The one where I actually get semi-serious for once

Why is it that with progress there is usually a negative impact?

aka the opposite of progress

We get big box stores, like Wallie World, that make shopping easier and faster and cheaper, but then the "little man" gets pushed out and usually ends up going out of business because he can't compete with all of the perks that go with the big box store

Like in Alan Jackson's song, The Little Man (link embedded to see the video of the song)

Every time I hear that song I think of all that businesses that no longer exist because of a box store

Or in the movie You've Got Mail with Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks

And maybe I'm just a little sensitive to that point because my business is a little man business

It's something that Papa Smurf built, from a little 2 acre lot to where we are now with what feels like 5 million times the space that we had

and yet it still sometimes doesn't feel like enough room

at least in some parts of the business

Luckily we were here long enough before Wallie World that we're not impacted too much by them

But we still are

Wallie World, Home Depot, Lowe's, Costco...

But we do have a loyal customer following, which is nice

And there still are plenty of people out there that would prefer to buy plants from an actual nursery, which is nice

And it's people like that that keep us "little men" in business

And for those people I am very grateful

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that I never shop at Wallie World or those kind of stores

I do

I'm a big fan of Amazon

And I know a lot of times there are no other choices

 I just hate seeing all those business getting kicked out because of another store

S O R R Y...

I'll get off my soap box

That is so not where I was going when I started this post

and I hope I didn't upset anyone with my little rant....

They're doing road construction on our main road in this area right now

It just so happens to be the street our business is on

They're widening the road, fixing it up, etc

And while I'm all for a bigger road because then I don't have to deal with traffic as much 

or at least that's what they train us to think....I really don't believe it makes that big of a difference

I hate what usually comes with it

Lining State Street (the road they're widening) were these HUGE trees

I mean really

They've been there for a very, very long time

...

Well, thank you Google Earth

I can show you what I mean

Big, tall, happy trees that helped shade those houses and businesses from the setting sun

But they no longer exist

And it just makes me sad

It makes the street look naked

My niece was here the other day and said: "Why'd they chop down all those trees? It looks so empty"

And then my nephew said: "They cut down wildlife for roads. Nice"

I get that progress has to happen

I get that it's good and important

I just hate the negative side effects