This time of year prompts us to reflect on the blessings of living here in the Delta and the joy we feel in our relationships with family, friends, business associates and neighbors.
The River News-Herald and Isleton Journal would like to take this opportunity to wish our community and the communities surrounding us, a new year full of promise. In order for this to happen, we all have to commit to doing everything we can to help promote new businesses and sustain the existing businesses.
Plant your dollars at home. Reap the benefits yourself. You cannot expect Rio Vista or your small river town to support you, if you don’t support them.
It pays to shop at home. We have seen Isleton flourish, and then we have seen it surrender to almost abandoned streets that offered little hope, until recently.
I stopped at Rogelio’s last week and was pleasantly surprised to find many vehicles parked in front of businesses. I did run into Isleton’s Mayor Mark Bettencourt enjoying lunch with a friend. I asked the Isleton Mayor if he felt things were turning around for Isleton.
“Bringing the Cajun Festival back this past year was a step in the right direction, however, I have not seen much improvement though,” said Bettencourt.
In the past few weeks, we have been publishing stories on new businesses opening up along the Delta, which offer much promise to the future state of the success of the towns.
I met with business owners such as 25 Main Street Deli owner Jean Yokotobi, whose business was filled with children and parents anxiously waiting to sit on Santa’s lap and get their picture taken with Santa. These pictures were offered for free to the children.
Catherine Greenup and her husband purchased their home on Main Street in Isleton, which serves also as their business in the lower level of the home. They have opened a flourishing business that also employs a few local residents.
We are speaking of the future of America’s economy for our own little hometowns. I feel the bottom line is supporting our residents and one another in business. The future really relies upon the children and what we teach them.
Our voice is their future. Children have no political voice or lobbying power; therefore, we must be their example and their voice. A community involved in supporting local businesses and involved in supporting youth activities is challenging, but empowering.
You don’t have to be an expert on government or public policy issues to be an effective advocate for our local businesses and youth to be heard. All it takes is an idea, getting the right information and the ability to share your idea with others to gain support.
You can write elected officials to express your opinions and provide information that might help them understand how certain policies are affecting the growth of our communities, our children’s future and/or your business.
Owning a local business and supporting its growth ensures that important decisions are made locally by people who live in the community and who will feel the impacts of those decisions.
When you walk into Wal-Mart, Target or some of these other large chain stores, are you greeted by name? Do they remember exactly how you got your hair cut last month? Or the cute shirt your daughter had on? Do they remember you celebrated your parent’s 50th wedding anniversary? Why do we all love living in these small towns?
I can only speak for myself at this point, but I can say after speaking with others as to why they desire small town living over living in big cities. The most important factor seems to be “it is a great place to raise our children,” or that they enjoy the calmer, slow paced environment that only small towns can offer.
What happens when all these small towns can no longer survive because we are not supporting their growth?
It seems obvious that we do business where we perceive we receive the best value for our time and money. Perceptions, however, are not always accurate when we are lacking some of the essential information for fully informed decisions. We see and hear the omnipresent ads of corporate chains everyday, but are collectively under-informed about the many important values independent businesses provide us individually and as a community.
The River News-Herald & Isleton Journal will be celebrating in Feb. 2012 being in business for all the small Sacramento Delta river towns for 122 years!
It is the oldest business in Rio Vista. The paper, just as any other old business has seen its good days and bad, however, we are here locally and we want to see this paper and all towns prosper to see better days. Let’s all make an effort to support one another in the new year.
Happy New Year valued readers and business partners!
We appreciate your loyalty, support and wish you peace, joy and prosperity in the New Year!
As first published in the River News-Herald & Isleton Journal by Kelly Vassar.
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