Why you shouldn't support independent bookstores...

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Shasta

On his shell he holds the earth.
..I'm with you G-Paw...my granddad Denny was an MD who MADE housecalls well into the late 60's...I know he was my grandpa, but there was just something extra comforting about seeing the man walk through the door with the well-worn black bag in hand...never could convince him to not leave the damn thing in the car on cold nights, so that his stethoscope wouldn't stun you upon auscultation...
But now look - doctors are getting back into that. Because people are tired of inconvenience and technical coldness.

House Call Doctor Los Angeles
 

fushingfeef

Finally Uber!
Aug 14, 2009
10,194
21,965
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Money spent locally has the best chance of staying local and has the best chance of coming back into your pocket.
The more local businesses disappear, the more localities lose a piece of what makes them unique. I don't want a homogenized world. Also, large businesses depend on small businesses for innovations, product diversity, and an experienced talent pool to draw upon. It helps to stop thinking of supporting small local businesses as being charity--you're really improving your own quality of life by keeping these options open.
 

kingricefan

All-being, keeper of Space, Time & Dimension.
Jul 11, 2006
30,011
127,446
Spokane, WA
I used to frequent all kinds of used/new bookstores when I lived in the Seattle area. There were tons of them! Where I live now there are slim pickings. There's one decent new/used bookstore in the downtown area, but other than that I stay out of the 'big box' stores like B & N- I always feel like I've stepped into some future timeline where everything's the same at these stores. I usually will buy a new King book when it comes out, but other than that it's Amazon, Ebay or local thrift stores.
 

DiO'Bolic

Not completely obtuse
Nov 14, 2013
22,864
129,998
Poconos, PA
..I'm with you G-Paw...my granddad Denny was an MD who MADE housecalls well into the late 60's...I know he was my grandpa, but there was just something extra comforting about seeing the man walk through the door with the well-worn black bag in hand...never could convince him to not leave the damn thing in the car on cold nights, so that his stethoscope wouldn't stun you upon auscultation...

Hmmm... Doctors who made house calls... BAD MEMORIES for this kid growing up in the 60’s!

I lived in a small town and our doctor made house calls in the evenings. But it was an understood rule that when Doc came to visit you better pour him a glass of your finest. The quality of care was dependent on what time of the evening he showed up.

As a child I grew up with a severe reaction to poison ivy. I would get it over 60% of my body... on good days. My mother would have to wrap my arms and legs in cut bed sheets and send me off to school because my skin would ooze this nasty yellow puss. Taking them off after I returned home was a nightmare I wish I could forget.

One particular time when I was about 8 years old I had it real bad. And it was extra nasty down in the private parts. Well, old Doc made a house call, but it was late in the evening, and his walking and speech wasn’t quite up to par. After examining me down there he reached into his black bag. I don’t know what he wanted to get, but instead grabbed the iodine... and applied.

My mother tells the story that my screams could be heard in the next county before I passed out. Doc had my mother quickly draw a cool bath, and he carried me to the bathroom... falling down several times. She told me after the ordeal that she asked Doc if she should make him some coffee and have him stand under the shower because he obviously needed it. Instead she called his wife to come pick him up because HE was having a rough time. LOL
 

Shasta

On his shell he holds the earth.
Hmmm... Doctors who made house calls... BAD MEMORIES for this kid growing up in the 60’s!

I lived in a small town and our doctor made house calls in the evenings. But it was an understood rule that when Doc came to visit you better pour him a glass of your finest. The quality of care was dependent on what time of the evening he showed up.

As a child I grew up with a severe reaction to poison ivy. I would get it over 60% of my body... on good days. My mother would have to wrap my arms and legs in cut bed sheets and send me off to school because my skin would ooze this nasty yellow puss. Taking them off after I returned home was a nightmare I wish I could forget.

One particular time when I was about 8 years old I had it real bad. And it was extra nasty down in the private parts. Well, old Doc made a house call, but it was late in the evening, and his walking and speech wasn’t quite up to par. After examining me down there he reached into his black bag. I don’t know what he wanted to get, but instead grabbed the iodine... and applied.

