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Wednesday, December 11th – Gravenhurst
Gravenhurst was a winter wonderland in the wee hours this morning following a heavy snowfall through the night. Schools were shutdown and parts of Highway 11 was closed due to snow squalls and heavy accumulations of snow during the morning hours. More snow on the way throughout the evening and through the night. Fred Schulz Photos
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To Connect With Today's Bracebridge Blog, Part of the Christmas Series Click Here
SNOW FALLING ON MUSKOKA - A CHRISTMAS CARD HARDSHIP WE CAN LIVE WITH
SNOW FALL OF THE PAST FEW DAYS.....NOTHING BUT A DUSTING OLDTIMERS COMPARE TO DAYS OF YOUTH
"TEN YEARS AGO (1862), THE PRESENT SITE OF THE VILLAGE OF GRAVENHURST WAS A WILDERNESS OF PINES WHICH FLOURISHED IN ALL THEIR PRIMEVAL GRANDEUR. BUT, AS THE RESOURCES AND ADVANTAGES OF THE COUNTRY BECAME GRADUALLY KNOWN TO THE OUTSIDE WORLD, EAGER IMMIGRANTS FROM THE MOTHER COUNTRY AND AND SEEKERS FROM THE OLDER SETTLEMENTS CAME HERE; AMONGST THOSE, MESSRS. JAS. SHARP, SENIOR; DAVID WRIGHT, JOSEPH BROCK, EDWARD AND JAMES HEWITT, AND JAS MCCABE, THE LAST-NAMED PARTY ALSO BEING PROPRIETOR OF THE FREE MASONS ARMS HOTEL. THE PROGRESS OF GRAVENHURST AND VICINITY WAS NECESSARILY SLOW FOR A FEW YEARS."
THE PASSAGE ABOVE WAS WRITTEN BY PIONEER HISTORIAN / BUSINESSMAN, THOMAS MCMURRAY, IN HIS BOOK, "MUSKOKA AND PARRY SOUND," PUBLISHED IN THE EARLY 1870'S.
"MESSRS. P. COCKBURN & SON, COMMENCING LUMBERING OPERATIONS IN THE COUNTRY DURING THE WINTER OF 1865-66, GAVE IMPETUS TO INDUSTRY AND ADVANCEMENT DURING THE WINTER MONTHS, SOON CONVINCING THE INHABITANTS THAT PINE TREES WERE USEFUL FOR OTHER PURPOSES THAN BEING BURNED INTO ASHES. MR. A.P. COCKBURN, MPP, CONTRIBUTED VERY MATERIALLY ABOUT THIS TIME TO THE WELFARE AND PROGRESS OF THE SETTLEMENT, BY PLACING A STEAMER ON MUSKOKA LAKE, BUILT NEAR GRAVENHURST WHARF, AND KNOWN AS THE 'WENONAH;' HE ALSO OPENED A GENERAL STORE, DISTINGUISHED AS THE 'MONTREAL STORE,' - SINCE THEN, THE COUNTRY HAS STEADILY PROGRESSED."
I AM SURE THERE ARE MERCHANTS TODAY, WHO ARE FEELING PRETTY LOWLY, ABOUT THE RETURN OF THE ICE AGE. BAD WEATHER, LIKE WE HAVE BEEN EXPERIENCING, BRINGS POOR BUSINESS TO MAINSTAY RETAILERS, UNLESS YOU SELL SNOW REMOVAL SUPPLIES, TOW CARS FOR A LIVING, REPAIR VEHICLES, CAN FIX A ROOF, OR SUPPLY FOOD SERVICES FOR THOSE HUNGRY FOLKS LISTED EARLIER. AND FOR MANY SHOPS AND SERVICE BUSINESSES IN GRAVENHURST, THE LATE FALL SEASON, THIS YEAR, HAS BEEN PRECARIOUSLY SLOW....AND A LITTLE TRICKY NAVIGATING THE MONTHLY ROLL OF PAYMENTS OUT; HAVING VERY SLIGHT PAYMENTS "IN." WHILE IT LOOKS PRETTY OUT THERE, THIS MORNING, WATCHING OUT OVER OUR SECTION OF MUSKOKA ROAD, ACROSS FROM THE OPERA HOUSE, I'M SURE LOCAL SHOP-KEEPS ARE WORRIED ABOUT THE WELL BEING OF THE CHRISTMAS SEASON AS FAR AS THE FISCAL SITUATION. AS RETAILERS OURSELVES, WE SUFFER THE SAME FATE WHENEVER THE WEATHER TURNS, AS IT HAS, STOPPING-UP TRAVEL PLANS, EVEN FROM RESIDENTIAL AREAS TO THE MAIN STREET AND BEYOND. IT'S BETTER TO BE SAFE THAN SORRY, AS THEY SAY, AND THIS MORNING WE HAVE HEARD MANY REPORTS OF MOTORISTS STUCK ALONG A STRETCH OF HIGHWAY 11, BETWEEN BRACEBRIDGE AND GRAVENHURST. THIS IS A SERIOUS ISSUE, OF YOUR HEALTH AND WEFARE, AND THE GOOD ADVICE IS TO STAY HOME IF YOU DON'T NEED TO VENTURE OUT.
