At A Moment of Transformation

At A Moment of Transformation

When I stood behind the counter in the days approaching the holidays, I was so honored to hear your comments about the value of my store in this community. A month earlier, in the dog days of October and November, I had seriously wondered whether the struggle was worth it. Lots of small businesses have given up, especially bookstores. How could I ever survive?

Most owners have invested heavily and put their own welfare at risk to continue in such tough times. Even with good community support, small stores have been an endangered species. I have heard that our holiday sale announced to some that we would be closing. In my mind, it was a way to mimic the large retailers and to salvage a year that was not as healthy as we had hoped. But in a small town, everything is open to interpretation.

Let me skip forward to the morning on which I am writing this blog. The inauguration will take place and I will be at the store, watching it on my trusty laptop. You can’t help being hopeful and optimistic. Even though things could get much worse, and likely will get somewhat worse, the worst can be survived. In that spirit, Cranesbill will go forward, with some changes and improvements, some experiments, and a lot of faith in our customers.

Last week, when the U.S.Air pilot landed so skillfully in the Hudson River, I thought of how much it takes to deal with the unexpected. We never expected the kind of economic downturn that ended last year. Michigan has had tougher times than many other places, and sometimes, when I have traveled elsewhere, I’ve felt that the rest of the country didn’t understand what we were going through. We were the people for whom the question of whether or not we were in a recession was more like a joke than a news story.

The miraculous series of events that saved lives was a good parable for what we as a community need to achieve. Continuing to support a downtown, a wider business community, and the cultural institutions that have developed and been supported over the years by the whole community is not equivalent to saving 155 lives, but it may require the same kind of skill and a series of best-case scenarios that emerged from the plane crash. I don’t know how it will be done, but I will do my best; thanks to all of you who have supported us no matter what our human failings. And may we all create that series of miracles that will help us continue our presence no matter how much tougher things get.