Now there is another one closing too....
Paco's Paradise has been there for more
Showing posts with label closing forever. Show all posts
Showing posts with label closing forever. Show all posts
Thursday, August 13, 2015
August 2015
I went by the shopping center a week or so ago late at night and had to stop and look. My store still sits empty.
Now there is another one closing too....
Paco's Paradise has been there for more
Now there is another one closing too....
Paco's Paradise has been there for more
Friday, October 24, 2014
Another chance today
I was able to tell a bit of my story today, to a news reporter and a very large black camera. That's not something normal for me but I'm appreciative that they thought it mattered enough to send someone out.
In the brief amount of time however when asked to sum up what this all meant; how it feels to be closing and what my thoughts are, I fumbled for the right words. How do you pack all that into just a few minutes? And yet, perhaps what I blurted out is what matters the most to me; something to the effect of "when you do business locally you connect with your community which is something no big box store could ever offer". A comment or two about having standards, principles and doing what's right echoed the choices I've made not to sell unknown products made in china but to stand by the American companies which continue to struggle.
Hopefully the message somehow comes across on the news today at 6pm. I came home and looked for confirmation of what this blog may have done and I'm not sure I see that. This blog never gathered a crowd or set the world on fire, but perhaps it mattered to just a few people. Searching for the hashtag #thefinal90 gave me this colorful collection of graphics and images which have accompanied my journey and somehow, that made me feel better. I did what I set out to do; spread a message across various forms of social media and if no one cared, that's out of my hands. The words and the thoughts and the dedication to small businesses everywhere is there. I just hope someone reads it who connects with something that was written.
In the brief amount of time however when asked to sum up what this all meant; how it feels to be closing and what my thoughts are, I fumbled for the right words. How do you pack all that into just a few minutes? And yet, perhaps what I blurted out is what matters the most to me; something to the effect of "when you do business locally you connect with your community which is something no big box store could ever offer". A comment or two about having standards, principles and doing what's right echoed the choices I've made not to sell unknown products made in china but to stand by the American companies which continue to struggle.
Hopefully the message somehow comes across on the news today at 6pm. I came home and looked for confirmation of what this blog may have done and I'm not sure I see that. This blog never gathered a crowd or set the world on fire, but perhaps it mattered to just a few people. Searching for the hashtag #thefinal90 gave me this colorful collection of graphics and images which have accompanied my journey and somehow, that made me feel better. I did what I set out to do; spread a message across various forms of social media and if no one cared, that's out of my hands. The words and the thoughts and the dedication to small businesses everywhere is there. I just hope someone reads it who connects with something that was written.
#finalchapter #smallshop #closing #afterdecades #ihaveloved #community #localicon #thefinal90 #sayinggoodbye #deathofasmallbusiness #momandpopcloses #losing #local #shops #almostover #cornerstore #familiarshop
Tuesday, September 30, 2014
Struggling with September
I've spent all day trying to come to terms with saying goodbye. September and October are some of my favorite months and over the last few days I'd been feeling a nagging sense that this is all slipping away far too fast.
Shortly after the summer season officially ends with Labor day, things begin to change. Stores hours that were 10am until 10 pm gave way to more civilized closing times of 8pm and for the first time in many weeks some of us shop owners took a day off midweek. We slept a little more; reconnected with our families; enjoyed a dinner out with the spouse for the first time since June. And then somewhere in the middle of the month we began planning again.
The fall and the times leading up to the Christmas holidays required attention. Those are valuable weeks for business still, admittedly less than summer but without requiring extra staff and the long hours. It was a time when many of our regular customers would make their appearance after a summer of renting out their beach places and so it was a fun time to catch up with so many familiar faces. I would always hold off on putting up a Christmas tree until after labor day weekend but since the holidays were coming it became commonplace to start changing and decorating the store. All these activities combined with the cooler weather and more relaxed schedule seemed to make up one of the best seasons of the year.
This time it's all so very different. Instead of placing pumpkins and strawbales outside I have signs listing the many items available for sale at deep discounts. Rather than draping fall leaf garlands across the doors and windows I'm adorning them with signs that scream "CLOSING FOREVER". I'm not greeting the shoulder season with enthusiasm and excitement but rather preparing to bury an old friend.
No matter what I could have done today it wouldn't have mattered. The clocks marched onwards towards the ending of one more month that I will never be able to experience in the way that I loved. In a few hours my final September will be done. This place; these years; those memories are fading from my life and I'm unwilling to let go. I have stupidly loved and cared so much about this shop and my customers, the interactions and being a small part of so many lives that it's taking my breath away.
