Thinking local goes a long way

Thinking local goes a long way

Written by John Garrett Friday, 07 October 2005

Thanks to everyone who took the time to call or e-mail to let us know that we are accomplishing our mission. We were inundated with positive responses like those from Diane Gargano in Round Rock who showed the enthusiasm with which the first issue was received.

She wrote in her e-mail, “I’ve lived in Round Rock for nine years, and I am better informed about what is going on after reading one issue, than I have ever been.”

The majority of the calls and e-mails were similar to Gargano’s with just a quick “thank you” and “job well-done.” Others offered story ideas, asked for information on how to advertise or requested subscriptions (which are unavailable).

One response, however, hit hard: the call informing me that two local restaurants in Pflugerville have called it quits. Café 101 and Mom’s Café no longer exist. In the last issue, we listed these two restaurants as Mayor Callen’s favorites.

We are struck by the irony of this occurrence. Just as the mayor referred to these as her favorites, one would presume that she visits them regularly, they were forced to close. Civic leaders realize the importance of supporting local businesses and restaurants. They realize that local shopping and dining is crucial to the strength of its city – the more we shop and spend in our community – the more money our leaders have to improve our cities.

As we approach the holiday shopping season, we continue our focus on small businesses in this issue. We added a local history column (many thanks to the readers who suggested this idea) to teach us more about this community we have chosen to live in.

We encourage you to continue to let us know about issues that you would like for us to explore. If you have an idea for a small business profile or a restaurant review, please email me. We are also online at www.impactnewspaper.com.

John Garrett

Publisher and Founder

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