While it was not flashy it was certainly attention-grabbing
as this small local restaurant is surely not the only local business concerned
for their survival at this time in history. The economic downturn has hit us
all in some way, and small businesses are likely some of the hardest hit as
discretionary spending drops and they struggle to pay their employees, keep
their lights on, and stay afloat as their revenues diminish.
For those who have been here as long as I have, or far
longer, it is not something new. I recall after the last dip in our economic
fortunes (one far less severe than this one) how I looked around when it was
over and some of the businesses I had always valued were, quite simply, gone.
The economic pressure and stress was too much for them, and some of the ones I
had been quite loyal to quietly closed their doors and drifted away into
memory.
For these business owners, though, it is incredibly painful.
As someone who worked in small businesses for a very long time I know how the
owners and staff devote themselves to these enterprises. These are often
businesses that began as dreams and the owner was courageous enough to take
their dream to reality. Losing a business for them is not just an economic
loss, but the death of those original dreams.
When that last economic dip occurred I remember coming out
of it and seeing those lost dreams and wondering what I could have done to
prevent it. I recognized that some will fail despite all efforts, but I realized
that if it ever happened again I would need to do whatever I could to help
support those that had meaning for me.
For me right now that means shopping locally as much as possible. The lure of
online shopping is omnipresent, but if I can support a local business I will,
and if I can get something here instead of in Edmonton I intend to do that,
too. The reality is that those big box retailers down in Edmonton can weather
this storm, but the small local businesses don’t have the kind of clout behind
them and they need our support to keep afloat right now. I have always enjoyed
those trips to Edmonton, but focusing any spending I do locally is investing in
my own community right now, and it is just one small thing I can do to ensure
the viability of those businesses I would like to still see around when we do
see an uptick in our economy.
For myself, the economic reality hit home when the weekly
newspaper for which I have written for almost four years found itself unable to
continue to pay freelance writers due to declining revenues (a
common concern right now in the world of newspaper and magazine publishing). Content in the paper would now be generated by one person, a very competent one, but the paper would lose some of the community voices that made it unique and that had made me a fan of it in the very beginning. When the editor called to relay the news that I was, in essence, being laid
off, of course I was disappointed and saddened, as the Connect Weekly has been
a huge part of my life for the last few years. It was the first publication to
offer me a regular place to write and a paycheque to go with it, and whenever I asked
for more work (like when my personal life was turbulent and I needed something
to occupy my mind) or less work (when I began a new career in communications),
the people at Connect always said yes. Over the years the ownership of the
paper has changed, as have the names of the people at the helm in the roles of
editorial staff, but my feelings about the paper have never changed. It was the
place that gave me a start, that allowed a novice writer to hone her skills while making
mistakes, to develop her craft while occasionally bungling things and simply an
opportunity to write. I knew it was a decision they had not come to lightly or easily, just as with all the businesses finding themselves in a similar position and that have faced difficult decisions during this time. What could I do to contribute in some way to help
Connect, a paper that has come to mean so much to me, and far more than a
paycheque, through these difficult times?
I called the editor and told them I would like to continue
to contribute to the newspaper on occasion at no charge to them, providing one of those voices that would otherwise be missing and perhaps lessening their load just a little bit. I realized there isn’t much
else I can offer – but if I can offer the skill I have and if it helps them in
any small way then I will know I have done what I can to help a business that
has over the years always been there for me.
Sometimes what we have to offer is not monetary in value, although it is a skill that can be monetized. I
have always and will continue to offer to provide writing and editing services
to social profit organizations that need the help, and I will continue to do so
during this time when they are pinching those pennies ever tighter to ensure
the maximum amount goes to those they serve. And on occasion I may offer to
help those businesses I hold dear, with either my advice or my skills, because
I want them to survive and because some day when they weather this storm I anticipate
they will find themselves in the position to once again pay people like me even
if they currently cannot do so. And I will spend my cash locally, supporting the businesses and dreams of my fellow community members. We are, in the end, in this together, and my primary goal is to see them ride out the storm with the rest of us.
Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. Each
and every one of us will determine what those measures mean to us and what we
will do during this extraordinary time. For myself it means making those
choices I know I can live with and feel good about, including my commitment to
shopping local and giving of the skill I have to help others during this
extraordinary time. There is no right and wrong answer during times like these,
just answers that resonate with each of us and that allow us to feel like we are
contributing to our community during a difficult time. Extraordinary times, my friends, are what build communities just like this one. This isn't the first and won't be the last we will weather - I am truly just grateful we have the opportunity to do so together.
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