Small is beautiful

Black Friday. Gadfly’s email bin is stuffed with invitations to buy.

Black Friday is followed by “Small-Business Saturday.” Well, you can call it “Small Business Saturday,” but the English prof twitches if that hyphen isn’t in there.

Part of me has always thought of SBS as a clever marketing ploy.

The brainchild of a big business.

But the “Neighborhood” thread that has naturally evolved over the two months of Gadfly life has fostered new eyes.

Even in all the convolutions of the 2 W. Market controversy, there have been several references to the importance of the fairly new Church Street Market to that “neighborhood.”

Gadfly doesn’t know that he needs to be nudged to patronize local small businesses – they are part of the fabric of his life. But it makes sense to take this occasion to appreciate the local SB’s.

Aykroyd’s Hardware jumps to mind. Been around forever. A clerk meets you at the door. Where does that happen? Have you ever drifted around in Lowe’s like one of the Walking Dead like Gadfly has?

Gadfly’s lucky to have two great food places within two blocks – Carl’s Corner and Fratelli’s Pizza. I get “Hey, Mr. G” in one and “Hey, brotha” in the other. Who can resist the hard-working Fratelli family? And Papa Fratelli cutting up melons for the grandkids?

One of the Bethlehem Facebook groups had a nostalgic stream running fairly recently about the disappeared local corner food markets. Sanitary Market was our staple. In a previous residence it was the Linden Market. Linden is still there, and Gadfly held his breath at a recent Planning or Zoning meeting when changes in that property were presented. But it will remain a food market, just enhanced. Phew.

Gadfly is like a kid in a toy store at Abe’s on W. Broad St.

And on and on.

Gadfly believes that most of his followers already recognize the importance of small businesses to our neighborhoods and don’t need a glitzy promotion to prod us to shop there.

But this just might be a good day to at least think for a moment about the value small businesses provide to the quality of our lives — and appreciate.