Finding the Best Deals In – and Out – of Town

The other day I had my nails done at Amy’s Nail Place on Foothill over by Crescenta Valley Flower Mart. Like me, Amy is a small businesswoman looking to provide a service to the Crescenta Valley. We’ve lamented over the years how difficult it has been to keep our heads above water given the economy and how optimistic we are now that things are looking up.

We agree that service trumps all and Amy takes great pride in providing an awesome experience for anyone who enters her shop. For those who don’t know, cleanliness is sometimes lacking at nail salons and Amy makes sure that everything in her place is pristine. That, coupled with superior products, makes Amy’s an excellent shop to have your nails done.

Amy was sharing with me the other day that she has a client who recently returned to her. Apparently the woman, who lives in Glendale, was looking for a salon closer to her home and one that was perhaps a dollar or two cheaper. After looking around and trying some other shops, she decided that coming from downtown Glendale was worth the extra buck or two in gas to have her nails done at Amy’s.

Hearing this made me ponder what would motivate people to travel for goods and/or services.

For years, when our (four) boys were young, Steve and I would drive as far as Cerritos to buy a van. We had little money, but insisted on paying cash for our vehicle, so we had to make a smart choice when choosing a car. Cerritos ended up being a good choice for us. When I bought the convertible a couple of years ago, I traveled to Studio City to get the best deal.

Furniture is another big ticket item for which we’d travel to get the best price. Thankfully, we didn’t have to go much further than Van Nuys and Glendale to furnish our home when we first bought it. There was much to choose from and the prices were competitive.

Living as close as we do to Los Angeles and Hollywood, traveling for a show has never been a question. I have no problem with making the drive for entertainment, as I’ve shared with you regarding my travels to Santa Anita Race Track (where I’ll be this Saturday night), Walt Disney Hall or Starlight Bowl among others.

Being fortunate to live in the foothills community, we have so much available to us just minutes from our front door. But on those occasions when we have to travel outside the area, how do we choose where we can find the best in what we’re looking for?

Of course referrals are premium. It’s reassuring when you can get the word of a good friend when making a decision on where to go or what to buy. I’m glad that so many people in the foothills community and surrounding areas feel that CV Weekly is a reliable source for information, whether for news or as a resource on where to go to make purchases.

And in mere weeks, the 2013 CV Weekly’s The Finest will be published and distributed. Hundreds of ballots are being tallied (the response to The Finest was unbelievable!) and in September we’ll share what our readers have chosen as The Finest in a variety of services, restaurants, medical providers and so much more. A reader-driven publication, The Finest is really the closest thing to a local referral you can get short of knocking on your neighbor’s door. After all, the selections were made by your friends and neighbors!

As always, I hope that when you make choices on where to shop you’ll make sure and check out those who advertise with us. And if you’re the decision-maker in your company on where to put your advertising dollars, think CV Weekly.

  robin goldsworthy