Once again the Christmas Season is upon us, and, indeed, it is a pleasant, self-assuring time to reflect on family, friends and acquaintances. It is a time of joy, hope and self-indulgence, especially when it comes to gifting. It is also a time to give thanks for all the blessings we experience everyday through the efforts of others, especially strangers we have never met and never will. Christmas is indeed a time of great compassion, forgiveness and renewal, a time just to be alive in the presence of others who love and respect you.
Reflecting on the drama of Christmas Past, I remember well the stories of my father starting this newspaper in 1931 with $35 in his pocket. That was all he had except for a dream embedded in his mind. The Family Budgeter did, indeed, survive and today, as you scan this special pre-Christmas edition, you are looking at a complete newspaper with news, features, comics, classifieds, opinions, great retail values and a whole lot more.
Reflecting on this accomplishment, a hundred plus Budgeteer employees, through these many years, have kept this publication alive and well. Thousands of young boys and girls have delivered the Budgeteer to your home weekly for nearly 73 years and counting. The Budgeteer, like so many other hometown business efforts, is just a blip on the computer screen of community accomplishment and that's the concept we want to share with you this week. So why would anyone want to buy Christmas gifts outside our immediate area? That is the question, and it is a good one to reflect on.
Duluth is a mecca of retail opportunity and for good reason. The mix of retail development continues to mature in this area, and that certainly bodes well for the retail investment that not only shows a competitive spirit but also provides employment opportunities for thousands of our friends and neighbors. The sales taxes collected by the city are used to provide needed services, too. So why would we want to give that sales tax money to another community? That is a question that bears our attention.
All the parts to the Duluth economic puzzle connect in one way or another. True, we don't have the industrial giants of yesterday to support our community, but we're not alone. What we do have is a mix of job opportunities that provide income in various degrees for family wage earners, part-time students who need that extra income to sustain their thirst for Duluth's educational opportunities and others who simply want to advance their economic stability and remain established in one of the nicest areas in the country to raise a family and enjoy a simpler, more sheltered life style.
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Shopping at home provides the income in our retail establishment to employ people, share the tax base and generate new job opportunities through the attraction of tourism, medical and educational pursuits. Without a strong retail base, much of this would be located elsewhere.
Christmas shopping, in the Christmas City of the North just makes sense. The area malls certainly are prepared for your visit, as are a wealth of many specialty stores throughout the area that have that special gift just waiting for you.
Hometown shopping supports the community services you expect year in and year out. Think about that when a distant retail catalog is dropped in your mailbox. Is it worth it to jeopardize our local retail base to maybe save but a very few pennies and then be absolutely certain you will get what you bargained for without delay and frustration? Those sales taxes you give to a far away tax collector help out some other community. Is it really worth it?
Happy shopping.
Dick Palmer is the former editor and publisher of the Budgeteer News. He may be reached by telephone at 729-6470 or by e-mail at rpalmer@duluth.com .
