Eraser Marks

I read an eloquently written essay the other day about the power that bigger corporate businesses can have in causing smaller, local ventures to go out of business.  It's as if the larger interests simply erase the smaller ones.  I got to thinking about the many small businesses that grace our lovely downtown shopping districts and the risks and rewards that those shop owners must experience.  Not too long ago, I drove through a city whose downtown shopping district had been all but obliterated, replaced with a new shopping district comprised of well-known, larger stores located on the fringes of the city limits.  One recent Saturday afternoon, Larry and I walked through our downtown when our courthouse square was brimming with vibrant shops and eateries, as well as street entertainers, music, food and craft vendors.  Our downtown has a wonderful energy to it and it was particularly energetic that Saturday during its autumn fair on the square.  I could see no eraser marks in our downtown that day.  Nearly every storefront was filled with the creative expressions of retailers selling their wares and the street was packed with people who chose to shop there.