Cross-posted on the OTR Blog
Why should we be upset when an establishment we don’t frequent closes?
I recently saw a Twitter conversation between two people regarding the closing of Grammer’s in OTR. The twitterers (who will remain nameless) went back and forth with the one (person 1) saying they were sad (for the neighborhood) about the news and the other person (person 2) saying that those who didn’t frequent Grammer’s shouldn’t be upset because they weren’t affected by the closing.
Before I get in to the reasons why person 2’s logic is flawed, let’s establish a few things. Grammer’s was a neighborhood establishment. It had been there for over 130 years and was the only business in that general vicinity.
When ever a neighborhood establishment closes, we should all be saddened. Churches, schools, restaurants, bars, stores, and others all serve to anchor neighborhoods. They provide jobs, services, food, recreation, or other goods for the community’s residents and visitors.
The sudden closing of Grammer’s should sadden everyone for numerous reasons:
- The employees are now unemployed and were given no notice.
- That corner will now be more dangerous with a closed business there and no eyes on the street to police the area.
- The landmark building will now sit vacant, possibly declining in condition as no one monitors it.
- We now have one less business in OTR, a neighborhood working hard to improve its image.
Notice none of these four reasons are “I can’t go there now to enjoy a beer!!” Reasons like this are selfish and have no place in our community. While I didn’t frequent Grammer’s often, I will still miss being able to go there and get a beer. They were one of a few places that had Christian Moerlein’s Barbarossa on tap.
So before you say that people can’t be upset about a business closing because they didn’t go to it, move beyond selfish thinking, and look at how it affects the community and others.
What ever happened to empathy??
