Who’s Gonna fill their shoes?

My family owned and operated a café for more than fifty years in Buffalo. It was started by my late grandma and grandpa Harper. It was then handed down to their children and so my dad and uncle ran it until they retired from it. It was put up for sale and never survived after that. But how did it last the first fifty years? It was family. It literally was a family restaurant. Roots that ran deep. So the help often consisted of cousins, sisters, brothers, moms, dads, aunts, and uncles. The elders of those retired and the younger choose different careers. Most moved away, some lived out their lives here, and a few continue to do so. So the significant aspect of this is, the younger ones that choose a different career and leave Buffalo behind are having an impact on the survivorship of our businesses.

Many of the existing businesses of Buffalo have roots that, in a sense, make them a family business. Whether they took over from their parents or they bought a business and have children themselves. Take a moment right now and think about how many businesses that this applies to in this town. Now then, this situation is even more aptly applied to the farming/ranching community around Buffalo.

So here we have these family businesses all around us that reveal that their survivorship is reliant upon the younger ones....the children, to take over the reins. But remember, like most, the young adults choose different careers and end up moving away. The business runs its course and eventually closes its doors leaving empty shoes to fill. So take a few moments and imagine 10, 15, 20 years from now who will be operating the stores and businesses that you take for granted will always be there????

If no one is here to take over a business, what do we do? We recruit the other people of the world that are “moving away”, to come to Buffalo. That we can do. But getting them here is not the journey. It is just the first step. It is the planting of the seed. Supporting them so that they establish their roots is the blueprint for survivorship of Buffalo. If we don’t the venture was wasted. When lack of support of these business enterprises causes them to give in, then I wonder…..“Who’s Gonna Fill Their Shoes?”