There are a few phrases in this town I hate above all others. They all mean the same thing, but they boil my blood every single time.
The first one is “I miss how Reno USED to be.”
The second one is “Oh no, the (insert place) closed? That SUCKS!”
The third is “This town is starting to suck, there’s nothing here, I’m leaving.”
I think the reason why these rub my kitty fur the wrong way so terribly is the sentiment that they bring. It sounds as if Reno owed someone something. As if you get here, move here, or are born here, and suddenly you walk out your front door and you’re going to be blessed with jobs, entertainment, shopping, hangouts, you name it. Not only is Reno supposed to provide this, but it’s supposed to provide it in a certain manner. Namely, “small business.” “Mom and Pop stores.” Even more so, for “All ages.” Who knows, maybe you came from a larger town, or even visited one recently, and saw the way THEY do things, and perhaps come to say something like, “You know, RENO should do this.”
The good news is, people try. Businesses, clubs (all-ages and otherwise), bars, diners, restaurants, shops of all kinds pop up all the time. GOOD businesses, too! Believe me, I check them out and tell you about them.
They also close at an alarming rate. Not just the businesses that are new, but established businesses, too. This is in the face of people who I hear CONSTANTLY say they wish there were more options than the “big box,” retailer or the chain stores/restaurants. I also hear people complain the shopping and dining in Reno is for shame. I can forgive this, perhaps they came from a larger metropolis, or visited one recently and the “Comparison Devil,” is sitting on their shoulder expecting Reno to do a little more.
Reno in fact does this. Actually, Reno, size for size compared to larger cities and comparing the efforts of similarly-sized cities, kicks the shit out of THEIR efforts a few times over. Sure, Reno has its quirks and problems, but there is nothing this city has or had that couldn’t make most people quite happy.
Yet, two prevailing problems face this situation. People STILL complain at a less-than-comfortable level, and businesses keep closing that really shouldn’t be closing.
Take “Rad Betty’s Fresh Thrift,” for example, which I heard recently was ending its business by the end of April.
Rad Betty’s, a short history, started as a small vintage botique with roots on First Street in downtown, moving and expanding to a location on Booth Street near Reno High school, to be sold to the final owner and moving to its current location on Vesta next to Rapscallion between Wells and Holcomb avenues. The clientele was varied, from drag queens to the Incline Village elite to the Burning Man crew.
With the amount of “vintage-o-philes,” out there, people complaining about the shopping status of Reno, even a competition store rounding out the neighborhood (”Junkee,” clothing and vintage on Virginia street), I can’t, even in a downward economy think of why Betty’s had any reason for closing. Did I mention Rad Betty’s 4 years running best in town?
I visited the owner, Shelly, as I’ve known her for quite a while around Reno. Reno is like that, there’s a lot of people who know people, and have history with them beyond just whatever is happening right now. Names and networking in this small town is made this way, and that can be a blessing or a curse, but largely, I feel it keeps people whole, real and in-touch with this town on a level that is quite special. Shelly worked VERY hard to keep the store clean, relevant and open, but to no avail.
Shelly did express some sadness and disappointment at the store closing. I can understand why, I had a store close on me as well, and it is a heartbreaking experience. Sure, there is lessons that are learned the hard way, economies, methods, things that sometimes can be helped and sometimes not. I do know Shelly, though, and as a hard worker who follows through on what she says she’s going to do. Hell, she did it for at least five years, extending herself quite a bit for the sake of her store, and a pride for Reno that is much like my own. I think there is real disappointment of many things, but the one that probably hits the hardest is the good intentions of those that spoke, those that were supposed to support, that never followed through.
This story is not isolated. Lately, as in the last ten years or so, Reno has been losing a lot of local businesses and “institutions,” that have been around for years.
…and to think, some of us proud ones try so hard! We’re going to buy at the “mom and pop,” store and “local business,” right? We wanted it, they built it! LET’S GO! Right?