IT SHOULD CONTINUE TO BE A SOURCE OF INSPIRATION, IN THE MODERN DAY BUSINESS COMMUNITY, TO THINK BACK TO THE DAYS OF COCKBURN'S BRAVE INVESTMENT IN GRAVENHURST; AND HOW HE INSPIRED THE EARLY ROOTS OF THE LUMBERING INDUSTRY, AND THE WINTER CUT, TO PUT THOSE SETTLERS OUT OF MONEY, AND THWARTED BY SNOW, GAINFULLY BACK TO WORK. HE HAD THE ABILITY AND CONFIDENCE TO MAKE SUCH INVESTMENTS, AND THIS COMMUNITY BENEFITTED IN HUNDREDS OF MEANINGFUL WAYS, BY WATCHING THESE LEADERS IN COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY, MAKE THESE EARLY GAINS. IN WHAT HAD BEEN, ONLY A YEAR OR SO EARLIER, A TINY, INSIGNIFICANT CROSS-ROADS HAMLET, ROUGHLY CARVED OUT OF THE THICK MUSKOKA FORESTS. THOSE EARLY DAYS OF ADVENTURE IN COMMUNITY BUILDING, CREATED AN ATTITUDE IN THIS NEIGHBORHOOD, THAT WE COULD DIVERSIFY AND SUCCEED, EVEN IN THE RURAL, ISOLATED CLIME; AS IT WAS IN A PIONEER OUTPOST.....WHERE JUST LIVING THROUGH A WINTER WAS AN ART FORM. IT WAS THE TIME TO TAKE CHANCES....MAKE INVESTMENT GAMBLES, AND LEARN HOW TO DEAL WITH THE BEAUTIFUL SOLITUDE OF A CANADIAN WINTER IN THE WILDS OF ONTARIO. IN SOME WAYS, IT'S WHAT MADE THE INHABITANTS THEMSELVES, WANT TO INVEST THEIR LIVES IN THIS SOUTH MUSKOKA COMMUNITY. THEY WERE WITNESSING THE CONFIDENCE OF OTHERS, WILLING TO BANK ON ITS FUTURE PROGRESS. SO THAT'S THE REASON THEY BUILT THEIR HUMBLE ABODES AND INVESTED IN SMALL BUSINESSES THEMSELVES.
