Today was surprisingly cold and windy. I guess fall has officially arrived. I packed up my gear, put the pack on my aching body, and headed out wearing long pants, long sleeve shirt, and my rain jacket. It was that cold with the wind gusting at 25 miles an hour. I was warm, but it was setting up to be a long day.
As I got back onto Hwy 31 and started south and got into a rhythm, a car pulled up next to me and a kind gentleman asked me if I would like a ride. I stated I was headed to Kokomo and he responded that he was going to visit his brother there. I accepted, placed my gear in the backseat, and climbed in.
He introduced himself as Glen and asked what I was doing. After my answer, there was silence; he had no further questions for me. I then asked about him. He was a retired Chrysler employee after 33 years of working in the factory building transmissions. He was also a lifetime resident of Kokomo and said he retired so that some of the younger generation in town could go to work. Honorable.
As we approached the northern part of town, he asked if it would be alright if he dropped me off because his brother's house was just down the street. I replied that that would be completely fine. I wanted to take my time to explore the mainstreet of Kokomo. Before we said our farewells, Glen recommended I check into the Mission in downtown. I don't know why he recommended this, but I decided since I have had thoughts about the homeless situation and the people that are in that position, I would take the time to inquire into what a Mission does for a large community. With those thoughts, I was on my way into Kokomo, IN.
Thanks Glen for the ride; there weren't ANY towns on Hwy 31 between Peru and Kokomo.
Kokomo is much larger than I had thought, population of almost 60,000, and my theory about franchises would be tested as I entered town. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kokomo,_Indiana
As I got back onto Hwy 31 and started south and got into a rhythm, a car pulled up next to me and a kind gentleman asked me if I would like a ride. I stated I was headed to Kokomo and he responded that he was going to visit his brother there. I accepted, placed my gear in the backseat, and climbed in.
He introduced himself as Glen and asked what I was doing. After my answer, there was silence; he had no further questions for me. I then asked about him. He was a retired Chrysler employee after 33 years of working in the factory building transmissions. He was also a lifetime resident of Kokomo and said he retired so that some of the younger generation in town could go to work. Honorable.
As we approached the northern part of town, he asked if it would be alright if he dropped me off because his brother's house was just down the street. I replied that that would be completely fine. I wanted to take my time to explore the mainstreet of Kokomo. Before we said our farewells, Glen recommended I check into the Mission in downtown. I don't know why he recommended this, but I decided since I have had thoughts about the homeless situation and the people that are in that position, I would take the time to inquire into what a Mission does for a large community. With those thoughts, I was on my way into Kokomo, IN.
Thanks Glen for the ride; there weren't ANY towns on Hwy 31 between Peru and Kokomo.
Kokomo is much larger than I had thought, population of almost 60,000, and my theory about franchises would be tested as I entered town. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kokomo,_Indiana
There were mom and pop's shops everywhere; mostly bars, muffler shops, and grocery stores. The only franchise I saw was KFC. I really started questioning my thoughts about how small business and local proprietorships can sustain a town. Looking around at the poverty and impoverished businesses, I had second thoughts and different feelings about large corporations and what they can provide for a community. Do they provide all the jobs? Does big business pay well enough to sustain a community's economy? What part does big business play in a town and a community?
The majority of this area of town was very, very impoverished. I don't know how these people get by from day to day. I didn’t see anyone on the street or sidewalk, but the residences, for sale signs, for rent signs, and the unkempt appearances of not only residences, but also businesses was tell-tale enough. This included the exorbitant number of bars in the area. Within the first mile and a half I counted 8 of them.
The scenery didn't change much all the way into downtown. More homes for sale EVERYWHERE! I continue on until I find the Kokomo Rescue Mission. http://www.kokomorescuemission.org/
I introduce myself and explain to DiAnna, the receptionist at the front desk, that I would like to speak with someone about what the Mission provides to the community. She contacts a member of the staff, Bebe, the Director of Development who has been with this organization for over 20 years. Within moments I am on a guided tour of the Mission and am being informed, educated and provided all the answers to the questions I feel compelled to ask. She is very forthright and candid in her responses. She explains the structure of the Mission and how it provides services to both men and women and the programs are very similar. It is basically broken down into three groups; entry level, intermediate, and advanced. They provide accommodations for up to 54 residents for the males; we didn't go into the female program. It is a Christian organization which means they are not funded by the state or federal government. It is completely non-profit and they attempt to rehabilitate, educate, and provide support and assistance to all who enter into the Mission looking for help and guidance. They do not discriminate. She further stated they have about a 50% success rate.
The majority of this area of town was very, very impoverished. I don't know how these people get by from day to day. I didn’t see anyone on the street or sidewalk, but the residences, for sale signs, for rent signs, and the unkempt appearances of not only residences, but also businesses was tell-tale enough. This included the exorbitant number of bars in the area. Within the first mile and a half I counted 8 of them.
