Local dollars: Downtown businesses need community's support

Those who start new businesses -- or who try to keep an established one afloat -- are not faint of heart.

They understand the risk, the struggles and the long hours.

They do not complain about the hard work, the money spent or the time away from a regular life.

It is a sacrifice they choose to make in pursuit of a dream or to keep a family legacy alive.

And yet, those who take those chances are often criticized, and sometimes penalized, for having the guts to join the ranks of the entrepreneurs.

And that is a shame. Where would the world be without people who had the courage to pursue a new idea, in spite of the costs and the risks?

Not every business deserves to stay open. Some simply are not good investments or are not managed well.

But they deserve the chance to thrive, to prove to customers they have what it takes to make it.

Most small businesses in this community employ local people, pay local taxes and support local organizations. They are the first to give back to their community -- even when the economy is bad, or even when they are facing struggles themselves.

And that is exactly what is going on now in downtown Goldsboro.

As good as the outcome might be eventually, it is not easy to weather a storm like the one that is buffeting the businesses in the throes of the second phase of Streetscape.

Customers are staying away because of the confusing traffic pattern -- and because they are not sure where to park or how to access the stores and restaurants.

But there is a way to help, to reward those who are taking a chance on the downtown and who are investing in this community's future.

We could all spend a little money downtown.

Take the family out to dinner, do some Christmas shopping, arrange a holiday get-together -- and take a look at what downtown merchants have to offer.

You just might find a gem you did not even know existed.

The men and women who run the businesses along Center Street are trying to be part of keeping downtown Goldsboro healthy and thriving.

They deserve the chance to show the community what they have to offer.

But that won't happen unless we take a chance, too.

And the upcoming holiday season seems like to the perfect time to give these merchants the opportunity.

Published in Editorials on November 10, 2014 10:45 AM