Sixty miles west of Boston, Massachusetts there is the small New England town of Sturbridge. Located at the junction of I-90 (The Mass Pike), and I-84 it has become known as the "Crossroads of New England". The town was first settled over 300 years ago, and like other small New England towns it has grown just enough over the years to be in a difficult place today. How do we embrace the future without forgetting how we got to our present? How do we attract the right kind of growth, and maintain who we are? And, what about our culture out here in Central Massachusetts?
These pages will cause one to think about how to protect what we have, our future direction, and how to move on in the very best way.
Those thoughts, and other ramblings, will hopefully inspire more thought, conversation, action, and occasionally a smile...
...seems to be working so far
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Adios, Amigos
I feel that stories in the newspaper should have a column after the initial story to invoke the same statement. "And now,... the rest of the story" should follow all stories where one would go away with the thought that there is more to the story than what is being told. In small town America, this would be especially helpful since we love a good story, and a great twist, too. We also like the truth.
I got that feeling the other day as I read an article in the Sturbridge Villager about the Playa Del Carmen Mexican restaurant on Main Street being closed down by the landlord, and owner, of the property, Rom's Restaurant, Inc.
The landlord says they have the right, as indicated in the lease with the current tenant, to enter the building, and repossess it if the tenant abandons the building.
Well, that seems only right.
Right?
But, wait, there's more, the manager of the restaurant says they did not abandon the building . They did report to the owner, during the week before Thanksgiving, that there was no heat in the building, and that the owners did nothing to fix the problem. The manager also said they were current with their rent.
The officials from Rom's have declined to comment on the issue.
Now, here is where Paul Harvey would say, "And now,...the rest of the story."
I think I know how this one is going to end, but I can't wait to read it in the paper.
I think that the building will be razed, and a new convenience store/gas station will be built on the spot. They couldn't do it with the old building on site since they needed a lot more room. The owners also could not break the list under normal conditions. Of course, this is just the talk around the coffee counter...
ReplyDeleteThe newspaper will not print anymore on the story unless it has a sensational headline.
ReplyDeleteThis does look bad for the Rom's folks. It's really a shame because Rom, the original, had a good reputation.
ReplyDeleteWhile we are talking about that restaurant, may I take this opportunity to say, I wish that the Mexican restaurant could open back up and display some bright colors to make people notice a little ethnicity. It's look has been much too quiet. (Yes, I am serious!) A little bit of color and lighting would be attractive outside a Mexican restaurant.
We need some character around here, perhaps in more ways than one.
I believe there will be more on the story, maybe not sensational, but enough to keep the tongues a-waggin' here in the village. How businesses treat one another is beyond us, but reputations, and how the businesses are perceived by the public does concern us, and that is why this is interesting. An old reputation is now put on the line. It will affect a lot of people, and other businesses if this comes out not as it should.
ReplyDelete