COCKBURN WASN'T WRONG. HE WAS A TRAIL BLAZER, AND WHO REALLY KNOWS, HOW MUCH CAPITAL INVESTMENT MADE BY OTHERS, WAS INSPIRED BY HIS UNFETTERED BELIEF, THE LAKELAND WOULD BECOME THE SOURCE OF HUGE FUTURE INCOME, FOR THOSE WILLING TO TAKE A CHANCE. SO WE HAVE A TOWN TODAY, THAT BY ITS OWN INTERESTING CHRONICLE, LEARNED AT ITS FOUNDING, THAT THE PRICE OF SUCCESS WAS GOING TO BE AT A STAGGERING COST OF TRIAL AND ERROR. IT HINGED ON A STEAMSHIP. WOULD THE CONCEPT, AS THEY SAY, "FLOAT"? WHO WOULD MAKE USE OF STEAM NAVIGATION? WHAT COULD DEVELOP AS A DIRECT RESULT OF HAVING IMPROVED NAVIGATION AND COMMUNICATION? BUT JUST LIKE TODAY, ERROR IN JUDGEMENT CONTINUES TO TAKE ITS TOLL. COCKBURN DIDN'T INVEST IN MUSKOKA WITHOUT KNOWING THE INHERENT RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH A FLEDGLING COMMUNITY. AND HE PROBABLY COMMITTED ERRORS IN JUDGEMENT LIKE EVERYONE ELSE. TO HIS CREDIT, HE KNEW HOW TO ADJUST TO NEW REALITIES. HE CHANGED AS THE SCENE MATURED. BUT THE WATER WAS THE RESOURCE THAT WAS NEVER ENDING. IT IS NO DIFFERENT TODAY. WHILE LUMBERING MET ITS PREDICTED END, LATE IN THE 1800'S, AS AN ECONOMIC ENGINE, TOURISM, FACILITATED BY MR. COCKBURN'S STEAMSHIP FLEET, GAVE RISE TO THE MUSKOKA RESORT INDUSTRY, THAT WOULD COME, OVER THE CENTURIES, TO GENERATE BILLIONS UPON BILLIONS OF DOLLARS. WHEN NEW YEARS 2014 IS HERALDED IN, BY THE STRIKE OF MIDNIGHT, I CAN TELL YOU ONE THING FOR SURE, AMONGST MANY UNCERTAINTIES OF LIFE AND ECONOMY. TOURISM IN MUSKOKA WILL STILL BE OUR NUMBER ONE INDUSTRY. IF WE DIDN'T HAVE A HEALTHY TOURISM INDUSTRY, BUSINESSES LIKE OURS WOULD BE GONE.....AND GONE QUICKLY.
IN THE PAST TWO YEARS OF MAIN STREET COMMERCE, OUT OF TEN SPENT IN THIS LOCATION, OUR COMBINED FAMILY BUSINESSES, OF WHICH THERE ARE FOUR IN TOTAL, DEPEND ON VISITORS TO THIS COMMUNITY, FOR EIGHTY PERCENT OF OUR INCOME. IN THE ANTIQUE QUARTER ALONE, AS OF THIS MOMENT IN THE FISCAL YEAR, NINETY-FIVE PERCENT OF OUR SALES HAVE COME VIA "OUT-OF-TOWNERS," ON DAY TRIPS, TOURISTS STAYING FOR SEVERAL DAYS TO SEVERAL WEEKS, AND SECOND HOME OWNERS, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS COTTAGERS. ONLY FIVE PERCENT OF OUR CUSTOMERS ARE FROM GRAVENHURST. IT SHOULD BE TROUBLING TO US, BUT WE'VE HAD A LOT OF TIME TO ADJUST OUR BUSINESS STRATEGY. IT WASN'T A LOT DIFFERENT, WHEN WE HAD OUR ANTIQUE BUSINESS ON THE MAIN STREET OF BRACEBRIDGE, FROM 1989 TO ABOUT 1995-96. I CAN ONLY EXPLAIN THIS, AS TYPICAL FOR OUR TYPE OF MERCHANDISE; OF OPERATING A BUSINESS THAT, FOR MANY LOCALS, IS CONSIDERED A "TOURIST TRAP;" WHO HAVE GOTTEN IT INTO THEIR HEADS, THROUGH GENERATIONS OF PASSED-DOWN HEARSAY, THAT WE (TOURIST FRIENDLY BUSINESSES) ARE PRICED TO TORONTO LEVELS, BECAUSE THE PEOPLE WE SELL TO, AFTERALL, ARE FROM SOUTHERN ONTARIO. IN MY YOUTH, GROWING UP IN BRACEBRIDGE, GIFT AND ANTIQUE SHOPS WERE CONSIDERED "TOURIST TRAPS," THAT WERE THERE LARGELY TO SERVICE OUT OF