As you might imagine, Twila and I read every article that goes into SOKY Happenings before they go into the layout for the magazine. We do that for a few reasons… one to help catch any large mistakes… yes, we will miss a comma or a misspelled word every now and then but we try to keep any major mistakes out. We also insist that everything in SOKY be as positive as possible… no negative attacks and such. That has always been important to us and remains so. But, during this time of COVID, that position has become harder than ever. So many of us in small business… especially the family-owned ones like ours… are so frustrated and hurt. To say our state and national leaders have failed the small business community is such an understatement.
Twila and I own and personally operate three small businesses. All three have been damaged beyond repair by the government restrictions. Our advertising/design business has seen a number of clients reduced to just trying their best to keep their doors open and SOKY Happenings has seen the same thing, along with a number of small businesses and non-profits shutting down. Then we own residential rental properties and, while our mortgage payments, taxes, insurance and repair costs have continued, some renters know the government is preventing us from taking any action if they don’t pay the rent so they are saving their money or spending it someplace else right now. You do the math. I say all that to say the following… if you are blessed to have resources… if you are still working… if things are going well for you during all this mess… don’t forget to support the local, family-owned businesses that help make this area great.
As I said above, we read every article before it gets to a SOKY page and one recurring theme in those articles is “Support Our Local Businesses.” I know there are many reasons to order online. Believe me, I am as much a computer nerd as anyone and I get tons of emails offering me deals on things also available for sale locally. Sometimes the online prices might be better. Maybe I can still get items without being charged sales tax. Free shipping to my door is a given and I’m as lazy as anyone. But, having said all that, Twila and I are still working and feel so blessed and we are doing our best to support as many local “mom-and-pop” businesses as we can.
Everybody knows Twila has a “thing” for clothes and shoes. Believe me, I had to deal with her, the interior designer and the contractor when we did our home remodel a few years ago because closets were a huge issue… and it sure wasn’t for my three pair of shoes, few shirts, slacks and jeans. I say that to say we are shopping in locally-owned and operated stores as often and as much as possible. We are doing our best to support events held by non-profits and we are still supporting our church even when we are limited in the ability to attend.
Speaking of the recurring COVID theme… my good friend and investment guy Ben Smith mentions in his article this month about finding any good things that have come out of this COVID mess. It occurs to me that Twila has been purchasing much less clothing and shoes because our usual three- to four-yearly mini-vacations have not happened this year and many of the events in the area we would normally attend have gone virtual, and as much as she loves me she has not gone to the trouble to buy new clothes and shoes to sit in front of the computer with me and watch something on the screen. Thank God for small blessings!
Don’t worry, I’ll be off my soapbox in just a few more words. I have said it before… the local business you support instead of ordering from some huge online outfit will have an effect on you. It might not be a direct effect but when you support Mom & Pop’s Widget Store they pay some folks to work. They pay local taxes. They buy ads in our magazine and they also support little Johnny’s little league team. Folks, it just is not rocket science. Spending your money locally helps everyone… locally!
And something else that is not rocket science is WEAR YOUR DAMN MASK! I’m so sick of people complaining about it! Nearly every bit of research shows wearing a mask helps prevent the spread of this virus. And if it doesn’t… big deal… what have you lost? Trust me, you ain’t that pretty. It just is not that big a deal and it is not that inconvenient. You want to feel inconvenience… do a four-hour photo shoot with a mask on. We did that the other day and I really got tired of my glasses fogging up. Thank God for Nikon’s great auto-focus or most of my pictures would be blurry. But IF wearing a mask DOES help, then you might be saving someone a lot of illness or perhaps saving a life. Is your convenience worth that?
Just remember if you’re a Christian… that “do unto others” part of the scripture. And if you are, like me, a lousy Christian and a great sinner… then just remember… what goes around comes around. Be thoughtful of others and wear a mask… especially in restaurants… even going to the potty. OK, I’m putting the soapbox back up now.
by Tim Hurst, SOKY Publisher