While I suspect many you who by chance come across this post will not read the above article in full, I believe the headline. “Businesses shape towns”, pretty much sums up the content. My submitted headline to the paper arguably says it better, “The businesses you back shape how your town evolves.”
Can you imagine what a town would be like without local independent businesses? Independent being the crux. I am not knocking multi-nationals setting up their big box stores or local people buying a national franchise business. Just, if we want our towns to retain a unique character, our talent, and our independence and for our towns to be more resilient, then backing local independent businesses is essential.
I live in a city of 68000 people, Rockhampton, in the state of Queensland, Australia. I can remember as a young boy getting dressed up to go shopping in the main street of town. At one stage having to keep left of the white line on the footpath, a crowd flow devise.
You frequented Millroys, Boyd’s, Ian Symon’s, Len Laver’s, Rickards Cafeteria. There were 6 banks, there would have also been around 6 jewellers and even a supermarket, where the post office is now.
Over the years this main street of town, East Street, evolved, shops moved or closed, others opened, the white line disappeared, clay tiles replaced bitumen as the mall was built, then later to be replaced with bitumen again.
Through all these changes local independent businesses kept a unique character to the street, something the suburban shopping centres could not duplicate. It was not just the look of their businesses, but how they operated it, what they offered, what they supported, the crazy TV commercials they would feature in, the events and organisations they supported. They would just continue to do things their way.
And by doing things their way, they are an inspiration for others, if they can, I can.
Phil Peel Jewellers, James Stewarts & Co, City Printing Works and 2 hotels are still today, in East Street, some 50 plus years later. And while East Street may not be as busy as it once was, a walk up and down the street is a lot more interesting than a lap around a large shopping centre, featuring much the same stores as most other large shopping centres.
Local independent businesses say a lot about a town. What are yours saying about yours? And who can make that different?