Imagine there’s no ...

The 1970’s song “Imagine” by John Lennon paints a picture with the lyrics. It is a song about of all of us getting along and the world being as one. No fighting over religion, no wars, no greed or hunger. What a beautiful picture.
Yet if you imagine other things being gone, the picture is a bleak one. Case in point, our small local businesses. Let’s take Basin as an example.
Imagine no grocery store, no hardware store, no pharmacy, no gas station, no place to eat, no farm supply store, etc. It is not a pretty vision.
With the rising cost of everything from food to fuel and paint to prescriptions, these small businesses feel the pinch just like us consumers. Yet they continue to provide these products and services to us. Sometimes in emergency situations.
The higher prices tempt us to order online. Gosh, they deliver right to your mailbox or door. Or we drive an hour or more to chain stores with the idea that we will save money. But do we?
The cost of fuel, the wear and tear on our vehicles and our valuable time should all be considered. But perhaps more importantly, what is the cost of losing our local businesses?
Do you want to live in a town where there is no grocery store? We had that for a while. It was horrible.
 Imagine our town without a place to buy fuel. Imagine our town without places to eat. Imagine our town with no place to buy hardware. Imagine our town with no place to buy livestock or pet supplies. Imagine no place to fill your prescriptions or get health supplies. Imagine having an after-hours need and no one to call.
 “Supporting local businesses is the most direct way to make a positive impact on your community.” - Zooey Deschanel, Actress.