TOWN CLIENTELE.....AND NOT OPERATED FOR LOCAL BENEFIT. THEY CLAIMED RETAILERS THEN, BACK IN THE 1960'S, (AND I HEARD MANY OF THESE STORIES) RAISED PRICES IN THE SPRING, AND LOWERED THEM IN THE FALL, ONCE THE TOURISTS HAD GONE HOME. IT WAS NONSENSE IN ALMOST ALL CASES, AND COULD HAVE BEEN DISPROVEN, BUT WASN'T. IT'S STILL AN ISSUE ALL THESE YEARS LATER. THIS MISCONCEPTION CONTINUES TO HURT A LOT OF LOCAL BUSINESSES, THAT OPERATE GOOD QUALITY SHOPS, HIGHLY REFLECTIVE OF THE LOCAL MARKET....WITH INVENTORY APPROPRIATE TO DEMAND. IT'S NOT A CITY AFTERALL, SO THERE ARE LIMITATIONS ON WHAT WE CAN PROVIDE, AS COMPETITION TO MAJOR BOX STORES IN URBAN ENVIRONS. IT'S UNFAIR LABELLING TO ASSUME THESE CHARMING ENTERPRISES AREN'T HOMEGROWN, AND APPOINTED TO SERVE THE LOCAL AUDIENCE. THERE ARE RESIDENTS OF OUR BURG WHO WILL PASS OUR SHOP UP, TO ATTEND ANTIQUE MALLS AND MUSIC SHOPS IN OTHER TOWNS INSTEAD; BECAUSE THEY HAVE THE MINDSET THAT WE ARE SOLELY FOR THE BENEFIT OF TOURISTS TO OUR REGION.....AND THUSLY, OVER PRICED. YET TRAVELLING ANTIQUE DEALERS AND PICKERS AGREE, OUR PRICES ARE HIGHLY COMPETITIVE. THEY DON'T NEED TO TELL US THIS, BECAUSE WE HAVE ALWAYS MADE COMPARISONS BETWEEN SHOPS, INSISTING ON BEING MODERATE IN PRICING. I WOULDN'T LIE TO YOU. WE'VE HAD LOTS OF TESTIMONIALS IN THIS REGARD, MOST IMPORTANTLY FROM OUR CUSTOMERS, WHO ARE WELL AWARE OF PRICES IN SHOPS ELSEWHERE.
THERE ARE A LOT OF COMPLAINTS, ESPECIALLY AT THIS TIME OF YEAR, THAT OUR MUSKOKA TOWNS ARE BEING ABANDONED BY OUR TOWNSFOLK, WHO WISH TO SHOP IN THE LARGER CENTRES OF THE SOUTH. IT'S TRUE, THERE IS AN EXODUS TO THE MALLS OF SOUTHERN ONTARIO. OR TO THE BIG BOX STORES OF THE REGION, LEAVING THE DOWNTOWNS WITH MUCH LESS TRAFFIC AND LESSER ECONOMY. IT'S NOT A NEW REALITY. JUST A NAGGING OLD ISSUE THAT SEEMS IMPOSSIBLE TO CHANGE, DESPITE A LOT OF PROOF, THAT WE HAVE A GREAT SMALL BUSINESS COMMUNITY IN MUSKOKA....VERY COMPETITIVE WITH PARALLEL BUSINESSES ALL OVER THE PROVINCE. THE UNFORTUNATE MINDSET OF LOCAL CONSUMERS HOWEVER, WILL SERIOUSLY INJURE SMALL BUSINESSES HERE, AS IT HAS FOR THE PAST FORTY YEARS, AND SOME WILL DISAPPEAR BEFORE THE NEXT SUMMER. IT'S A MODERN ERA DILEMMA THAT DOESN'T GET ADDRESSED THE WAY IT SHOULD. INSTEAD, THERE ARE MORE INITIATIVES TO GET PEOPLE TO MUSKOKA IN THE WINTER SEASON. IT WAS THE VERY REASON THE MUSKOKA WINTER CARNIVAL, WAS CREATED IN THE FIRST PLACE, BACK IN THE EARLY 1970'S; EVEN THE PROVINCE WAS ON BOARD, AS A FUNDING AGENT, TRYING TO BROADEN THE REGIONAL ECONOMY BEYOND THE RIGOROUS TWO MONTHS OF TOURIST TRADE. THE BROAD WINTER CARNIVAL EVENT, COVERING THE THREE MAJOR TOWNS, WAS SCHEDULED OVER MORE THAN SEVEN DAYS, AND WAS VERY AMBITIOUS FOR ITS TIME. IT DIDN'T WORK THEY WAY IT WAS INTENDED. WINTER IS NOT AS ATTRACTIVE ON THE MUSKOKA LAKES AND VICINITY, AS JULY AND AUGUST, AND THAT HAS TO DO WITH MOTHER NATURE AND SOCIETY'S INTERESTS IN REST AND RELAXATION.
