LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Can Tallahassee reward itself a gold medal for the local small business boom claimed by The New Small Business Boom Under the Biden Harris Administration 2021? Or did Tallahassee earn itself a meager participation ribbon for 2021?
While Tallahassee prides itself for promoting initiatives that support local small businesses, Tallahassee has suffered a net loss of so many small business restaurant treasures in 2021. Tallahassee disappeared Cabos, closed Cypress, depth charged The Fisherman’s Wife, and snuffed out Jim & Milt’s.
Will Tallahassee mourn the loss of these family restaurant small businesses? Will Tallahassee wake up before more small business treasures close down, before more shutter their doors, before more faithful employees lose more service jobs, and before more Tallahassee entrepreneurs have suffered.
Can we band together and stop the blood loss? Can we save the lifeblood of our Tallahassee community by spending our dollars as if our small business neighbors depend upon us?
How many Tallahassee small businesses would be saved if Tallahasseeans say no more spending our money at bigger chains, national restaurants, bigger box stores, and bigger tech titan shippers? Imagine if Tallahasseeans consciously supported our local entrepreneurs and their front line service employees by voting with our money everyday?
If we refuse to fully support Tallahassee small businesses by buying local, then Tallahassee should simply say “bye bye” local.
By Eddie Agramonte and Jeremy Cohen
Will Tallahassee Save Local Businesses? added by Staff on
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During the pandemic, I heard a guest on talk radio emphasizing the need to support local business. I was hopeful but then soon saddened to see cars lined up, disrupting traffic at certain chains. I grew up eating mostly at such places, and my family does today despite their displeasure toward many corporations. I get it, it’s fairly predictable food. But I have come to eat mostly local, developing a taste for the variety it offers. I’ve come to know the owners and care for them like neighbors I care about. I don’t think about their “values” beyond what they show me, and their influence can only go so far, anyway. I rarely have the unpleasant experiences I do at many chains, nor the concerns. Maybe it’s just the types of places I like, though. Please consider finding out for yourself if you have been exclusively loyal to corporations.
Tallahassee small businesses don’t even support Tallahassee small businesses. I have been a small business owner in Tallahassee since 1996. On many occasions, I have spoken with area small businesses about carrying my products and I get “We already have a local supplier…from Birmingham or Louisiana. If they are able to get a similar product for a dollar less than what I can charge, they will order from Amazon instead of BUYING LOCAL, as they often quip. Buy local from a Tallahassee business is just a sales gimmick.
Next time you are “buying local” ask who the business uses as suppliers…
As long as Democrats run Tallahassee small business is not their top priority; period.
Biden has been terrible for the small business owner and the Democratic push for $15- per hour will destroy small business as we know it. Heck its $15- easy now for a lunch and we aren’t even at $12- per hour mandate yet… Who do you know that needs $15- per hour for an entry level job while the state starts grads entry level at $12- per our? Imagine $25- for lunch. That will be a reality in 2026 if there’s enough food to go around.
The agenda is clear, the ball is rolling and the worst is yet to come folks.
“Tallahassee prides itself for promoting initiatives that support local small businesses”
Nope.
“Tallahassee prides itself for promoting initiatives that support local WOKE small businesses.”
There. Fixed it for you.
At Lydia Bell:
If the Tallahassee “business enviornment” was a nail and Lydia Bell was a hammer…girl you just hit that corrupt stinky nail on the head!!!
I’m sorry for all the crap you have endured by our local Nannies.
David is correct about the customer service and their owners not being there… That’s why the Chamber of Commerce needs to shut down these out-of-town junkets and put the needed attention into restaurants and small businesses locally to teach them the basics of how to run a business. To direct them to the tools that they need to educate them and train them.
Instead we get political orgy junkets where elected officials spend taxpayers money so they can float around the Buffalo Pool with a Margarita and a Pina Colada, it is disgusting.
I stopped going to many Restaurants because their Customer Service SUCKED. I go back later and nothing changed. The place would be filthy and service slow and the Employee’s always had a bad attitude. Not just restaurants either. Sometimes a small Business needs to close. Of course, I blame the Owners, for not being there to over see the Day to Day operation.
* hacks accounts
The Greater Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce seems to be helping out these small businesses, NOT.
They accept money from the CSC where the CSC director made the decision to give $100,000 to be funnelled into a PR jack’s account (4tlh) to spew political propaganda (for the Mayor and Bellamy).
The CSC director was affiliated with two recently federally indicted associates.
It is appalling, disgusting, and our children are at risk and the CSC director needs to resign immediately.
And the mayor is the first person who should step up and call for the CSC director’s resignation.
Let’s see if the mayor will put the children before his campaign. My guess is no.
What is the most appalling there are a lot of people saying nothing.
“and bigger tech titan shippers?”
What’s the other option? We’ve never had a computer/electronics store worth going to. CompUSA was the closest we’ve had and it was pretty trash. Only carried low end stuff.
Gov should have no part in propping up any business.
Things come and things go, there are other local eateries taking their place.
Lindy’s was one of my favorites, I will miss it, but I will find another favorite.
Pat A ? Agreed wholeheartedly.
A lot of my regular eating-out locations have closed in the last couple of years.
I’ve been eating at Jim and Milt’s since Jim and Milt owned it. At least it closed so Mike could retire to the house instead of his office.
