In response to a recent letter from Silvia Schneider about struggling businesses in Fountain Hills, I was a retail small business owner/operator at a wonderful small town in the Midwest for most of my life, prior to my retirement and enjoying life in Fountain Hills. It hurts me to see so many small businesses close and leave our downtown with so many empty storefronts.
I believe there are numerous reasons for this, but one of the most important ones that is never thought of by our residents is online shopping. We all see lots of trucks every day delivering packages to many homes in all our neighborhoods from various online sites.
This kind of shopping can be convenient at times, but it is killing our downtown. When we do not shop in our town, our shop owners cannot continue to pay rent, utilities and employees. These people live in our town, pay taxes, own their homes and send their children to our schools, along with ours.
It may take a bit of effort to shop locally, but it may help our town survive. Then we will make friends of the people we meet in our stores, and then we may all reap the benefits of helping our beautiful Fountain Hills downtown stay more alive. Please make the effort and shop locally. Think about it!
