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11/4/2008 - Moments with Martha Moments with Martha by Martha Green The long, hot summer is all but over now. And guess what–its almost time to start thinking about the holidays! Dare I mention it???? Given the economic crunches we are all experiencing, I wonder what the holidays will bring. The situation makes me remember back to late June and July when it seemed that so many of our downtown stores started to close. I have a business in Redlands; come to think of it, it seems that I have always had a business of some sort here. I opened Martha Green’s Cooking Things in 1974, and a few years later I opened Underpinnings, a fine lingerie store. I guess my kitchen store was a little ahead of its time, and in the mid ‘80s I started a new career in real estate. I also moved my lingerie store to State Street. Yes, the parking was just the same as it is now. “They have got to do something about this parking,” I thought to myself – and that, my friends, was in 1985. We live in a small, wonderful town, and it hasn’t changed all that much over the years. Certainly there has been a lot of growth, and, yes, we now have the Doughnut Hole with its large chain stores and restaurants. I look at it this way: I never shopped exclusively in downtown Redlands. I like discount stores – who doesn’t? But now, instead of going to another town to DSW, I can put the tax dollars to work here in our town. As my friend Jane Myer has pointed out, “Our downtown is not “dead” just because we have lost a few businesses.” There are many of us that are alive and well. I cannot concern myself with the big box stores; I don’t have their budget, their space, or their parking. But I do have the ability to make my business the very best it can be. You can’t find food in the Doughnut Hole that tastes like my food. You can’t get a sandwich like they make at Brisket’s or a burrito like the one Oscar’s serves. Few places offer the gorgeous giftware or clothing that J. D. Myers carries. Redlands Beauty Center is as fine a spa as I have ever been to – and I have been all over this world. Southern charm just embraces you when you walk in the door of Show Stoppers; they treat you like family and have merchandise I have never seen anywhere else. Kissui is the most up-to-date children’s clothing store I have ever visited. Gourmet Pizza is the best pizza in the world, and Bill and Patty have done more for the youth of this town than most people even know. Places like Celebrate Redlands and Mozart’s are a haven for women who want that special accessory for their home or themselves, or a gift that is sure to please anyone. I have mentioned only a few of the wonderful businesses that our downtown has to offer. We all need your patronage and support! Finally, I’d like to suggest inviting a good friend out to tea. In these trying economic times, give yourself the gift of time with someone you love and let all your troubles float away with the tea leaves. Back |
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