This is post eighteen in the Best of 2009 Blog Challenge. Read them all!

A few years ago I was fortunate enough to get to work at a small boutique in Plaza-Midwood called Pura Vida Worldly Art. I was coming from a high-end retail job in a swanky mall, but I always felt there was something special about this little shop, and it was in my favorite neighborhood in Charlotte. While I left the store in 2006 to pursue my yoga teaching career, I still drop by frequently to grab a cup of tea and incense. While I didn't spend mad money there in 2009, it was only this May that I realized how truly important this store is to Charlotte.

It was on my trip to Austin, Texas, very close to Pura Vida owner Teresa Hernandez's motherland and source of inspiration, that I realized what was so special about this place. In Austin, there are boutiques every twenty feet, and while they may all sell similar things, they contribute greatly toward a culture of appreciation and diversity. Tibetan Prayer flags sold alongside Dia de los Muertos dolls eschew selling to a niche customer based on religion of nationality. In my short tenure behind the cash register I met drummers, psychics, spiritual leaders and spiritual healers, yogis, mothers, tattoo artists and a plethora of individuals that make up the community I love.

Leaving Austin and returning to Charlotte I realized the importance of local gems like Pura Vida. They may be far fewer and far smaller here, but they are convergence points for the medley of human beings that make me love this city. A business like this thriving is the sign of a vibrant culture, and because of their inclusion of fair trade and local pieces, can be instrumental in educating people in ethical local and global consumer practices. If you live in or around Charlotte and think that it's only a banking city, please go visit Pura Vida. Order a maté and check out a drum circle in the Gypsy Lounge, or buy a skirt that will have everyone asking where you got it.