The scenery didn't change much all the way into downtown. More homes for sale EVERYWHERE! I continue on until I find the Kokomo Rescue Mission. http://www.kokomorescuemission.org/
I introduce myself and explain to DiAnna, the receptionist at the front desk, that I would like to speak with someone about what the Mission provides to the community. She contacts a member of the staff, Bebe, the Director of Development who has been with this organization for over 20 years. Within moments I am on a guided tour of the Mission and am being informed, educated and provided all the answers to the questions I feel compelled to ask. She is very forthright and candid in her responses. She explains the structure of the Mission and how it provides services to both men and women and the programs are very similar. It is basically broken down into three groups; entry level, intermediate, and advanced. They provide accommodations for up to 54 residents for the males; we didn't go into the female program. It is a Christian organization which means they are not funded by the state or federal government. It is completely non-profit and they attempt to rehabilitate, educate, and provide support and assistance to all who enter into the Mission looking for help and guidance. They do not discriminate. She further stated they have about a 50% success rate.
I appreciate the tour and am grateful for the experience. I now have a better understanding of what a Christian mission can provide; it is no longer the stigmatized soup kitchen from the depression era.
Bebe offers that I could stay at the Mission for the experience, but I decline due to the possibility that someone may actually need a bed for the nite. I don't want to take up a space that someone truly needy may require. She then offers information on the hotels that are out on, guess where? Hwy 31. I thank her for her time and hit the road destined for Hwy 31.
I tour historic downtown Kokomo and identify that it isn’t as successful as Red Wing, MN or Plymouth, IN. I also recognize their attempts to revitalize downtown with boutiques and coffeehouses; all in beautifully remodeled old buildings, have resulted in a little to no success. They are ALL closed! I don't understand? As I continue on thru downtown and onto Hwy 21 which heads east to link up with Hwy 31, I see all the franchises and shopping malls I am already too familiar with on this trip; the stretch of Hwy 21 that connects to Hwy 31 from downtown has it all. I now realize that Kokomo is no different than any other town that connects to a major hwy, unfortunately. I fell Kokomo has so much more to offer, but it hasn't found its true identity.
I decide to stay at the Comfort Inn to plan the next leg of my journey which will take me to the halfway point of my Urban Trek; Indianapolis!
Bebe offers that I could stay at the Mission for the experience, but I decline due to the possibility that someone may actually need a bed for the nite. I don't want to take up a space that someone truly needy may require. She then offers information on the hotels that are out on, guess where? Hwy 31. I thank her for her time and hit the road destined for Hwy 31.
I tour historic downtown Kokomo and identify that it isn’t as successful as Red Wing, MN or Plymouth, IN. I also recognize their attempts to revitalize downtown with boutiques and coffeehouses; all in beautifully remodeled old buildings, have resulted in a little to no success. They are ALL closed! I don't understand? As I continue on thru downtown and onto Hwy 21 which heads east to link up with Hwy 31, I see all the franchises and shopping malls I am already too familiar with on this trip; the stretch of Hwy 21 that connects to Hwy 31 from downtown has it all. I now realize that Kokomo is no different than any other town that connects to a major hwy, unfortunately. I fell Kokomo has so much more to offer, but it hasn't found its true identity.
I decide to stay at the Comfort Inn to plan the next leg of my journey which will take me to the halfway point of my Urban Trek; Indianapolis!
Darin,
ReplyDeleteI felt compelled to write something regarding your questions about the role of big business in a community. Although my experience is limited to retail, specifically the small “convenience store” area, I am not a fan. Big business’s like Wal-Mart, or the big chain grocery stores have enormous buying clout with suppliers. That clout is continually used to squeeze small businesses. As an example, what kind of deal would your local Miller/Coors supplier give to someone that buys 100 cases per week over someone that buys truck loads per week? Our markup on a case of domestic beer is approximately 10%, the big stores often charge less than they paid or mere pennies…something they call loss leaders.
What people don’t realize about loss leaders is that they temporarily mark up other items throughout the store, and lower them back down later. A test should anyone want to try, pick a handful of items, from many categories, and purchase them on a regular basis and see how the prices fluctuate, when certain beers are cheap, chips and dips cost more, same goes for soda too, etc, etc!
Now for the consumer they provide a cheaper product on that one item but the end result is we can’t match the buying power and loss leader position and that drives the little guy out of business, unless they figure out how to operate within that environment. That usually requires, ungodly hours, only having part time help, and using personal finances in bad times to stay afloat. As they drive small business under, what happens to the employees, the taxes the business generates, the loss of income to the property owner the small business leaves or looses, etc, etc.
I have lots of examples and would love to share them with you when you arrive here in sunny FLA, but suffice to say I do not care for the big stores. However, I do use the big stores but only when alternatives aren’t available as I’m trying to stay solvent like any other business or household.
Love ya my brother!
Ken
Thanks for the insight. This situation really confused me and the responses I have received from the majority of people I have talked to about his subject have resulted in "CONVENIENCE" being the primary reason closely followed by "CONSISTNECY."
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