Neena Strichart
We are all aware of the financial struggles people are facing due to our sluggish economy. Most of us know folks who are unemployed, facing bankruptcy or losing their homes. In our Baby Boomer lifetimes, things have never been tougher.
Also dealing with hardships are small businesses— some moving forward just a month, day or hour at a time. They are borrowing, mortgaging and making deals with creditors. As far as I am concerned, I believe that we need to do what we can to keep our spending as local as possible or be faced with even more empty storefronts and “going out of business” signs.
In spite of the iffy economy, there are some brave souls who are entering into brand-new business ventures. Those faithful folks have dreams of serving community members and really making a difference in their neighborhoods. Of course they would like to earn a living in the process— their motivation isn’t strictly benevolence. Nevertheless, we need to support them!
New guys in town include Kashiwa Restaurant on Willow Street (SH), Blackbird Café on Orange Avenue near Wardlow Road (LB), Bark! Bark! Day Care & Grooming (SH), Cheta Chiropractic Day Spa (SH), Fitness Mecca (SH), Fut Sal Indoor Soccer (SH), No Limits Fitness (SH), Long Beach Antique Mall II (SH), M.S. Donuts Bakery (LB), Sunset Plumbing (LB), Orange Ave Estate, Salvage, and Garden (LB), as well as others.
Although I’m touting the new businesses, please don’t forget about those of us who have worked hard to serve you for years, some for decades. Many of your local merchants and restaurateurs not only work and own businesses in your neighborhoods, they also live in Long Beach or Signal Hill. I recently discovered that two of our advertisers not only own businesses in Signal Hill, but live here as well— AND belong to the same church. I have known both families for years, yet never knew that they were acquainted with one another.
Some say it’s a “small world.” For me it is indeed. My personal hamster wheel (me being the hamster) is about four square miles. I like being a hometown gal. I like knowing what’s happening in my community. Although I’m certainly pretty narrow in my understanding of world events, I pride myself in keeping up with local happenings. I attend as many events as my get-up-and-go can handle and enjoy every minute of it.
So, join me in keeping our dollars local, and thank your local businesses for “hanging in there.” It is not easy for any of us.
