COVID-19 has negatively affected a lot of people over the course of this past year. Not only has it made everything difficult, but it changed some people’s lives forever.
We’ve lost loved ones, friends, social activities, and local businesses have lost so much money and business here in Asheville. At the start of the pandemic, local businesses had to shut down due to state regulations and did not know when they would be able to open back up. The owners lost so much money, and many employees of those businesses had to be let go.
It has been a very difficult time for everyone, but with the release of vaccines, we are starting to see some hope. Even though vaccines are being pushed out, and things are slowly starting to go back to normal, local businesses need our help and support now more than ever as some open back up with limited space.
— Isaac Elliott
Swannanoa
I had a conversation recently with a young mother telling me of her recent meet up with a friend in Asheville. The meet up occurred at a small brewery, followed by a walk along the river, experiencing a sunny day – mothers and children.
She then told me about being pan handled aggressively along the river with her small child present. There was no police presence around hinting that this is now an expected part of “Experience Asheville”.
She now says, “no more will I take my child to downtown Asheville”.
I hope you achieve your goal for small businesses to flourish once again in Asheville. Common sense should tell us we need dollars to flow in to Asheville to support commerce, fair taxation, and economic development to lift people up. I remember what Asheville was like in the mid-1970’s. It wasn’t pretty.
Shouldn’t Asheville be known as a place where mothers feel safe bringing their children, as well as other citizens? Would that not help small businesses to flourish?