he stood up for what he believed in, he started to receive negative mail. Some people even threatening to no longer give Replacements,Ltd. their business. It broke my heart so, I reached out to Bob and told him that I thought what he was doing was brave and that he had my unconditional support. He wrote me back personally, thanking me and letting me know that despite the negative emails, he also received a huge amount of supportive ones, over 90% were positive ( that restores your faith a bit, doesn't it?). Even one from a customer, a gay man of 45, who came out to his family, inspired by Bob and his taking a stand. I had a lovely chat with some of the awesome ladies who work for him and it sounds like an amazing company to work for. Bob even created a company policy that allows employees to bring their pets to work, every day, how cool is that?. When I approached the folks at Replacements,Ltd. I said I would love to post about Bob and his story, and host an ad on my site, free of charge, in a show of support. Tiny little things but, I wanted him to know that I believed in him and wanted to help in any small way I could.
( Bob,Dale & their sons; Ryan & Owen & Bob giving some of the "employees" a treat.)
It is no small thing to stand up for what you believe in, especially when it isn't the popular opinion or the easy decision. And sometimes it makes all the difference in the world to have even just one person let you know that they are behind you, they admire you and support you one hundred percent. Right?
Bob & company, thank you for inspiring me and for standing up. Proof that, most of the time, just one person can make a very big difference.
Have a wonderful weekend, my friends! I will see you back here on monday. Until then, be well.
xo
Melis
