With a slew of businesses closing down in recent weeks, we remind residents that they maintain a lot of power through their purchasing decisions. We have the capacity to shape the commercial and retail landscape of the Garden Isle by
With a slew of businesses closing down in recent weeks, we remind residents that they maintain a lot of power through their purchasing decisions.
We have the capacity to shape the commercial and retail landscape of the Garden Isle by deciding what types of companies and mom-and-pop shops to support.
A local favorite in Lihu‘e, Borders Books and Music last week announced its plans to shut down by the end of April. The store’s closure means some 40 employees — Kaua‘i community members — are now searching for jobs. Some had been with the company since it opened 16 years ago.
Borders is not a library. Yes, it can be enjoyable to find a comfortable chair there, grab a cup of coffee at the adjoining Seattle’s Best (now closed) and sift through a new bestseller or magazine.
But we can’t just take advantage of their electricity and offerings without buying something. No, this doesn’t mean every time we set foot in a store we have to fork over some dough.
But Borders was more than a cool place to hang out. It was a business providing local jobs and by far the best selection of new books and music on island.
If we simply go there to chill out and sample their goods, only to return home and buy them on amazon.com, the unsurprising result is the store’s forced closure.
Sure, we can find some books and CDs cheaper online. But spending a couple extra bucks at the brick-and-mortar store means keeping jobs and money circulating in the local economy.
We can help each other — our friends and neighbors, our aunties and uncles — by spending our hard-earned dollars at Kaua‘i businesses.
Or not. But we’ll all have to endure the consequences here from the minimal savings we find elsewhere.
Let’s face it, Kaua‘i is an expensive place to live and conduct business. As businesses, we have an even greater responsibility if we want Kaua‘i to remain the island we cherish.
We hope this is a clear wake-up call for the importance of supporting businesses that are Kaua‘i-minded. Let’s join together to support each other, maintain and grow jobs, and keep Kaua‘i, Kaua‘i. Or, let’s continue to count the number of businesses that used to be.