#september #ending #storeclosing #goodbye #after35years #ihaveloved #sayinggoodbye #movingon #familyowned #finally #smallretailer #independent #business #thefinal90 #endofanera #closingforever
Shortly after the summer season officially ends with Labor day, things begin to change. Stores hours that were 10am until 10 pm gave way to more civilized closing times of 8pm and for the first time in many weeks some of us shop owners took a day off midweek. We slept a little more; reconnected with our families; enjoyed a dinner out with the spouse for the first time since June. And then somewhere in the middle of the month we began planning again.
The fall and the times leading up to the Christmas holidays required attention. Those are valuable weeks for business still, admittedly less than summer but without requiring extra staff and the long hours. It was a time when many of our regular customers would make their appearance after a summer of renting out their beach places and so it was a fun time to catch up with so many familiar faces. I would always hold off on putting up a Christmas tree until after labor day weekend but since the holidays were coming it became commonplace to start changing and decorating the store. All these activities combined with the cooler weather and more relaxed schedule seemed to make up one of the best seasons of the year.
This time it's all so very different. Instead of placing pumpkins and strawbales outside I have signs listing the many items available for sale at deep discounts. Rather than draping fall leaf garlands across the doors and windows I'm adorning them with signs that scream "CLOSING FOREVER". I'm not greeting the shoulder season with enthusiasm and excitement but rather preparing to bury an old friend.
No matter what I could have done today it wouldn't have mattered. The clocks marched onwards towards the ending of one more month that I will never be able to experience in the way that I loved. In a few hours my final September will be done. This place; these years; those memories are fading from my life and I'm unwilling to let go. I have stupidly loved and cared so much about this shop and my customers, the interactions and being a small part of so many lives that it's taking my breath away.
#september #ending #storeclosing #goodbye #after35years #ihaveloved #sayinggoodbye #movingon #familyowned #finally #smallretailer #independent #business #thefinal90 #endofanera #closingforever
Saturday, September 13, 2014
Today I'll post the signs
I didn't post the "closing forever" sign yesterday. I just couldn't do it but I'm sure I will today. After all, how can I exit in 6 weeks if I don't have huge signs telling people about the bargains inside, how they can "get a deal" and benefit from this turn of events? Somehow it just feels strange to be encouraging that behavior and yet it's the only thing to do when you are closing, right?
I'm sure I will post them today.
#closing #signs #endofanera #smallbusinessclosing #sayinggoodbye #thefinal90 #closingforever #after35years #deathofasmallbusiness
I'm sure I will post them today.
#closing #signs #endofanera #smallbusinessclosing #sayinggoodbye #thefinal90 #closingforever #after35years #deathofasmallbusiness
Thursday, September 4, 2014
I believe....
I believe....
....that grief isn't defined by words and equations, or measured by certain traits.
....that what spoke to your soul and made you come alive is something that can now be a huge loss in your life.
...that the longer you wait to make a change that you know is coming, the harder it will be.
....that hatever once made you whole; filled an emptiness; was there as you came out of the dark and healed, is going to hurt like hell when you say goodbye.
...that letting go may be the only way you can reach the next chapter in your life.
....that when the time comes when you have to walk away from memories of when you were broken and found the one thing that worked, that restored your faith in yourself and that let you live again, that it's going to rip your heart out.
....that being afraid of change keeps you from growing.
...that it's possible to feel some things should never end and that what made you complete should never go away.
....that this may be the time for me to fly.
...that you can love something that restored you to living as a normal person so much that it's going to leave fragments.
....that this sadness is about losing the only thing in my life I ever became.
....that letting go of this dream is harder than I thought.
....that these years were some of the best times in my life.
#lettinggo #closingabusiness #movingon #afteralltheseyears #nextchapter #deathofasmallbusiness #goodbye #momandpop #smallstores #closing #since1979 #afterallthistime #closingforever #thefinal90 #belovedsmallshop #icon #community #shoplocal #loss #hometownbusinesses
Friday, August 15, 2014
Letter to a visitor (written July 2011)
Dear vacationer,
I heard you and your family talking when you thought I didn't hear you, discussing every aspect of my shop, debating whether to stay or go. Someone said a certain item could be found cheaper at the market back home; another suggested there must be a walmart nearby; you seemed uncomfortable and out of place in this unique and one of a kind place. So you did notice the difference then - that we ARE different - but why choose to rail against that when you could enjoy it? We don't go on vacation to go to all the same places we go to at home, do we? Ah....the scary side of being "different" works against me.
