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| Altadena Postcard by Hugo Arteaga | | | |
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There's been a lot of talk lately about our town's identity. Many people agree that Altadena is a bit like Mayberry, that fictional town Sheriff Andy Taylor and Barney Fife watched over in the early 1960s. Aunt Bee cooked her homemade goodies, Floyd the barber cut hair and dispensed advice, and young Opie fished at the local pond.
Of course we're not actually Mayberry, this is California, after all. But there is still much of that small-town flavor in Altadena. Maybe it's because of our "remote" location and no direct freeway access - folks have to drive 3 miles north of Pasadena to get here. Or maybe it's because there was such a strong community base of local businesses and business owners back in the day. We think it's the combination of the two that keeps us unique in the eyes of not just our residents, but others outside as well.
Looking at the postcard (pictured above) designed by local graphic artist
Hugo Arteaga, it's evident we have a vibrant town history.
The Altadena Historical Society would be happy to show you the ephemera they've collected through the years that proves the point. We've always been an idyllic place to live in and also to do business in.
Then there are those who disagree. No Mayberry here, they say, Altadena "mom and pop" businesses don't actually serve the community well any more. Bring in chains, bring in Starbucks, bring in the big box stores! The latter has already happened, and the rest can't be far away. And while we argue amongst ourselves about it, Mayberry is indeed fading away.
We look at the situation this way: while we are opposed to Walmart in Altadena, that doesn't mean that we're opposed to the growth of our community. We welcome new business here, but we'd like to see those businesses be homegrown and independently owned. There's a good reason for that, and it's not to keep our town from reaping economic benefits or good jobs. As we said above, it's to keep our town unique and prosperous. How can we be prosperous if we don't have a chain business on every corner? Easy, if we rewrite the Altadena Community Standards to accommodate and nurture small, independent business.
From
this article in Time Magazine, author Judith D. Schwartz quotes New Economics Foundation researcher David Boyle as saying, " many local economies are languishing not because too
little cash comes in, but as a result of what happens to that money. Money
is like blood. It needs to keep moving around to keep the economy going. When money is spent elsewhere - at big supermarkets,
non-locally owned utilities and other services such as on-line retailers - it
flows out, like a wound."
In
this article, the organization Reclaim Democracy notes that "Each year brings more national chains displacing locally-owned
businesses throughout the country. We see clones replace unique
establishments...", and asks two questions, "People across the country are losing sense of community in their town,
and consider this trend a symptom, but could it be a cause as well?
Also, what are the impacts of this trend on our economic well-being?" They state, "The disappearance of local businesses leaves a social and economic void
that is palpable and real - even when it is unmeasured. The quality of
life of a community changes in ways that macroeconomics is slow to
measure, or ignores completely."
There is a lot to say about the importance of independent businesses in communities, much of which we've highlighted in past blog posts. The problem is not the lack of positive information about it, it's getting people in our communities and civic organizations to read and understand it. Right now there is a discussion on
The 3/50 Project's Group Page on LinkedIn on whether local business organizations help small businesses grow. The venerable
Cinda Baxter - former retailer, retail consultant, speaker, and founder of
The 3/50 Project - has this to say: "
an association's/organization's level of success has more to do with the its leadership than its charter or mission statement.
I've seen entire towns thrive under the guidance of groups led by open minded, determined, positive men and women.
On the other hand, I've seen well-funded, established associations fail
their small business community horribly, simply because the President or
CEO was so deeply pro-big box. Sadly, those are the cities and towns
with sagging (or worse) downtown business districts, but jungles of big
boxes on the outer edges, reducing the amount of revenue that returns to
the community.
The size of the community has almost zero impact".
She goes on to give her advice to local associations, which we believe as well: "Listen to your members, then deliver what they ask for. Too often,
association leadership thinks they know more than the 'rank and file,'
which only pushes the small business community backward; and, remember that what works for a national brand doesn't necessarily work
for independent brick and mortars. The latter have no corporate office
to refer back to for legal assistance, marketing tools, special vendor
pricing, and national advertising. The independents need extra
support---in response, they'll thrive, and return a greater percentage
of revenue to the local economy". More food for thought, and more to chew on here, on this latest report on local business and towns with buy local or local first programs.
We apologize for missing last Sunday's blog posting - our mainline at home got backed up and we were taking care of it. We hope you're enjoying this beautiful Saint Patrick's Day - h
ave a great week ahead, friends, and make sure you check this blog next week when we highlight the authors participating in the Official Launch Of Authors Tour USA on March 30!
Lori and Scott