AFTER QUITE A FEW YEARS ON HIATUS, THE WINTER CARNIVAL REBOUNDED, HERE IN GRAVENHURST, THANKS TO SOME STALWART VOLUNTEERS, AND OUR BOYS, FEELING PROUD OF THEIR TOWN, EVEN WROTE AND PERFORMED "THE SKOKIE SONG," SEVERAL YEARS AGO, AS A GIFT TO THE WINTER CARNIVAL COMMITTEE, TO USE FOR THEIR PROMOTION. I WROTE MANY BLOGS SEVERAL YEARS AGO, AS WELL, PROMOTING THE EVENT AND THE "SKOKIE" SONG, AND REJOICING THE FACT WE HAD A MID WINTER EVENT THAT WOULD CENTRE PART OF ITS RECREATIONAL PROGRAMS ON THE MAIN STREET OF TOWN.....AT THE OPERA HOUSE AND IN THE SQUARE. WE ALL GOT INTO THE SPIRIT OF THE EVENT, DECORATING OUR BUSINESS WITH PAST CARNIVAL MEMORABILIA, AND SUZANNE BEGAN KNITTING ORANGE AND WHITE WINTER WEAR, TO AUGMENT THE CELEBRATION OF FEBRUARY IN MUSKOKA. WE THOUGHT IT WAS A WONDERFUL WAY TO BRING FOCUS BACK TO THE MAIN STREET, AT A TIME OF YEAR, WHEN WE NEED IT MOST. BUT IN THE SPIRIT OF NEVER LEAVING WELL ENOUGH ALONE, OF WHICH WE EXCEL IN THIS TOWN, POLITICS APPARENTLY GOT IN THE WAY OF ANOTHER GRAVENHURST EVENT. APPARENTLY SKOKIE ACTIVITIES WILL NOT BE QUITE SO PROMINENT ON THE MAIN STREET, AS IN PREVIOUS YEARS, AND I'M NOT EVEN SURE THE OPERA HOUSE WILL BE A CENTRE OF ANYTHING MORE THAN DUST BUNNIES BUNCHING IN ITS CORNERS. WE WEREN'T ASKED FOR OUR CONCERNS ABOUT THIS RE-LOCATION, AS MEMBERS OF THIS BUSINESS ASSOCIATION, AND ISSUES OF ROAD CLOSURES, OF WHICH WOULD HAPPEN RIGHT IN FRONT OF OUR SHOP. WE WOULD HAVE SUPPORTED THE WINTER CARNIVAL IN THIS REGARD, AND KEEPING SKOKIE A MAIN STREET ENTITY. LIKELY EXPLAINING WHY WE WEREN'T ASKED FOR AN OPINION. INSTEAD, AT LEAST WHAT WE HAVE ACQUIRED IN STREET TALK, SKOKIE WILL ONLY BE PERMITTED TO FROLIC GAINFULLY, AT GULL LAKE PARK AND THE WHARF. WHAT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A COMMERCIAL INCENTIVE IN THE OFF-SEASON, FOR AN UPTOWN IN NEED, HAS UNFORTUNATELY BECOME THE CASUALTY OF THE TYPICAL POLITICAL GAMESMANSHIP, WE HAVE COME, UNFORTUNATELY, TO EXPECT AS A MATTER OF MODERN ERA TRADITION. SKOKIE, THE OTTER, THE VICTIM. YOU WON'T READ ABOUT THIS ON THE FRONT PAGES OF THE LOCAL MEDIA. WHY NOT?
