I was talking to a friend the other day about our town and he referred to how, here, like most places, if you don’t use things, you lose them. It got me thinking about that saying – Use It or Lose It. It’s a good one. And so especially relevant to present times.
Tenuous is a word that comes to mind for me on a regular basis. Not just because it’s a great word. But that feeling of something being vulnerable, weak, thin – that is a feeling I often have being in the independent book store business. I also often think that it is how my business is perceived by many in my community. People who haven’t been to the store in a while, will say to me – “You’re still here!” Or, “I wasn’t sure if you’d still be here.” Or something to that effect. It bums me out every time. I can’t imagine its very good energy going towards Bee Hive if people expect it to fail.
And yet, people are just responding to the reality of the way things are. We are living in a time in which it takes conscious effort for small establishments to be sustained. Actually – any brick and mortar business, not just the small kind.
And so when my friend mentioned Use It or Lose It to me the other day, it really hit home for me. Can we be mindful enough to save our Main Streets? Can we get back to a place where it isn’t a surprise when the locally owned business you haven’t been to in a while is, indeed, still there? Will physical store fronts be relevant when our kids are grown-ups?
If we get lazy and take the easy way out and expect that other people will carry things enough that they won’t go away – they will go away.
I am not writing this up on a soapbox as an independent book store owner. I am writing this as a resident of a small town that often sees places – favorite, beloved places – go away. I am actually writing this in response to the reminder that, if we get lazy and take the easy way out and expect that other people will carry things enough that they won’t go away – that they will go away.
We are not experiencing a time in which independent, local, community-building – is valued or supported at a higher level. In fact, we are very much at a place where the bigger you are – the bigger you become. Everyone else is at a pretty high risk of disappearing.
And so, I believe it is up to us to be in this together. To be aware. To be mindful of the places – restaurants, shops, theaters, art spaces – that keep our communities, our shared experiences, our daily interactions rich with connection, surprise, depth, and memorable moments.
If we don’t use these places, they will disappear. No one, no thing has their backs or is looking after them.
But us.
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