Cabo’s is also gone so that the long-time owner could enjoy his own retirement.
Barnaby’s is gone. The original restaurant was where Hooter’s is today. They opened the second restaurant on the Parkway and it later became their only location. Business was really slow during the pandemic and I’ve wondered if that wasn’t its demise.
La Fiesta recently closed. I didn’t think it was the best Mexican food in town but it wasn’t bad either. They did have some unique dishes and it was quite popular.
And we’ve lost a lot more than just these.
Businesses open and close all the time.
Why should any government be responsible for for anything having to do with private businesses?
Find me a local business that can do what Amazon does, and I will be a customer.
You won’t do this, however, because you can’t.
O/T:
County District #1 has a real contender Mr. Terrence Barber
It’s time for long overdue change for that quadrant CD#1. Wondering if you, Mr. Barber a safe bet.
Our local government does almost absolutely nothing to help small businesses. Instead, massive handouts to attract national/international chains (and most likely greasing their own palms).
I’ll never forget Bryan Desloge putting the cabash on letting go more than $1 million in funds for local businesses during the early pandemic. No way could we eat into that $27 million for the Boosters, right?
Maybe, just maybe, a lot of these businesses would have survived. Or had an opportunity again to get some assistance.
As a small business owner for almost 12 years who’s been contracted on jobs for the city and other governmental agencies, I’ve decided that post-Covid I’m no longer going to be quiet to save face and foster these “opportunities” or “business relationships.” Fact is, they don’t take care of small businesses. They don’t care ultimately what happens to the owners and their true desire is to look good for…umm… I don’t know who. I travel all over the country for work and I don’t care what anyone says, it’s NOT like this everywhere. Tallahassee is absolutely clueless. It’s an oxygen deprived bubble that convinces itself that’s it’s cultured and important. In all reality it’s removed from the rest of the world and only picks up on the buzz words that it hears from the outside and decides that it’s going to label itself with these not even educating itself on what it actually means, much less practicing it. The level of corruption and good old boy societal money rules the hierarchy of even business. FSU cancelling its contract with my business with disgusting belittling and bullying tactics via email such as “oh well. Too bad. We are bigger than you. Good luck.” falls right in line with the same practices as the city’s. For over 6 years the city’s police department has been using my images they hired me to take and never paid for. They’re plastered on their cars and recruiting material. They don’t even bother to respond to the attorney’s whom explain what copyright infringement means. Yes, it’s a crime, TPD. And oh yea… our “art district?” Railroad Square? All their photos and videos used to advertise their multimillion dollar development were nonprofit use of licensed work never paid for and Adam Kaye continues to ignore the suit against him. What kind of love is this for small business? Unless it directly puts money in the pockets of the already rich, it’s not important. So very Tallahassee.
Excellent assessment by Pat A…
Voters must become informed and engaged and drain the swamp.
I hope Tallahassee Reports will publish candidates views, the Tallahassee Democrat has excellent candidate forums that can be viewed online, I hope there will be a Bandwagon which is very informative and numerous other candidate forums.
Voters must erase all the PR gimmicks and publicity stunts and listen and watch these forums. Voters rely too much on candidates TV media and publicity stunts paid for by special interest and this is why we are where we are at today.
Last week Tallahassee Reports had an excellent article giving the views of two candidates in a School Board race.
Yesterday the Tallahassee Democrat had an excellent online forum for the District 3 County Commissioner race.
There are three good candidates in that race and the only way to decide is for the voter to learn what each candidate can bring to the table. Very impressive.
One thing that came out of that forum is that it is not looking good for Mayor Failey.
Voters are catching on to the high crime rate, bowing to special interest developers, fiscal irresponsibility, and water quality is not even on the mayor’s radar.
Great letter Eddie an Jeremy. Kudos to T. R. for publishing the letter.
The answer is no the communitty can not expext elected and other local leaders to be very helpfull in overseeing the Federal money to save small business. The reason is the source of the money and the risk of converting Federal money into financial kickbacks or contributions to local elected officials and leaders.
Any small business needing help will totally be on their own to reaserch and apply for this Federal money. As it should be.
Without kickbacks and political contributions you small business’ owners will not be able to rely on local officials to take control and spoon feed you the Federal money based on your ability to break your corrupt local officials and leaders a ‘lil something something.
So to sum it up if you want some of that Federal money act fast on your own and dont wait for your usual suspect locals to contact you as was the process in the past.
Tallahassee has lots of problems. City and County officials seem to embrace corruption and pay to play. The Police Chief and Sheriff are weak on crime. The city is becoming very dangerous with random drive by shootings, stabbings in public places and a community that provides activist jurors. Furthermore a lot of awful no talent attorneys have found their way into elected positions especially judges. The Black community has no internal efforts to reduce school dropout rate, unwed mothers with multiple children and criminal behavior. Actually you could make the case the black community is okay with the lifestyle. The black community has not changed much for the good in decades. I’ve never heard a local politician pledge to reduce taxes. 22 million for electric buses, 3.3 million to restore a black school house and the waste goes on. I bet Gillium walks because a black juror will refuse to find him guilty. Tallahassee once was a very nice conservative city. Those days are gone. Thanks to our local law enforcement and judges, crime has no consequence. Look at all the criminals who committed felony crimes while out on bail. It is a real mess. Stop blaming the cops. If you try to attack or resist arrest you are likely to get hurt or shot.