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If ever a letter were penned from the heart, it's today's letter to the editor singing the praises of a small-town pharmacy whose employees go above and beyond “to help folks get better.”
After running into Reeds Pharmacy on Main Street in Keyser in a “last ditch” attempt to get medicine for her daughter, who was just coming home from the hospital, Laura Groves found not only the medicine she desperately needed, but a kind, knowledgeable staff that calmed her fears and explained just what the medicines would do for her daughter.
“Everyone in the store was beyond kind and caring and has been the same way even when I have come in without tears in my eyes and distress on my face,” Laura wrote.
We mention Laura's letter because the help she received that desperate day speaks not only to the good folks at Reed's Pharmacy, but also to the tradition of small-town, customer-friendly service that has long been a hallmark of Keyser's downtown business district.
Older residents will speak longingly of a downtown that bustled with weekend traffic, so much so that you were forced into the street from sidewalks jammed with shoppers. With the advent of malls and big-box department stores, those days are obviously gone, but Keyser's downtown businesses remain a vital part of the community. More than just a nostalgic memory of days gone by, they pump economic life into the community, employing local residents, generating economic activity, and helping fund local government through tax revenue.
In recognition of both the importance of the downtown business district, and the challenges faced by downtown business owners, Keyser Mayor Randy Amtower has proposed formation of a downtown business group to help develop a revitalization program for Main Street and other downtown businesses. While such efforts may have lagged in the past, the new group will have the full backing of City Hall, making for a potentially powerful partnership between city government and downtown businesses.
Anyone interested in becoming involved in the new downtown group is asked to contact Mayor Amtower or his assistant, Carissa Fazenbaker, at City Hall, 304-788-1511.
As Laura's letter reminds us, downtown businesses are more than simply cash registers and receipts. They're friends and neighbors who, by and large, enjoy their work, are good at what they do and provide a level of service largely foreign to those big-box stores. That's worth fighting to save.
If ever a letter were penned from the heart, it's today's letter to the editor singing the praises of a small-town pharmacy whose employees go above and beyond “to help folks get better.”
After running into Reeds Pharmacy on Main Street in Keyser in a “last ditch” attempt to get medicine for her daughter, who was just coming home from the hospital, Laura Groves found not only the medicine she desperately needed, but a kind, knowledgeable staff that calmed her fears and explained just what the medicines would do for her daughter.
“Everyone in the store was beyond kind and caring and has been the same way even when I have come in without tears in my eyes and distress on my face,” Laura wrote.
We mention Laura's letter because the help she received that desperate day speaks not only to the good folks at Reed's Pharmacy, but also to the tradition of small-town, customer-friendly service that has long been a hallmark of Keyser's downtown business district.
Older residents will speak longingly of a downtown that bustled with weekend traffic, so much so that you were forced into the street from sidewalks jammed with shoppers. With the advent of malls and big-box department stores, those days are obviously gone, but Keyser's downtown businesses remain a vital part of the community. More than just a nostalgic memory of days gone by, they pump economic life into the community, employing local residents, generating economic activity, and helping fund local government through tax revenue.
In recognition of both the importance of the downtown business district, and the challenges faced by downtown business owners, Keyser Mayor Randy Amtower has proposed formation of a downtown business group to help develop a revitalization program for Main Street and other downtown businesses. While such efforts may have lagged in the past, the new group will have the full backing of City Hall, making for a potentially powerful partnership between city government and downtown businesses.
Anyone interested in becoming involved in the new downtown group is asked to contact Mayor Amtower or his assistant, Carissa Fazenbaker, at City Hall, 304-788-1511.
As Laura's letter reminds us, downtown businesses are more than simply cash registers and receipts. They're friends and neighbors who, by and large, enjoy their work, are good at what they do and provide a level of service largely foreign to those big-box stores. That's worth fighting to save.
