Have you driven down one of our Main Streets lately in Dillon, Latta, or Lake View and taken a look around at what you see? If you have then one of the things that may have struck you is the number of empty buildings on all three of these Main Streets.
It is a sad sight to see as many years ago our Main Streets were thriving, and empty buildings were rare. We could blame big box stores for the downsizing of our Main Streets. Who can compete with large volumes of stock and low prices? We could blame ourselves. Did we shop locally when we had the opportunity? Did we shop in our county first before heading out to malls and other areas? We could blame our local governments. Did they do everything they can to keep to local businesses on Main Street? The fact is that we could put the blame in lots of places, and in some cases, we could be partially right. The problem we are facing with our Main Street though is not who is to blame, but what are we going to do about it. Our Main Streets must be revitalized with businesses so they can be thriving once again.
Efforts have been made by Dillon and Latta to improve the look of their Main Streets, but more effort needs to be placed by all three communities on attracting new businesses. They must work with building owners to find out what they have to offer, what issues they are facing, and what they need to get these buildings occupied. Residents need to make the effort to support the businesses who are still there and to support all of our local businesses regardless of their location. If we don’t support it, who will?
Main Streets are representative of the community and are still important. They are not a lost cause yet.
More effort and more focus need to be put on making our Main Streets strong again. With everyone working together, perhaps great things will be accomplished.