My mother tells the story that my screams could be heard in the next county before I passed out. Doc had my mother quickly draw a cool bath, and he carried me to the bathroom... falling down several times. She told me after the ordeal that she asked Doc if she should make him some coffee and have him stand under the shower because he obviously needed it. Instead she called his wife to come pick him up because HE was having a rough time. LOL
And this story tells me today's kids are WAY too spoiled.
 

HPMcClendon

Well-Known Member
Oct 12, 2012
200
495
United States
I appreciate the deals, packages, and savings of Barnes & Nobel or Amazon shopping and I will continue to buy from them when a deal or special package is what I'm after. But I love the nostalgia of my local book store. I love the experience. I love being able to blow the dust of a long-forgotten book in a quaint and quiet setting, a buried gem sometimes forgotten even by the owner. I love knowing that when I shop there I am putting money back into my community, supporting my local vendor. I love the oddities I can find while perusing the shelves. Sometimes I am looking for more than just a bargain. Sometimes it's about the experience.
 

GNTLGNT

The idiot is IN
Jun 15, 2007
87,651
358,754
62
Cambridge, Ohio
Hmmm... Doctors who made house calls... BAD MEMORIES for this kid growing up in the 60’s!

I lived in a small town and our doctor made house calls in the evenings. But it was an understood rule that when Doc came to visit you better pour him a glass of your finest. The quality of care was dependent on what time of the evening he showed up.

As a child I grew up with a severe reaction to poison ivy. I would get it over 60% of my body... on good days. My mother would have to wrap my arms and legs in cut bed sheets and send me off to school because my skin would ooze this nasty yellow puss. Taking them off after I returned home was a nightmare I wish I could forget.

One particular time when I was about 8 years old I had it real bad. And it was extra nasty down in the private parts. Well, old Doc made a house call, but it was late in the evening, and his walking and speech wasn’t quite up to par. After examining me down there he reached into his black bag. I don’t know what he wanted to get, but instead grabbed the iodine... and applied.

My mother tells the story that my screams could be heard in the next county before I passed out. Doc had my mother quickly draw a cool bath, and he carried me to the bathroom... falling down several times. She told me after the ordeal that she asked Doc if she should make him some coffee and have him stand under the shower because he obviously needed it. Instead she called his wife to come pick him up because HE was having a rough time. LOL
...sounds like a case of "Crocked Doc" to me...my Gpa woulda chewed out, up and down-then spit out a sub-par sawbones like that...
 

DiO'Bolic

Not completely obtuse
Nov 14, 2013
22,864
129,998
Poconos, PA
...sounds like a case of "Crocked Doc" to me...my Gpa woulda chewed out, up and down-then spit out a sub-par sawbones like that...
You're probably right, but I wouldn't have wanted any other. Doc was my doctor for 18 years and a real life example of the storybook characterization of a nutty physician. He lived two blocks down the street from me, and his office was the lower half of his home. It was filled with the most unusual collection of eclectic stuff he took as payment from those with little funds. His dog Rags, a large red and black Airedale terrier ruled the roost and the block. He would often be laying in the examination room while Doc saw patients or his favorite place to sleep -- the middle of the road in front of the office. I can't tell you the amount of times we had to drive around the block cause Doc's dog was sleeping in the road again. Doc had a sense if humor bar none. I'd say overall a fine doctor at day. And most importantly i survived. It was a whole different time and mindset and Doc was loved by everyone.

And I swear his nurse served as the basis for Buelah Balbricker of Porky's.
 
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GNTLGNT

The idiot is IN
Jun 15, 2007
87,651
358,754
62
Cambridge, Ohio
You're probably right, but I wouldn't have wanted any other. Doc was my doctor for 18 years and a real life example of the storybook characterization of a nutty physician. He lived two blocks down the street from me, and his office was the lower half of his home. It was filled with the most unusual collection of eclectic stuff he took as payment from those with little funds. His dog Rags, a large red and black Airedale terrier ruled the roost and the block. He would often be laying in the examination room while Doc saw patients or his favorite place to sleep -- the middle of the road in front of the office. I can't tell you the amount of times we had to drive around the block cause Doc's dog was sleeping in the road again. Doc had a sense if humor bar none. I'd say overall a fine doctor at day. And most importantly i survived. It was a whole different time and mindset and Doc was loved by everyone.

