Do you like quaint downtown Alpena?

That’s the work of dedicated merchants who believed in their dreams and themselves. The promise to deliver those special goods with hometown pride and artisanry we’ve come to love.

From that awesome cup of coffee to that great restaurant to that Alpena pride shop to handcrafted products not found anywhere else. Not to mention the smile and welcome from merchants, special events, and a quaint shopping environment.

What merchants didn’t expect was to cover smiles with a mask, be afraid to tell customers to wear a mask to protect all, have to diversify product line to survive, think of contactless ways to deliver our goods, protect our shops with constant cleaning, close our shops, tell workers there is no work, apply for grants just to survive, hear “your cash flow is your problem not mine” from vendors or lease holders, scramble for different bottling or other supplies because they are made in China and can’t be shipped.

You get the picture … your hometown merchants didn’t sign up for this.

What can you do?

Become a downtown community hero.

How? Patronize the downtown merchants for your gift-giving needs. Or purchase downtown dollars at the Alpena Downtown Development Authority office for friends, family and employees. And, if you have completed your holiday shopping, encourage others to shop downtown. You can also purchase gift certificates NOW that can last all into 2021, giving merchants a boost for cash flow now.

Even a call or a stop in to say, “We appreciate you,” goes a long way.

Speaking for myself, I am tired and weary … constantly waiting for the next problem. From securing bottling for my lotions to no coinage availability to securing different suppliers to people not wearing masks to trying to secure sanitizing supplies to making the shop safe for shoppers, etc., it’s been a long year.

The grants have helped, but survival of downtown is in the community’s hands. If you don’t patronize those shops, tell others about the uniqueness of products, and so on … well, merchants are tired and just may call it quits, leaving vacant storefronts and taking the “specialness” of their wares with them.

Sure, Amazon can get it to you with Prime, Walmart Drive Up is great, but we merchants can provide that, too, with call in and pick up with contactless choices and online outlets to our physical shops. I even carry to the car for the elderly and even one time to a mom who had a van full of kids and a new baby.

Just call your favorite downtown shop and ask if they have those services … I’m sure they can accommodate.

The fate of your community small businesses is in your hands … you can be community hero.

Kelly Bruning is owner of Soaps and Such in downtown Alpena.