This is neither a complaint nor a query, perhaps just a philosophical observation.
It is as important for a city or town to know what and who it is as it is for individuals such as you and I and my neighbour. This is no different for the place I love: Nelson and its surrounding environs. My first view of Nelson was almost 65 years ago when the Hume was the old Hume and when the crossing where the orange bridge now stands was a cable ferry; where some of the streets were not paved; and where the hospital was an old building on High Street. Perhaps only those who grew up here will understand my point.
Over the last 25 years I have observed that many people who live here or come to Nelson do not know what we are. We are a town of some history, of much character; generally of free-wheeling attitudes to life and our neighbours, tolerant of the vicissitudes of others, and with deeply imbued patriotism in those who have left us in times of emergency to serve our country, and in doing so serving our community. What we are not is a big city: we are neither Vancouver nor Calgary, and certainly not Toronto!
Now it boggles the mind why some businesses are started, proposals are made, often to see the tragedies of failure, disappointment and personal loss. How many dress shops, eateries and other small businesses have swallowed the savings of energetic would-be entrepreneurs? How many family homes have been mortgaged and sacrificed to the vain hopes of success in business? True, some have been successful — perhaps one that captures a specific niche or accurately assesses the public need.
Perhaps the common reason is the failure to do a good business case, to properly assess the public hunger or potential of an area to provide a sufficient clientele to let the business live beyond that fatal two-year period when a lack of sufficient revenue results in failure and the calling in of the aspirant’s mortgage to satisfy business debts.
But this characteristic to not know the area well enough is not limited to individuals: witness the case of the old highways works yard that a group of people bought to keep out of the hands of a box store and could not develop a realistic enough proposal to see their hopes succeed. Witness a co-op that has stepped outside of its modest role of serving its members in sharing the savings in the cooperative purchase of consumables.
Instead, it promotes a project that is not true to the original precepts of co-ops. Even if it sells all the units proposed it will no longer be the co-op but a miniaturized real estate deal. And I think we have to be wary of those who come from more heady centres with visions of sugar plums and suckers behind every tree.
It is sad but true. We are not big business. Yes, there is opportunity but the proponents have to do their homework if they are to succeed in what is a small town which, by and large, is already amply served by almost every form of offering. Notice that real entrepreneurs have not seen fit to put a Home Depot, a Costco or any of the others of these aggressive businesses. They know there is only room for one and it is already here.
Maurice A. Rhodes
Nelson
