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My Economy

My Economy tells the story of the new economic normal through the eyes of people trying to make it, because we know the only numbers that really matter are the ones in your economy.
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From This Collection

My Economy

Violin maker crafts a strategy to deal with tariffs

by Sofia Terenzio
Nov 20, 2024
With import charges looming, Wesley Rule, owner of Knoxville Fine Violins, is considering alternatives to Chinese-made instruments.
Wesley Rule is a luthier, or stringed-instrument craftsman.
Courtesy Wesley Rule
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My Economy

Neurodivergent actor juggles many roles, lives their passion

by Aleezeh Hasan
Nov 12, 2024
Eliana Marianes of Atlanta has 12 jobs, all related to acting. The creative life "brings out the best in me as a person and as an artist."
Eliana Marianes is an actor and artist based in Atlanta.
Courtesy Marianes
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My Economy

Hurricane Helene ruined her business, but she finds hope in community and a PB&J

by Sofia Terenzio
Nov 1, 2024
Hannah Burnisky, owner of Cold Mountain Art Collective, talks about how the hurricane destroyed her business and how she plans to rebuild.
Hannah Burnisky stands in front of her business, Cold Mountain Art Collective, before the water receded.
Courtesy Hannah Burnisky
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My Economy

A singing career in opera burnt her out, but compassion fueled a new passion

by Sarah Leeson
Oct 29, 2024
Keriann Otaño felt isolation and economic insecurity as a singer, but an opera house official did her a good turn.
Fifteen years into Kerriann Otaño's opera career, her passion changed to working for artists behind the scenes.
Courtesy Meghan Newberry Photography
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My Economy

Three months into business, this arcade owner already has plans to open a second shop

by Sofia Terenzio
Oct 25, 2024
Le-An Than, co-owner of Crane Games in Aurora, Colorado, says business has been "thriving" since they opened in this summer.
Crane Games opened in the summer of 2024. All the claw machines had to be imported from abroad, says co-owner Le-An Than.
Courtesy Le-An Than
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My Economy

These independent grocers are also struggling with high food prices

by Sarah Leeson
Oct 17, 2024
In the five years that Sam Newell and her husband have run Fruit Fair in Chicopee, Massachusetts, they haven't had a profitable year.
Sam Newell and her husband bought Fruit Fair grocery store in Chicopee, Massachusetts, in 2019.
Courtesy Sam Newell
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My Economy

Albuquerque's hot-air balloon festival is the busiest time of year for these innkeepers

by Sofia Terenzio
Oct 14, 2024
"We tend to be full until we're well through the Balloon Fiesta," says Steve Hiatt, who with his wife, Kathy, owns Bottger Mansion.
"We have to determine what our rates for rooms for Balloon Fiesta are going to be a year in advance," says Kathy Hiatt, who owns the Bottger Mansion bed and breakfast, above, with her husband, Steve.
Courtesy Kathy and Steve Hiatt
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My Economy

In a time of uncertainty, this businessman says sales of his trailers have slowed down

by Sarah Leeson
Oct 9, 2024
Mike Woglom of Cargo Trailer Sales in Pennsylvania sells equipment that's widely needed but often unnoticed.
Trailers like those Mike Woglom sells play an underappreciated role in the U.S. economy.
Marianne Todd/Getty Images
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My Economy

Sweetish candy shop got an unexpected boost from a viral TikTok post

by Aleezeh Hasan and Sarah Leeson
Oct 1, 2024
Tyler Graybeal, owner of a Swedish-style store in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, says keeping up with demand was difficult at first.
Attention from a viral TikTok video meant Sweetish orders went from tens a day to thousands.
Nicolas Maeterlinck/BELGA MAG/AFP via Getty Images
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My Economy

This produce clerk finds groceries and gratitude at work

by Sofia Terenzio
Sep 25, 2024
Natalie Adams in Everett, Washington finds her job as producer clerk "absolutely gratifying."
"I enjoy handling all the different products," said Natalie Adams about her job. "The citrus fruits are starting to come in again, and man, the box of lemons I opened up today was absolutely gorgeous."
Courtesy Sno Isle Food Co-Op
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