WHAT WOULD MR. COCKBURN AND HIS CONTEMPORARIES FEEL ABOUT THE GRAVENHURST OF 2013-14? WHAT IF HE HAD BEEN FORCED TO DEAL WITH THE PRESENT TOWN COUNCIL, AND BUSINESS COMMUNITY, BACK IN THE YEARS 1865-66? WOULD HE HAVE BEEN FRUSTRATED TO THE POINT OF WITHDRAWING HIS INVESTMENT, AND HEADING ELSEWHERE TO DEVELOP INDUSTRY? ME THINKS HE WOULD HAVE STOOD HIS GROUND AND FOUGHT LIKE HELL TO DEVELOP HIS PLANS NONE THE LESS. THE PROBLEM TODAY, SO FEW OF US ARE WILLING ANYMORE, TO MAKE THE EFFORT TO FIGHT FOR A RETURN TO TRUE DEMOCRACY.....BECAUSE POLITICS BEHIND THE SCENES, HAS DESTROYED A LOT OF WHAT VISIONARIES HAVE LAID DOWN FOR OUR BENEFIT. WHEN I HEAR AND READ ABOUT RETAILERS HAVING A TOUGH TIME OUT THERE, I UNDERSTAND THEIR CHAGRIN, BECAUSE IT IS SOMETHING WE SHARE. BUT LIKE MANY OTHER BUSINESS VENTURES WITH TENURE, WE LEARNED A LONG TIME AGO TO DIVERSIFY AND EXPAND OUR OPERATIONS, TO FACILITATE OUT OF TOWN BUSINESS, BOTH IN PERSON AND ONLINE. IT'S THE ONLY WAY. WE NOW HAVE THIRTY PERCENT PLUS, OF OUR MONTHLY BUSINESS, COMING AS A DIRECT RESULT OF ONLINE NETWORKING. WE ARE BECOMING WELL KNOWN IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY PARTICULARLY, BECAUSE OF THIS OUTREACH BEYOND WHERE WE RESIDE ON THE BUSINESS MAPPING.
THE GOOD NEWS, IS THAT WE ARE ATTRACTING A LOT OF OUT OF TOWN CLIENTS, WHO ARE TRAVELLING REGULARLY FROM SOUTHERN ONTARIO, AND EVEN THE NEAR NORTH, AS WELL AS FROM CONSIDERABLE DISTANCES, EAST AND WEST, TO PICK UP ITEMS THEY HAVE PURCHASED ONLINE VIA ALL OUR SOCIAL MEDIA CONNECTIONS. THEY WANT TO SEE WHAT ELSE WE HAVE, AND WHEN THEY'RE FINISHED BROWSING AND SOCIALIZING, WILL ASK US ABOUT THE OTHER SHOPS IN TOWN, AND SEEK OUR RECOMMENDATIONS ABOUT GOOD PLACES TO DINE. SO WE SEE FIRST HAND, WHAT CAN BE DONE, WHEN BUSINESSES AND THE SERVICE INDUSTRY WORK TOGETHER TO HELP EACH OTHER. WE DON'T EXPECT THE TOWN OF GRAVENHURST OR ITS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT MOVERS AND SHAKERS, WILL EVER SEE A BUSINESS LIKE OURS AS A GOING CONCERN, OR EVEN TAKE THE TIME TO VISIT OUR SHOP. WE'VE MOVED ON! WHAT WE CARE MOST ABOUT, ARE THE POSITIVE RESULTS WE'RE GETTING. LET'S FACE IT, THIS IS WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT. WE'RE HERE TO RUN A PROFITABLE BUSINESS, AND WE DO TAKE INSPIRATION FROM THOSE LEGENDS OF OUR TOWN HISTORY, LIKE MR. COCKBURN, WHO WASN'T THWARTED BY MAN OR NATURE TO MAKE HIS MARK.....TO BRING HIS VISION OF FUTURE PROSPERITY TO FRUITION. WE SHOULD, IN THIS COMMUNITY, GIVE MORE RESPECT TO THE SUCCESS STORIES FROM OUR PAST, BECAUSE THEY ARE JUST AS VIABLE IN MANY WAYS, AS THEY WERE THEN.....IN PROPORTION TO NEEDS AND DEMAND.
THE POLITICAL NONSENSE, AND WHERE IT MIGHT HAVE COME FROM, OF BOOTING SKOKIE OFF THE MAIN STREET? YOU BE THE JUDGE. GOOD FOR BUSINESS? OR JUST PLAIN DUMB? WHAT WOULD OUR BUSINESS LEADERS OF THE PAST HAVE SAID?
