Date: Sun, 13 Dec 2009 16:55:14 -0500
From: Tom Glendinning
Subject: regarding the vendors at the old Ford location
Two points on this topic:
1. The owners of the former Ford & Chevrolet dealership lots may rent to whosoever they wish, as long as state vending privileges are observed. Both of these lots represent fifty years of service to the community as Cooper Harris Ford and Justice Motors (Weiland & Webster.) Any income that they can garner should be OK with most of us. I expect that the small rental from such vendors will not pay taxes. Each of these businesses supported the community with products and services for decades. Do we offer the owners, once stalwarts of our community, anything during these hard times? Or do we just say “too bad,” and “that’s business.”
2. The entreprenurial spirit is what made this nation great and our economy flourish. Competition is the motivator. The small sales made by these vendors should not hurt a well established business. If it does, the strategy and performance of the current businesses may need revising.
I sold vegetables at a roadside stand many years ago. The opportunity to do so encouraged me to open businesses later. Now, the site is closed. Chapel Hill decided it was not a good idea. The farmers and other vendors made a good living there. The farmers had a chance to sell their produce. Now, they do not, and must accept low wholesale prices and the occasional half day framer’s market.
If one member of a community is weakened, everyone is weakened to a degree. The same holds true for the economy.
Tom Glendinning