Sir: I was interested to read Estelle Demers’ letter in the Nov. 20 issue of The Chatham Voice. She is quite right to say local businessmen are discouraged when Chatham-Kent residents shop at the big box stores or cross over the border to buy merchandise in the States. I have talked to many local merchants who have expressed the same opinion.
This has long been the case. In the 1960s when I lived in Winona, Ont., I was friendly with the owner of our local hardware store. The owner, long retired, used to tell me how people were happy to come into his store to get free advice about lawnmowers or how to fix a leaking faucet, but they often ended up buying the parts they needed or replacements at a big box store in the local shopping mall. He even took the trouble to give me figures comparing many of his prices to prove he was competitive.
This hardware store no longer exists.
Unfortunately, as long as people believe they have to stretch the dollar in these difficult times, they will be tempted to buy elsewhere.
In our present lifestyle, it isn’t common for harvesters to leave gleanings in the corners of the field for the poor to gather as they did in Biblical times.
I recognize the temptation to worry about the skyrocketing prices in the stores and, believe me, as an elderly couple on a fixed income, my wife and I are often tempted like so many others.
I have notes gathered from American writer Stacy Mitchel, author of the book “Box Store Swindle.” Stacy believes it is important for a community to preserve its one-of-a-kind businesses and distinctive character, which often leads to economic advantages.
She figures, correctly I believe, locally owned businesses “build strong communities by sustaining vibrant town centres, linking neighbours in a web of economic and social relationships, and contributing to local causes.” It also keeps money in local coffers rather than in some corporate headquarters thousands of miles away. That’s because locally owned businesses recycle a much larger share of their revenue back into the local economy, enriching the whole community.
And yet we, who live in “the vegetable garden of Ontario,” continue to desecrate valuable agricultural land to build even more malls containing big box stores.
Chatham-Kent is a beautiful area with many wonderful inhabitants. People in this neck of the woods once welcomed American slaves who arrived here via the so-called Underground Railroad. We have a great heritage and our businessmen and women deserve to do well.
Stephen J. Beecroft
Chatham
