I can’t imagine how hard it is for locally owned businesses to compete with massive multi-national corporations that move into their markets overnight. There were a lot of different vape stores in this area until a Queen of Vape storefront started buying them all out and consolidated the variety and diversity of products into a bland and overly predictive inventory. One of my favorite businesses is our local grocery store. They have an extensive frozen food section that rivals some of the best stores I’ve been to from one coast of this nation to the other. They also have the best produce section in the county, with fresh choices coming from local farms of all places. You can’t beat some of the delicious fresh strawberries and blueberries that are grown in this area during the respective seasons each year. However, the store spent several decades with few renovation upgrades to the interior. Both the public and the management knew that the store needed to be renovated. They finally pulled the trigger when their HVAC supplier found mold contamination in their HVAC system. They ended up closing down the store for a month so they could gut it and rebuild it from the ground up. I’m sure they lost a lot of money while they were closed, but the new interior and the upgraded heating and cooling system have definitely done a lot to draw in more customers from around the area. It feels like they’re busier than ever before, especially since the interior is slightly bigger than before. I love the cold air conditioner when it gets hot during the summer season.