Wednesday, February 25, 2004

‘Red light’ store is local kind needed

Carolyn Cary describes a Fayetteville of 38 years ago that I wish I knew. There are just enough vestiges of this city’s charming past to make one realize that something quite special has been swept away by the city’s growth.

Having lived here only seven years, I am afraid I am a part of the problem, as the overabundance of hastily-built subdivisions were installed and the roads widened for the likes of me.

Natives must lament the many changes, including the loss of a real sense of community. Fayetteville is going, or has gone, the way of so many smaller towns, especially those within range of a major metro area.

Not long ago I was in the area of the square, and squinted to try to imagine it as it might have been just a couple of decades ago: Narrower streets? Little vehicular traffic? Pedestrian traffic to and from local merchants? Perhaps a good diner for hot coffee and juicy local gossip?

But, alas, the city has become a bedroom community for Atlanta. And the Wal-Marts, Targets and Home Depots have supplanted so many of the locally owned businesses which have been outmatched by these monsters.

These days, one large suburban area in America is indistinguishable from another. Each has its mandatory Applebees, Barnes and Noble, Wal-Mart (the very fortunate ones have a SUPER Wal-Mart), Best Buy, and, of course, all the fast food chains.

Shopping the Pavilion, I might as well be in Denver or Fort Myers or Pittsburgh. It is all the same. There is no local character.

It is good to see a few small locally-owned businesses hanging on, especially in the square, where historic buildings might instead be converted into law offices or the like.

The music store that gave Ms. Cary offense is just such a business. With all of the flap about sign ordinances these days, I suppose it was inevitable that someone complain about some of the displays in the store front.

But this is an individually and locally owned “mom and pop” music store of the sort that I seek out when I am in other small towns. They feature a unique, hand-picked inventory that one could not find at, say, that Wal-Mart of musical merchandise, Guitar Center.

Fayette Music Merchants is precisely the sort of local business that stands between Fayetteville and the characterless cookie-cutter suburb that it so threatens to become.

I aim to encourage and support this and other fine local businesses. Now if only there was a good diner on the square for hot coffee and local gossip ....

Mark D. Linville, Sr.

Fayetteville, Ga.