Did you have a chance to read Monday’s blog post about the closing of the Main Street Toy Shoppe? Apparently I hit a nerve with many of you. If you took the time to leave a comment, thank you. 

I know that it’s not easy to share your heart especially when feeling emotional. I do it all the time, but it’s not easy. I would be way less vulnerable if I shared a recipe or two, but I wouldn’t be me and this is the year of being me. 

If you missed the post, here it is. I find the comments more interesting than the actual post. Honestly I was taken back by the raw emotion that my awesome commenters shared. Kudos to you. 

As most of you know, I grew up in Southern California and I remember it when it was very different than it is today. My Dad taught me to swim in the Pacific Ocean. My mom used to walk my brother and me to the beach in the spring and summer.  Today my home is a runway for Los Angeles International Airport.

Every small town that I can remember is almost gone in exchange for strip malls. The family owned businesses – gone. The artisan shops – gone and all replaced with the same shops you see everywhere.

Please don’t leave comments or send me emails about how naive I am. I’m actually not naive at all, but I do believe that even though time marches on and change is inevitable, some things are pretty perfect just the way they are and we don’t necessarily need any change. 

I know first hand how challenging it is to start and run a business. I know the exhaustion and joy that accompanies it, and if you’ve never done it, you can’t know. I sure didn’t know I’d be up in the middle of the night writing. When it’s your baby, you have to take care of it. 

I also know how utterly impossible it is to walk away and end it. It just flat out hurts your heart and even though I don’t know Rebecca, the owner of Main Street Toy Shoppe, I think I know her heart and a part of me wants to sit with her over coffee and listen and give her a hug, because Rebecca’s heart is hurting. 

I can’t save her business and I don’t know if she made mistakes along the way. I don’t even care. I know this…that little toy shop brought abundant joy to anyone who crossed its threshold. It gave children a place to hang out in Downtown Franklin. In fact, its the only place children could hang out. 

I have no solution. It’s not my place to have a solution. I have only sadness and gratitude that I was able to experience the Main Street Toy Shoppe for 2 1/2 years. I’m glad I went there to purchase gifts (the few I needed to buy). I wish I had grandchildren to shop for because I would have been a very good customer. 

This is my last post on this subject. I’m going to find a way to share your comments with decision makers in Franklin, not because I expect them to do anything about this, but because I think they should know how y’all feel. 

We’ll be talking about this story for a long time. Between now and the end of February, maybe you can find time to pop into the Main Street Toy Shoppe and tell Rebecca face-to-face just how much she’ll be missed. 

The post I Hit a Nerve & Thank You! appeared first on Discovering Franklin.