As others have observed, we are all in this together. Portland’s many small businesses, and their owners and employees, will suffer no matter what we do. But perhaps we can soften the blow for some.
If you have the resources, I suggest you ask your favorite store, restaurant, pub, hairstylist, etc., to sell you a gift certificate, to be redeemed once the crisis is over. Doing this will provide a little much-needed capital to places that lose customers, or that need to close temporarily.
Of course, some places selling the gift certificates may never re-open, and so that money may be lost. But if you can afford it, it will be worth the risk: That money will help support people at a local business you know and value.
David Potel
Scarborough
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.