Friends of mine and I had a conservation over the weekend about how a pressed shirt made a capable professional (a doctor) seem more skilled at his profession than someone with wrinkled clothes. One might readily acknowledge that the doctor was as intelligent, as educated, and as insightful regardless of application of starch to his shirts.
Nonetheless, even to a person who knew the doctor’s many professional accomplishments, that small bit of starch would work a powerful impression: an excellent doctor would seem even better.
What’s true of professional attire is true of storefronts, too (perhaps more so): some sprucing up works a big improvement. I don’t think for a minute that sprucing up should be government’s job, but it should be one of a proprietor’s first tasks.
A few cans of paint and a broom make a big difference. Even if a municipality picks up the trash, any proprietor worth frequenting should be doing his or her own sweeping near the storefront.
If that seems too hard for someone, then he’s probably in the wrong line of work.
Normal people don’t want to shop along streets that look like litter-strewn alleys because, mostly, they are litter-strewn alleys.
We’ve extraordinary natural beauty in town, and the potential to be a quaint and popular destination for our Wisconsin neighbors and for Illinois visitors.
But those few who won’t keep tidy deserve neither customers’ patronage nor even the slightest municipal assistance.