February 21, 2018
There were parking spaces in Downtown Petoskey, as I pulled the car into an empty slot once packed with shoppers and guests of our community who had enjoyed the vestiges of the many winter holidays that culminated this past week with the Winter Carnival.
But today quiet dominates. It’s been a wonderful twelve months in our little town by the bay. It’s been a wonderful ride through the thoughts and experiences of shopkeepers, restaurateurs, bartenders, servers, clothiers, relators, decorators, florists, candy-makers, food emporiums and specialty shops. The art galleries and the library continue to flourish, and new business venues pop-up here and there, but what makes them all work? You.
Local folk and visitors alike make Downtown Petoskey a special place in our hearts. In good times and bad, Petoskey flourishes with the hard work of so many behind the scenes. The Downtown Management Board and staff, the City of Petoskey employees who maintain the beauty of our streetscapes, the Public Safety Department, and so many more. But without the loyalty and goodwill of people walking the streets and assuring a successful business climate, the quiet would become too frequent.
So as the ice thickens, we await a new birth of spring and a return to the vitality we encapsulate for most of the year. It’s time to reorder, restock and recapitulate. A long deep breath of fresh air, taken, until we tire of the unobtrusive meander; the discreet visitor only gathering a peek. Spring will bring the flocks north and the activities that lead to harvest, but alas, for now, we rest into the silence.
