Today was my last shift at T&R after about three years of getting to work with the wonderful folks…read morethere. When I shop, it is so important to me to shop at places that treat their employees well, that are community oriented, and that aren't just another corporate-hell extracting labor and resource from small communities. I thought I'd offer up a little bit of the experience working there for others that are intentional with how they direct their resources:
I am not new to the work force but am new to experiencing actual care, support, and trust consistently from a work space. - Certainly new to the comradery of a woman owned, small business, über-focused on a culture of mentorship, collaboration, growth, and providing excellent service and product to the surrounding community. They are truly committed to building long term rapport with return customers and create a cozy, friendly, specialty experience. Things that really stick out as well; each month there is a, 'round-up,' for area organizations, there exists a genuine effort and space for supporting local vendors, there is a general tone of support and excitement/interest for staff (be it hardships or accomplishments/joys). Many of the folks there are entering into the work force for the first time and when it is time to move on, respectively, there is a real sense of supporting their lift-off and keeping the door open for them to have a place to return to. It is inter-generational at T&R and that, in my view, is what ideally a community should be - of course it's a job, and imperfect, and there were little social conflicts here and there during my time, but what few things bubbled up were handled with such kindness, empathy, spaciousness, communication. It was impressive to me that solutions and conversations could take place with respect and calm - having had so many past experiences loaded with tension and just lack of communication at other work places. As a late thirty something human, I learned SO much working there and will always admire and adore the people. I admire the owners and managers terribly deeply, and appreciate how important that space was/is. Yes, it's a business, but TIller& Rye is doing something really special and I could not endorse it more vehemently. Also - I'm queer - the first day I started, the owner (in our little touch base) used my pronouns - something that my previous job of three years did so few times I can count on my fingers). The folks at T&R are imperfect humans like the rest of us - but unlike so so many places I have worked, they are open-hearted, incredibly considerate/smart, practicing connection and community in a way I just have not seen. I hope so much that I find anything close to that moving forward. It may be weird to mention any whiff of imperfection - but I do because it's a place that felt like I could also be my whole, weird, imperfect, odd duck self and that would be okay. Being there reminded by showing me that we're whole, complex, goofy, awkward, flailing, succeeding, trying...and that's life.
TLDR: Work there. Eat there. T&R is spot worth your money and worth your time. My heart is full of gratitude as I move onto my next chapter. Cannot thank y'all enough.