Liberty Leader Takes A Look At Our Small Town Business With writing the story about the Liberty Hardware changing hands it made me ponder the future of our downtown small towns. These towns I mention are Liberty, Staley, Snow Camp, Julian and Climax. These are the towns many have grown up and lived in. Yet several small business falls to the malaise of the large out-of-town mega store. I always feel a little bit cheated when this happens because I make a deliberate point of using such small shops and businesses in preference to the larger enterprises - but then I also realize that I'm probably in the minority these days. Of course, we all know why small businesses like these close down - it's because they can't compete on price with the big boys. But then again the big boys can't compete on service. My profession is an eclectic mix of crafts. There are times when I have to take on the role of an drafter, a newspaper boy, a community volunteer at Celebrate Liberty's Children, a board member at the Chamber of Commerce, a husband/dad, a home owner, ..even a friend. In order to carry out my work I need a vast array of resources in small quantities, readily available at a moment's notice. There's simply no way I could even begin to consider stocking the vast selection of odds and ends I'm likely to need, so I rely on a collection of other small businesses to retain the stock instead - and when one of them disappears I soon begin to feel the effects. It comes to something when I have to drive miles out of town just to buy a box of paper to run my newspaper on, or phone someone up in Asheboro or Greensboro just to order that special item needed. Not only that, but you don't get the personal service - or those little cameos of interaction that brighten up one's day. For instance - one of the area hardware shop had a poster on the wall exhorting the value of 'protective footwear'. It did this quite graphically, with a grizzly picture of a horribly crushed foot. When I first saw it I remarked how unpleasant a sight it was first thing on a Monday morning - and one of the guys behind the counter said "You're lucky - my lunch looks like that". This was closely followed by the other guy piping up with "Oh yeah? My wife looks like that!". Priceless! The best you can expect in a mega store ( if you can find anyone to talk to in the first place ) is a plaintive "I'll have to find someone who knows". Last time I was in one of these stores I noticed a spotty shop-assistant who appeared to be at a loose end, so I buttonholed him and asked him if he had a pipe stretcher in stock ( PS. there's no such thing! ). He asked me what it was for, so I said, completely poker-faced, "For stretching pipes". We then both spent a few minutes examining each others facial expressions. Bless him - every now and again he held up a suitably strange-looking eyebrow and said "I have no idea what you want?". I'm not completely heartless , I went on to tell him when I first started working at Carolina Steel in Greensboro, that was the first trick they pulled on the new guy and I looked and asked for hours before I figured out that it did not exist. Yes you are thinking correct, this was a young high school gentleman. But it's not just about the personal service you get from a small store, it's about flexibility...and a detailed knowledge of the stock. There can't be many mega stores that allow you to try out expensive tools for a few days, or buy single screws . Small shops are often run by enthusiastic owners - you can take in a small piece of metal, slap it on the counter and tell them that you want something like it, but longer, in brass and with a little curve just about there. Nine times out of ten they'll nip out back, and after a couple of minutes scuffling about - punctuated by the odd "Now I know I've seen something like that" - return with something that'll do the job. Even better, you can often spend a good ten minutes describing in some detail a certain kind of 'thingamabob' that fits onto another kind of 'widget' and allows a sort of 'doo-dah' to dangle off it until such times as the 'thingamabob' is given a quick tug and the 'widget' locks it in place...sort of thing - at which point you'd be told, quite authoritatively, that what you want is a self-locking deck cleat...and probably asked if you wanted it in black or galvanized. More often than not the shopkeeper is a mine of useful information too, and having explained how you intend to modify and use the thing you're buying they'll nearly always have some pertinent advice to share - even if it's an "Oooh, I wouldn't do that if I were you!" If you're extremely lucky you'll find that any customers hanging around will pitch in too. These places are often frequented by other craftsmen. These conversations can throw up reams of information, much of it gleaned through first-hand experience. Have a care though, you can't rush these things - there's a natural order for the ceremony of the 'Passing of the Skills'.
The 'Passing the Skills' is conducted with reverence - each speaker is required to give forth his "penny's worth". Pens or pencils may be drawn, the better to point at various articles - if someone borrows your pen it is not considered polite to ask for it back. If you have enough time the next stage that follows begins with him saying "Of course, back in my day..." or "Now that reminds me of when...". All of this is brought to a close by the hearty cries as '"See you when it breaks", "Don't forget your Skyhooks" and "If in doubt, beat to fit and paint to match." Buying from your big name stores will never be quite so much fun again...once you know now how much pleasure and memories you can build at your local hometown merchants.
| Promotion At Liberty Police
Jerry Brown, Chief of Police, Liberty Police Department, Liberty, N.C. is pleased to announce the promotion of Christopher S. Reed, to the position of Police Corporal. Officer Reed had to undergo a written examination and an assessment review board to be considered for the promotion. The promotion is effective March 1, 2007. The promotion will place Corporal Reed in a supervisory role of daily law enforcement duties and departmental goals directed to Community Policing. Officer Reed has been a law enforcement officer for over twelve years with experience in police patrol functions, community policing and has specialized training in certified speed measuring devices, ASP baton certification, School Resource Officer, TASER devices certification and is a chemical breath test certified operator. Liberty Police Department currently has an allocation of ten sworn law enforcement officers, one reserve police officer and one office assistant.
New Addition To Center Welcome Aboard—Frances Martin New Assistant Director for Liberty Senior Center which is located in the Roy C . Rietzel Building in Liberty . Many already know Frances from her many loving acts of kindness she sheds upon the local community. From all the children that has passed through her loving hands as she worked as an assistant kindergarten teacher for Annette Euless at Liberty Elementary School. She is well known for all the work she performs for her church at St Stephens Church and the area community. The Liberty Senior Center is in good hands with their new addition.
| Celebrate Liberty’s Children seeks applicants for mural painting
Celebrate Liberty’s Children, Liberty’s local Smart Start planning committee, is seeking applications for completion of a mural painting for the hallways of the Liberty Early Childhood Center. The group was recently awarded a grant of $1,000 by the North Carolina Arts
Council, which provided the funding through the Randolph Arts Guild, for the project. To apply to be the mural painter, a one-page application form must be completed with the following information:
· Your interest in painting the mural.
· The design you propose. Give a brief, narrative description of your ideas and feel free to include basic drawing concepts as needed on extra pages.
Applicants should adhere to the theme, “Bridging the Past to the Present.”
· An outline of your supply budget.
Application forms are available through Jennifer Mendoza, Program Coordinator for the Liberty Early Childhood Center. Applications may be
picked up at the Liberty Early Childhood Center or may be emailed. Email requests should be sent to jmendoza@randolph.k12.nc.us The deadline for submissions is April 7, 2007. Completed applications should be mailed in hard copy form to Jennifer Mendoza,
P.O. Box 1009, Liberty, NC 27298. Questions should be directed to Ms. Mendoza at 622-8282 or emailed to the address noted above.
Celebrate Liberty’s Children began in 2000 as a core group of committed Liberty area residents and was created to put in place and maintain programs that support children and families in their earliest years of development. The group was instrumental in the renovations to the building, which now houses the Liberty Early Childhood Center, and is one of several Randolph County Partnership for Children community teams working to meet the needs ofyoung children and their families. |