A LOT OF OUR FRIENDS IN THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY, ARE JUST HAPPY TO RUN THEIR ENTERPRISES, AND SECURE WHAT EVER MARKET SHARE THEY CAN, AND REFUSE TO GET INVOLVED IN THE POLITICS OF THE DAY WHATEVER THEY MAY BE, AND WHEREVER THEY COME FROM. WE OURSELVES HAVE THE MINDSET OF ENJOYING THE CHRISTMAS SEASON, REGARDLESS WHAT OTHER NONSENSE IS GOING ON, AND HAVING A BALL MEETING-UP WITH OUR OLD FRIENDS AND LONG-TIME CUSTOMERS, SOME WE ONLY SEE WHEN THEY COME HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS TO VISIT FAMILY. WE HAVE RESPECT FOR TRADITION, AND WE OPERATE ONE OF THE MOST TRADITIONAL ENTERPRISES IN MUSKOKA. OUR CLERKS ARE ALL FAMILY MEMBERS, AND OUR MUSKOKA VALUES GO BACK TO 1863, WHEN KIN FOLK SETTLED THESE HERE PARTS. SO IF YOU THINK WE'RE BEING A LITTLE FORWARD WITH OUR CRITIQUE, AND SHAMELESSLY BOASTFUL ABOUT BEING LOCAL IN EVERY SENSE OF THE WORD, YOU CAN TRUST US WHEN WE SAY OUR STRENGTH AND INSPIRATION, COMES FROM DECADES OF FAMILY EXPERIENCE, RUNNING SMALL BUSINESSES, IN THE HAMLETS AND TOWNS OF MUSKOKA. OUR PRIORITY IS TO SERVE OUR CUSTOMERS, NO MATTER WHERE THEY COME FROM. WE DON'T ANSWER TO THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY, OR GET ALL EXCITED AND OPTIMISTIC ABOUT THE TOWN'S PLANS FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.
THERE'S A LOT TO BE LEARNED FROM OLD TIME BUSINESS VALUES IN THIS COMMUNITY. THEY'RE AS GOOD TODAY AS THEY WERE THEN. IMAGINE ALL THOSE BRAVE BUSINESSES THAT SERVED THROUGH TWO WORLD WARS AND THE GREAT DEPRESSION. DAMN RIGHT WE CAN LEARN FROM THEM. AND WE HAVE!
PLEASE CONSIDER THE VALUE OF SHOPPING LOCALLY. THERE ARE MANY TOP-NOTCH RETAILERS, RESTAURANTS AND SERVICE INDUSTRIES THAT GET TOP RATINGS FOR THEIR CUSTOMER ACCOMMODATION, YET FAIL TO GET THE LOCAL SUPPORT THEY DESERVE. IT USED TO BE THAT PRIDE IN OUR HOMETOWN WOULD KEEP RESIDENTS SPENDING THEIR SHOPPING BUDGET LOCALLY.....AT LEAST A PORTION OF THE BUDGET ANYWAY. THERE'S NO RULE YOU HAVE TO SHOP LOCAL, BUT WE ALL HAVE TO LIVE WITH THE DEPLETED BUSINESS SECTOR, AS THE NEGATIVE SPIN-OFF OF NEGLECT. WE SHOP LOCALLY FROM OUR CARS TO OUR APPLIANCES, AND EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN, AND STILL MANAGE TO OFFER A FEW BUCKS TO OUT OF AREA BUSINESSES IN OTHER COMMUNITIES WE TRAVEL. BUT I NEVER WANT IT TO BE SAID OF OUR FAMILY, THAT WE DON'T SUPPORT LOCAL BUSINESS. BY THE WAY, WE DON'T DO SO OUT OF A SENSE OF OBLIGATION. WE SHOP LOCALLY BECAUSE OUR NEEDS ARE MET BY LOCAL ENTERPRISES. WHAT MORE CAN YOU ASK FROM A BUSINESS COMMUNITY? NOW IT'S TIME TO CONSIDER WHAT GOOD WE COULD DO FOR THE SAME COMMUNITY, BY LETTING LOCAL BUSINESSES HAVE A SHOT AT FILLING OUR NEEDS FIRST.....NOT JUST AS AN AFTER-THOUGHT.
AND BY THE WAY, MERRY CHRISTMAS.
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