Milwaukee Small Businesses

Another post from elsewhere that I decided beared re-printing.

I think one of the defining characteristics of Milwaukee is that it has such a small town feel. People tend to be more loyal to small companies. When places like Starbucks came in, a lot of people were worried that they would drive other places out of business, but so many people were fiercely anti-big business that Starbucks was able to co-exist next to places like Fuel and Stonecreek. (My two favorite places for coffee although Anodyne has some good brews) And even though I like the small businesses, I have no moral qualms about stopping in at Starbucks for a fancy coffee every once in a while (or as I like to call them, a meal in a cup)

For myself, this kind of fiercely loyal attitude to the small business has had repercussions. I can't enjoy myself in any gaming shop because I compare every single one to Napoleon's. I am forever wrecked for game stores because of them. I like the Barrister, it's a good store and he seems to care about games and I like Cudahy News and Hobby, although that moved and now it's Somewhere Else News and Hobby. But I find myself going to Half-Price Books just to see Franz and Jason working in a store. Some of my favorite times were just going into Napoleon's and sitting there for hours listening to nerds argue about the things that nerds argue about. Every year my birthday present to myself usually came from there. Napoleon's is an excellent example (at least for myself) of how a local business can inspire loyalty that is ultimately detrimental.

I shop at Target. Where else am I going to buy the things I get at Target like jeans or t-shirts? Target serves a purpose. It fills a role. I wouldn't go there to buy books or coffee. But that's not the role it fills for me. I do think it's important to choose a place like Target as opposed to Walmart. Sure, both are chains and both employ people that need jobs. (I think that's an important thing to think about, they might be national faceless chains, but they employ people from our neighborhoods that are just trying to make a living) But people need to send a message to places like Walmart that their employee practices are wrong and the only effective way to do that is with money. And as far as Best Buy, after what happened to my friend recently, I don't want to shop there, but they kind of monopolize the home electronics market. There aren't a lot of options. I'll go to Target instead if I can though.

Supporting local businesses is important. But it needs to be done rationally. I remember when htey wanted to build a Jewel-Osco in Riverwest and a massive protest movement was started to stop it from being built. It was being built on land that was not being used for anything except a place for dog-owners to take their animals somewhere where they didn't have to clean up after them. (No offense to the dog owners here, unless you don't think you need to clean up after your dogs, then you need to step in dog poo every day for the rest of your life but I know the dog owners here are responsible and good pet owners) But the people making the biggest stink were the rich owners of Beans and Barley. (I know because I was working there then) Here was a place that was going to provide jobs for a community that needed jobs that they could get to and provide food at affordable prices and the place with the food at prices that no one could afford were fighting them. These rich people were trying to eliminate competition by saying it was the socially concious thing to do when the reality was that it was rich people looking out for themselves rather than the community.

I hate to see Schwarz's go, but Atomic is representative of another problem with a lot of local businesses. In order to be the definitive experts on music they had to hire the local experts on music and experts of any kind, but particularly music tend to be pompous nobs that make looking for your favorite music feel like you're really bothering them. Then their friends come in and you really feel like you're the turd in the punchbowl. I shopped at Atomic a few times over the years, but I was very happy when Exclusive opened a store in Milwaukee because I was able to shop there instead and they would order anything I wanted. I think places like Atomic go out of business because they're jerks so waa-fuckin-waa. East side institution maybe, I'll just go drown my sorrows in a gyro.

Local businesses that deserve support will always get it. That's how Milwaukee rolls.