On Loving Spartanburg
People often question why I work so hard for and love this place so much.
What?!?
I think.
Spartanburg is my home. I want it to be good. And it is. I want it to get better and better. And it is and will continue to do so. But, only if her people love her.
Like many Americans in 2009, I’m a Facebook junkie. I love being nosy and reading about what others are up to. I look at people’s pictures and status updates and read their links. People are interesting. I love learning from them. I watch people love Clemson and Carolina. I watch people become fans of shoe stores and TV shows.
I can’t help but think…what if people loved their communities as much as they love a football team? I think that would be awesome.
I wish everyone would get them a pro-Spartanburg something. Maybe it will be a City of Spartanburg shirt. Maybe a SPACE shirt. Or a Hub-Bub shirt. Or a Little River Roasting shirt. Or a Spartanburg Historical Society coffee mug. Or a Hub-City Co-Op bumper sticker. Or a Citizen Spartanburg button.
And work it. Work it, wear it and promote it. Let’s make it super cool to promote our community.
That would be awesome.
In the meantime, now is the time to support what you love via donations. If you have a little to give…find your cause and give.
It’s up to us to make our community what we want it to be.
Every little bit counts.
t
SeedingSpartanburg.com
on 15 Dec 2009 at 1:02 am # camelmike
Not everyone responds to t-shirts, bumper stickers, coffee mugs, or buttons.
In fact, I would say most don’t. Most people don’t care about being super cool.
You seem to be more enthusiastic lately. Glad you feel better.
I try to read “local”.
Is dat cool?
on 15 Dec 2009 at 10:22 am # tammy
People don’t want to be cool? Since when? That’s like saying they don’t want to be attractive either. Or thin. Everything in this country is built around a market focused on achieving just those things.
Anyhoo, I might agree that older people do not respond to trendy marketing tools (although there are exceptions to everything) but the goal is not to pull people out of retirement and march them around town with local buttons on. The target is young people and they love those things and young people are very interested in being cool.
And those are the people we want to get involved in our community and shift the direction.
I am enthusiastic…Yay. And reading local is VERY cool…that way you can keep up with what my friends and I are working on in the community!
on 15 Dec 2009 at 10:49 pm # camelmike
“The target is young people and they love those things and young people are very interested in being cool. ”
********************
You are right about that.
on 17 Dec 2009 at 11:05 pm # Haley
I think Spartanburg has been getting better in terms of quality of life recent years–albeit slowly. Still I think the Westgate Mall could be a lot better, we need more restaurants (maybe our own “Restaurant Row” out on some vacant land) and it would be nice to put more stuff on Main Street other than those stores from the 1950′s.
on 18 Dec 2009 at 9:04 am # Julie
I want a Citizen Spartanburg button! Where do I find one?
on 19 Dec 2009 at 1:34 am # tammy
We definitely need more restaurants downtown. Bunches and bunches of them.
As for Westgate Mall…eek. I only go to that place to visit Santa once a year. I can’t imagine what would make it better. Giving away gold to everyone that walks through the door? hehe. If you have money to spend and are seeking specialized trendy clothing then you should visit some of the boutiques downtown. There are a couple of 1950s stores but the boutiques look cool though…You can learn more here about the stores at: http://www.downtownspartanburg.org/ We’re getting there!
Regardless…NONE of them have Citizen Spartanburg buttons!! I have those and have one with Julie’s name on it!!
on 26 Dec 2009 at 4:39 pm # Haley
I know what you mean…Haywood Mall is soooooo much better than the Westgate Mall. I usually like to do my mall shopping there. But it’s usually more convenient to just go to Westgate–for the necessities and all.