These are cold, slow months for local businesses. Of those that can afford to, some of them simply pack it in for a while and take a long winter's rest. Others, who wish they could stay open but cannot make it work, have no choice and go off to other short-term work to pay their bills until the spring returns. But others, just plain stubborn folk, put their heads down and plow on through all winter long.
When their "OPEN" signs are not being confiscated by the open-sign compliance squad, these businesses are pretty easy to find and their owners are glad to have you come in. A lot of these places have been around so long that we take it for granted that they will always be there for us, whether we remember to bring them some business during this time of year or not.
It is tempting to simply say that good businesses will survive and that bad businesses won't. And while in the overall context of supply and demand this is true, here in our communities, this is not always the case. With the large amount of workers who commute out to other cities, such as Boston or Portsmouth, for their livelihoods, there exists a large segment of our population that simply never gets out in their own town. As a result, many good and worthy local businesses simply get passed by. Businesses which, had they received only a small amount of increased support, would have continued and grown into meaningful members in the social fabric of our towns.
These are woeful economic times and they most certainly will get worse before they get better. Still, most of us do have a choice as to where we spend our money, at least a portion of it. Cumulatively, those choices can determine much of the nature and character of our community. Next time we put the key in the ignition that may be something worth thinking about.
