Sad day in Small town America

Today is a very sad day in our little town with a population of 1,150. The Hometown Variety Store will be closing its doors after selling off the last of its inventory at 75%. Opened 4 years ago using local peoples' investments it sold all the things you might expect to find and then more. It was a local store, staffed and managed by local people that also sold many locally made products.  It sold our goatmilk soap, sold locally made jewelry, handbags, candles and ornaments. They had the best selection of quilting fabric for many miles and at half the price of most quilting shops within a 100 mile radius.The ladies that managed the store saw a need and  started a section for children's consignment clothing. If you wanted something not found on the shelves, they did their best to find it for you. Those ladies poured their heart and soul into making the store a success and they are the last people this town should blame for the store's demise.

We still have a few locally owned businesses - a hardware store, a florist, a butcher, a store with handmade goods, a few bars, restaurants and hairdressers. They all try to serve this small community in a way that allows them to remain a financially viable business. I am sure that as each owner looks at the Hometown Variety Store the thought must pass through their heads "There but for the grace of the locals....".

If anyone is to blame for the demise of the Variety store it is the locals. We all buy Office supplies, we all buy soap, we all buy small gifts for friends and family but we chose not to buy them locally. We can complain that they cost a few cents more locally but the closest Walmart/ Target, Big Box Store is 45 miles away and saving those few cents didn't make up for the gas we used getting there. The local stores don't expect us to spend thousands in their stores, they don't ask us to give up our monthly/weekly shop in the large stores. They just needed our support.....sadly this particular store didn't get it.

I doubt this story is unique to our little town, I am sure it is being repeated all around the country. It is something those of us living in small towns can do something about by choosing to buy some of our goods locally. They may not be able to compete with the prices in Big Box Stores but they win hands down with Customer Service. These small stores change lives, keep communities alive....they make a difference. Look around and see if you can make a difference by supporting them.