The bigger stores will indeed have better lighting, huge advertising budgets, and a larger selection. They probably are more convenient to just go in and get everything on the list in one place. They won’t know a specialty item with a history of being made in the same building since 1905 – because they aren't selling that. The staff won’t be able to explain the differences in varieties of licorice, or give you a cell number so you can text before the next visit to make sure your favorite taffy is available and set aside for you to pick up. And there are words such "please, thank you, sir" which you likely won't hear from a seasonal, gum-chewing worker. I'm betting they also won't notice grandad's cap embroidered with the words WWII Veteran so they can shake his hand and thank him for his service.
My store not only offers thirty varieties of licorice, I know something about each one. I can match preferences and tastes, know about the items that you seek for an elderly parent, and search to see if there is a certain favorite still made. Some treats aren't made anymore but I don’t accept inferior substitutes from China. And it's not just me; there are hundreds and thousands of tiny business owners going to work each day to offer you this level of service and knowledge. They are counting on you to skip the retailing giant where you are a number in a line; where you endlessly press a button for service and try to explain what you want, to a person that couldn't care less and is eyeing the clock to see if it’s break time yet. Is that what you crave and nothing more? What about your children, wouldn't it be good to show them diversity, broaden their horizons and stay here to enjoy the experience?
Walmart, the dollar store, chains - all these things are being flaunted at me as if I should be one of them - I see it so many times each summer. Often a family with several generations will come in to the shop. They are on vacation, ranging in age from little ones on up to grandparents. Almost always, the older folks want to stay here, they want to talk to a real person that knows a thing or two. Maybe that elusive favorite sweet they've been searching for is here, perhaps they just want to be waited on, chatted with, treated like a friend. I can do all that and more - but the younger generation is already at the door. They didn't see the gummy cartoon characters made in china because we won't sell them. And as the children demand, scream and show their impatience, their parents urge everyone out so they can satisfy the whim of a 3 year old. And they walk out on me and all I stand for.
I heard you and your family talking when you thought I didn't hear you, discussing every aspect of my shop, debating whether to stay or go. Someone said a certain item could be found cheaper at the market back home; another suggested there must be a walmart nearby; you seemed uncomfortable and out of place in this unique and one of a kind place. So you did notice the difference then - that we ARE different - but why choose to rail against that when you could enjoy it? We don't go on vacation to go to all the same places we go to at home, do we? Ah....the scary side of being "different" works against me.
The bigger stores will indeed have better lighting, huge advertising budgets, and a larger selection. They probably are more convenient to just go in and get everything on the list in one place. They won’t know a specialty item with a history of being made in the same building since 1905 – because they aren't selling that. The staff won’t be able to explain the differences in varieties of licorice, or give you a cell number so you can text before the next visit to make sure your favorite taffy is available and set aside for you to pick up. And there are words such "please, thank you, sir" which you likely won't hear from a seasonal, gum-chewing worker. I'm betting they also won't notice grandad's cap embroidered with the words WWII Veteran so they can shake his hand and thank him for his service.
My store not only offers thirty varieties of licorice, I know something about each one. I can match preferences and tastes, know about the items that you seek for an elderly parent, and search to see if there is a certain favorite still made. Some treats aren't made anymore but I don’t accept inferior substitutes from China. And it's not just me; there are hundreds and thousands of tiny business owners going to work each day to offer you this level of service and knowledge. They are counting on you to skip the retailing giant where you are a number in a line; where you endlessly press a button for service and try to explain what you want, to a person that couldn't care less and is eyeing the clock to see if it’s break time yet. Is that what you crave and nothing more? What about your children, wouldn't it be good to show them diversity, broaden their horizons and stay here to enjoy the experience?
Walmart, the dollar store, chains - all these things are being flaunted at me as if I should be one of them - I see it so many times each summer. Often a family with several generations will come in to the shop. They are on vacation, ranging in age from little ones on up to grandparents. Almost always, the older folks want to stay here, they want to talk to a real person that knows a thing or two. Maybe that elusive favorite sweet they've been searching for is here, perhaps they just want to be waited on, chatted with, treated like a friend. I can do all that and more - but the younger generation is already at the door. They didn't see the gummy cartoon characters made in china because we won't sell them. And as the children demand, scream and show their impatience, their parents urge everyone out so they can satisfy the whim of a 3 year old. And they walk out on me and all I stand for.
#momandpopshop #strugglingsmallretailer #independentbusinesses #locallyowned #sayinggoodbye #after35years #thefinal90 #community #favorite #icon #belovedlocalshop #endofanera #supportlocal #shopsmall #lettinggo
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