Why did you move here?

To the editor: Now that we’re here, we will go to great lengths to maintain our house in order to ensure its value. Do you realize that if we don’t do the same to our community, it won’t matter what lengths we go to with our homes. The best way to ensure your home retains its value and that our beloved Warwick maintains its charm is to support the local economy and maintain a healthy, quality community. The closing of The Bookstore in the Village of Warwick is a symptom of a dangerous trend, one that most of us don’t realize exists. The potential loss of a downtown center as our community’s economic and social hub. How many of us fell in love with Warwick when we made that first drive through the center of town? More importantly, how many of us continue to make it a destination for shopping and dining? We are blessed to live in such a special valley and are proud to call Warwick home. A tremendous amount of energy, creativity, and drive went into making it so special. Look around; there are communities begging for centers where the economy can grow and people can socialize (Vernon, Ringwood and West Milford are examples). But that special feeling - that treasure - is in danger if we don’t start supporting our local businesses. Who does your children’s team go to when they need a sponsor? What fund raiser didn’t ask a local business to contribute to their cause? Our local businesses are doing their part; now it’s our turn. Sure, we can go to the mall and get as much (or too much) as we need. However, next time you go to a Mall, ask yourself, “How much social and community interaction have I had?” and “Who benefits from me shopping here?” Shop at a store in the villages of Florida, Greenwood Lake or Warwick. These businesses are run by our neighbors. These are people that are making a direct contribution to our community by operating a business in our town. We should go out of our way to do business with these people. Not only are they friends and neighbors, but they are directly contributing to the economic health of our community and thereby contributing to the value of our homes. The loss of The Bookstore in the Village of Warwick will certainly hurt the economic health of one of our villages. It is something that all of us, as homeowners, should pay attention to because we just saw the value of our homes go down one little notch. The Warwick Independent Business Alliance