Amazon doesn’t donate to your sports teams
By Barb Pert Templeton
After a “Business Attraction Plan” presentation by City Manager Artie Bryson at a Jan. 6 meeting of the city council, Algonac officials discussed the need for people to support local businesses already in place in the city.
Councilman Jake Skarbek noted that when a local investor bought a huge complex in the city, they raised the rates drastically so when businesses left it wasn’t lack of shoppers it was just not being able to afford the rent anymore.
In fact, he said that’s why half the storefronts are empty, not because people don’t want to invest but because they want discounts and they want to raise rates.
“So that’s something we need to fight with and work with too,” Skarbek said.
Mayor Rocky Gillis said something that’s unique and addressing those large rental rates is a pop-up market being hosted twice a month in a local plaza near Algonac Liquor.
“All the small popups get to setup into a large space that would not normally be affordable to our community,” Gillis said.
Algonac Councilman Michael Bembas said storefront businesses are being challenged by online shopping.
“Yes, it was packed when I was in there,” Skarbek said.
“It was cool,” Mayor Pro Tem Dawn Davey added.
Councilman Michael Bembas said creating a storefront business is very challenging today due to online shopping.
“The (new) pharmacy in town, I guess I’m talking to the public, if you want that pharmacy to stay here you better go there,” Bembas said. “I can’t tell you the amount of people who get their prescriptions through the mail and thank-you because that supports my paycheck but at the same time my divided loyalty to the city is go to that pharmacy so that he stays in business.”
Bembas said same goes for local restaurants, instead of going to Marine City or New Baltimore, eat close to home otherwise other potential food establishments won’t think they should open in the city.
“You’ve got to spend your money here,” Bembas added.
Davey said how many times have people heard “the city can’t keep businesses here?”
“It’s not the city that keeps businesses here, the people have to support those businesses, we can’t the seven of us up here, we can’t, by ourselves, support these businesses,” Davey said. “The city can’t make a business stay here it’s the community that’s going to make a business stay here, that’s it.”
Bembas said he knows what people are getting in the mail and they need to go up to a local pet store and get their dog food.
“We forget about that because it’s easy and convenient,” Bembas said. “But at the same time do you want the businesses here or not, it’s just that simple. The demand creates the businesses.”
He also said remember that when people are looking for donations for their sports teams or clubs, they aren’t getting anything from Amazon, it’s the local businesses who do that.
“We’ve got to make sure if we’re bringing in new businesses that we’re supporting the old ones,” Bembas said.
“Government doesn’t create businesses we just create the environment for the businesses to succeed in, so that’s what your plan will do,” Gillis said to Bryson.
“That’s right, it creates an opportunity,” Bryson replied.
