An “06880” reader had a great idea. He’d just come from a local shoe repair shop; the shelves were full. “I bet lots of repair stores are doing fine ,” he said. “You should do a story on Westport places that thrive in this economy.”
I’ll do any story about Westport, but this sounded particularly peppy. I called his shoe repair man, and asked a leading question: “How’s business?”
“Slower than ever!” the owner replied. “I’m sitting here drinking coffee. We’re not going to die, but we’re sure not doing well.”
Uh-oh — not good. Scrambling for another type of repair, I called Cooper’s Auto Parts. Sandy said business was slow. “Cars don’t break every day. What’s considered old here is 2004, 2005. They don’t really need a lot of fixing.”
Sandy continued: “I’m not crying — just talking. It is what it is. The more you complain about how much it hurts, the more it hurts.”
Then, channeling Kwai Chang Caine, he concluded: “Trees don’t grow to the sky.”
They sure don’t; some become wooden signs. Remembering that the Planning and Zoning Commission recently agreed to temporarily stop enforcing regulations prohibiting free-standing advertising signs, I figured sign companies must have hopped on the new gravy train.
Man’s best friend, Google, provided three local numbers. I called the first; a recording said it was “not valid.” Wow — did the company fold before the P&Z’s recent rule change?
The second number offered an odd recording: “Memory is full — enter remote access code.” Hmmm — were they flooded with so much work they couldn’t keep up?
The third company turned out to be in Southport. That would be okay if this blog was called “06890.”
But it’s not. It’s “06880.” And “06880” readers are very creative. So how about it: Think of a business or two that’s booming. Then click the “Comments” button below to spread the good news.