WLKM Radio 95.9 FM
If you are considering opening a business here in Three Rivers, you really might want to give this some serious thought. This is strictly my opinion based on what I’ve seen and heard from local business owners. Growing up here in Three Rivers, I am fully aware that things are different now than they were fifty years ago. We can no longer do our Christmas shopping in downtown TR unless we are in the market for some great books, antiques, knick-knacks, jewelry, or a tattoo for Grandma. The big stores are on the highway that bypasses the downtown area. If you want to open a store downtown, there are plenty of vacant buildings, but history has shown that being successful downtown requires a lot of hard work and a little bit of luck. The big stores are even having difficulty, because of the internet. Every day, more and more people are looking to the internet for their consumer needs. I’m as guilty as anyone. I’d much rather shop at home than stand in line, only to be told that the product I’m looking for is out of stock. How many of you renew your license plates over the internet?
I know several business owners who, if given another chance, would never open a business in the state of Michigan, or anywhere, for that matter. The consumer has become less patient and more demanding of the merchant, and the merchant has become less patient with the consumers who have no idea of what they want and then want it for FREE. How many of you have ever walked into a business, used their restroom, then left without purchasing anything? It seems that we just don’t live by the Golden Rule anymore. By that I mean to treat your fellow human in the same way that you’d like to be treated. If we all did more of this, we’d all be a little happier. You’d be amazed how much better you’d feel about yourself. The next time you use a public restroom at a gas station without buying gasoline, buy a pack of gum or a bottle of pop in exchange for using the restroom. After using the facilities, make sure your paper towel makes it to the wastebasket and not on the floor. In other words, don’t make a mess unless your mother plans to follow you and clean up the mess you made. Anyone remember those pay toilets? Perhaps they should reappear. Now there’s a business opportunity for someone.
We are now into the month of July. We just celebrated the Fourth a few days ago. If you don’t care much for crowds, this is not a good time to visit any amusement park or campground. I have a pass for the Air Zoo in Kalamazoo that I received over a year ago. I think we’ll probably use it sometime after Labor Day.
Thank-you notes are a thing of the past. Boxes of them are still available for purchase, but they are rarely out-of-stock. Did you recently accept an invitation to attend your neighbors’ cook out? Did you have a good time, even though you didn’t contribute any food? If you experienced any of this, did you remember to send those neighbors a note thanking them for their hospitality? Chivalry is dying fast. I hope good manners aren’t on the way out also.
Do you have a drawer at home containing several pair of old eyeglasses? The Three Rivers Lions Club is still accepting used glasses for recycling. There are several places in Three Rivers where you may drop off used eyeglasses, and they will be picked up by the Lions Club. The places include Lowry’s Books, Commission on Aging, City Hall, LA’s Coffee Cafe, Fred’s Pharmacy, August Optical, and Sussex Vision. These glasses are cleaned and made available to those in need in third-world countries. The United States government will not permit them to be distributed here in the United States.
Something to ponder when you’re bored: Celery has negative calories. It takes more calories to eat a piece of celery than the celery has in it to begin with. It’s the same with apples.
See you Out and About!
Submitted by Norm Stutesman
