We can have nice things, we just need to support them

The first Englewood Makers Market, December 2022.

The legendary (if relatively little known) musician Alejandro Escovedo was playing The Englewood in Hershey on a Sunday night, Oct. 22. My wife, Sara, and I planned to see him and even encouraged a friend to join us.

But as the day of the show dawned, I wavered. Eventually, we opted not to go and texted as much to our friend.

“No worries,” he responded. To his credit, he went and had a good time.

But I do worry about not supporting events and venues when they provide the very thing that I am liable to complain about not having. First, I want places such as The Englewood to thrive and continue to bring in great acts that typically don’t perform in south-central Pennsylvania.

Second, I want to have the moral high ground when Stay and our fellow makers are on the receiving end of the seeming indifference emanating from a segment of the public.

To be sure, the maker community, if I can claim to speak for such a diverse group, enjoys a loyal following. I am forever grateful for Stay’s customers, many of whom have bought from us multiple times at myriad pop-up events.But any striving entrepreneur wants to grow his or her customer base. Some of that falls to the maker: consistently showing up, marketing effectively, delivering great products and excellent customer service.

Yet some responsibility rests with the public at large, too, especially the segment that appreciates having nice things but doesn’t always show up for them.

The rest of Hershey

A great example brings us back to The Englewood, at which I curated a 20-vendor makers market on Dec. 3 in the venue’s 1861 Barn. It’s a beautiful backdrop for any event, and ours was no exception. We enjoyed holiday music, a visit from Santa and a steady flow of customers.

But I had hoped for a bigger crowd, especially as this was our second year and we had enhanced our marketing efforts.

Yet the lament of “where is the rest of Hershey?” isn’t limited to the Englewood Makers Market; it’s something we’ve also experienced through six summers of participating in Market on Chocolate in downtown Hershey, a block from where we live.

You won’t find a better setting than Market on Chocolate, in ChocolateTown Square at Chocolate and Cocoa avenues, in the heart of our tourist town. Yet even when full of vendors, the weekly market struggles to draw locals on a consistent basis.

We never want to discount the people who do come out, who generously continue to support the maker community with their time and dollars. It’s just hard not to wonder about the people we aren’t reaching.

While I’m focusing on Hershey, the sentiment offered above by Common Deer, a general store in Burlington, Vt., suggests that winning local support consistently is not a challenge unique to Hershey or south-central Pennsylvania.

Truthfully, though, the battle first has to be joined at my home, in front of my mirror. I was tired the day of the Escovedo concert, but I should have gone. In the new year, I must do a better job of supporting those people, places and products that I believe in and leading by example.

Because it’s nice to have nice things, and I want the rest of my community to feel the same way.