Well, no. This isn’t happening, and the results are somewhat obvious.
Reno, whether it is a likening to its big promises of HUGE WINNINGS, has a habit of promising and not following through. Yeah, I’m going to be really blunt about it. I like to outline all the good things that Reno has to offer, so it is time we faced the truth. We’re a bunch of well-meaning liars, sometimes, when it comes down to it. Our city is partially based upon such things, like it or not.
Businesses do not open and close so frequently, business with GOOD ideas and with good plans and overhead, without some kind of problem. The number of people isn’t a problem, but our intentions certainly are.
I realize right now the economy is a big topic on the news and in our minds, we’re not making a lot of money, and sometimes none at all. Recessions are never for long periods of time, usually less than a year or so, and Reno has had this habit for much longer than many people realize. A lot of people wish, dream, talk, even organize, to get something awesome going, and then fail to follow through. They don’t show up to help. They don’t show up for work. They don’t show up to buy, eat, and be a patron.
Suddenly, the place closes down, and the place they maybe went to once, maybe never, maybe MEANT to go to, suddenly close, and there’s a mild uproar.
Are you kidding me?
To be frank here, we’re fucking better than this.
The next time you find yourself lamenting a place closing down, maybe it opened recently or has been around for 60 years, I want you to look at yourself and find out if you could have done something. Could you have? Probably. Do you like eating at chain restaurants, or do you like eating at a local place you can’t find anywhere else? Do you like clothing that you buy at the Mega-Mart, or would you prefer to find locally made and offered threads you probably could only find 400 miles away? Do you like being 16 and not having shit to do besides steal your parent’s beer and play guitar in a garage or would you like a full venue where your band could play AND your friends hang out? Do you want to hang out at a bar in a mall or do you like your local dive or watering hole?
If you like a place, GO THERE. SPEND YOUR MONEY. If you can’t spend money, that’s understandable, but when it comes down to it, your dollar says how you feel about this town. It says how you feel about what you do. It is not only your vote, it is your lifestyle outside your home. If you say you like local, then BUY LOCAL. Hell, START UP a local. If you hang at a bar or an all-ages venue, GO THERE. PLAY THERE, and TAKE CARE OF IT.
Reno does not OWE anyone anything. It might PROMISE a lot, but it is up to YOU to follow through. You do not have a right to bitch, whine and complain when the town starts to “suck,” or cry when your so-called “favorite place,” closes down due to YOU not supporting it.
Almost every single time a local business closes, it is you, the consumer, who has failed. The business did nothing wrong, probably, but if you liked it, and it is gone, you only have yourself to reflect upon. You might not have tried hard enough, maybe it was easier to head to the Mega Mart. Maybe it was $0.26 cents cheaper from the chain. Maybe you just decided it really wouldn’t matter.
I know we’re a small town, and some new huge chain moves in and we’re starry-eyed with wow, but I think we can do better. My contribution is a website that tries its best all by itself (and myself, with the help of excellent friends!) to promote what I can. I am not a rich man, but my dollars count in this town, and I even go a step further and provide what I can. The reason being, I can see my efforts at work whenever my favorite place makes me a local cup of coffee, I buy a shirt, drink a beer, hear a band, buy flowers, a computer– some of my money is paying my neighbors, not some faceless stockholder. Even if conversely I am a faceless stockholder, I am still Reno! And yes, it does matter.
I can only wish Shelly the best of luck in the future, and R.I.P. to Rad Betty’s Fresh Thrift.
On a side note, she’d like to tell you all that it’ll be 50% off entire the stock (meaning, everything that isn’t part of the building) starting Saturday, April 11th. Clothing, fixtures, you name it.
If you are concerned with Reno, want to leave Reno because Reno isn’t blessing you with something, or find yourself wishing it were better, ask yourself today:
“What have I done for Reno?”
Your answer can mean the betterment of this town.
-GR
(Top photo courtesy Duncan Machen)