And I swear his nurse served as the basis for Buelah Balbricker of Porky's.
....OK, now I catch the Norman Rockwell flavor:)smile:)...my Gramp was known to deal in barter-instead of billing...old man Mathews never saw a bill, had his ailments cared for-and grandpa would have hand built furniture, yard work done, help with cutting meat etc...those were neat days...when he wasn't in the office, you'd find him grubbing in his garden, fishing, hunting or entertaining...lord how I miss him...
 

Neesy

#1 fan (Annie Wilkes cousin) 1st cousin Mom's side
May 24, 2012
61,289
239,271
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
I blame autocorrect, and you can't say otherwise. Na-nana-na-nah.:tongue-new:
Why, when I was a kid, we didn't have autocorrect - had to walk to school ten miles barefoot, up hill both ways! (harrumph)
:lurve: :face:
(I almost put "ten mile" to make it sound like an old geezer but then realized it might be misconstrued as a spelling error :idea:)
 

DiO'Bolic

Not completely obtuse
Nov 14, 2013
22,864
129,998
Poconos, PA
....OK, now I catch the Norman Rockwell flavor:)smile:)...my Gramp was known to deal in barter-instead of billing...old man Mathews never saw a bill, had his ailments cared for-and grandpa would have hand built furniture, yard work done, help with cutting meat etc...those were neat days...when he wasn't in the office, you'd find him grubbing in his garden, fishing, hunting or entertaining...lord how I miss him...


I bet your grandpa was not only respected in the community but also revered. And Norman Rockwell is the perfect analogy. The picture of when you looked at the doctor more towards the human aspect than the clinical... flaws and all. The caring extended member of the family. A time when "malpractice" was an alien term.

I watched Field of Dreams with my youngest, the ballplayer, the other week. After the movie was over I asked her what she thought. She said it was okay, but told me doctors don’t act that way. I told her there was a time when they did. That I had a doctor like that growing up, but mine had more warts.

Sometimes Thomas Wolfe was so right... "You can’t go home again."
 

Sundrop

Sunny the Great & Wonderful
Jun 12, 2008
28,520
156,619
I believe in supporting any local business first, and I make a genuine effort to do so whenever possible.
I avoid places like Walmart unless I absolutely have no other choice.
As a local business person, I realize that people can go to one of the cheap chain hair salons and get a haircut for $8....
....and that's fine, if you don't mind that one side of your head looks like Baby Jane had a go at it with a weed whacker.
Yes, my price is much more for a haircut....but I take pride in my work and education. When you sit in my chair, you can be assured that I have spent my entire 30 year career keeping informed and up to date. Unlike the chain salons, I don't get paid whether I actually work or not. I'm only paid for the work I perform. I realize that people do have a choice, and I am thankful that my clients appreciate the service that only I can offer. If they stopped patronizing my chair, my daughter and I would starve.
As long as there are local shops, I will do my best to support them....I honestly feel that if more people did the same, entire local economies would see significant growth. Who knows, perhaps the need for local welfare would even decrease.....
 

GNTLGNT

The idiot is IN
Jun 15, 2007
87,651
358,754
62
Cambridge, Ohio
I bet your grandpa was not only respected in the community but also revered. And Norman Rockwell is the perfect analogy. The picture of when you looked at the doctor more towards the human aspect than the clinical... flaws and all. The caring extended member of the family. A time when "malpractice" was an alien term.

I watched Field of Dreams with my youngest, the ballplayer, the other week. After the movie was over I asked her what she thought. She said it was okay, but told me doctors don’t act that way. I told her there was a time when they did. That I had a doctor like that growing up, but mine had more warts.

Sometimes Thomas Wolfe was so right... "You can’t go home again."
...well said...perfectly stated....my granddad was a stern and consummately professional practitioner-but behind those piercing ice blue eyes, was a twinkle waiting to happen...empathy and true caring is a nearly lost aspect of "modern" health care...