31. "I hear you. I have the same conflicting feelings." In response to In response to 30
But like you, (1) I need things and (2) a lot of the places I'm trying to frequent are places that may not exist anymore if not for regular patronage. So I try and keep that in mind when I'm deciding where to go for the things I need.
I want to help small businesses stay afloat during this shit. I just decided earlier tonite that I'm gonna buy some gift certs this weekend to some of my favorite neighborhood food spots and bars in an attempt to do my small part in trying to ensure they are able to see this thru to the other side, since they've obviously treated me well in good times. Would hate to see a lot of these mom and pop places and/or newer spots that were just getting going, lose everything as a result of something none of us anticipated.
I'm super sad about a local dispensary that just opened in my neighborhood like a week before all this quarantining popped off. I was so psyched about the ownership situation - it was the first black-owned dispensary to open in MA - and wanted to give them a ton of business right off the bat. Then they had to close down like 2 weeks after opening. I have to look into whether there's any way for me/my neighbors to keep them afloat through all of this. I know they went through a lot, including a ton of borrowing, just to get off the ground. Would be an absolute shame if they had to shutter after all that work.