To the Editor,
It is the people and small businesses in town that make Mattapoisett special. We have all noticed changes resulting from the ongoing pandemic. The town is slowly returning to “normal” in that we are seeing events such as “Harbor Days,” the Mattapoisett Road Race, the boat race down the river for Memorial Day, etc. These events return thanks to the citizens who appreciate the events and their effect on the community.
Unfortunately, another result of the pandemic is the struggle we are seeing with inflation creating soaring fuel and food prices. Small businesses all took large losses in having to shut down or scale back because of this and now trying to remain viable and profitable, all with these costs and difficulties with staffing shortages. Recently we learned that such places closing. I was happy to see the “slip” back signaling summer’s arrival and the Inn reopening, even with the outside tables attempting to recoup any losses incurred. I have great respect for local opinions about the appearances of places like the Inn, Turk’s and Tastebuds having adapted their seating capacities. They look different. Who do we blame for such changes? Well, no one is at fault, change happens, some appreciate it, some don’t.
We can honor the traditions, the history of our wonderful small town, and the people who live and work here by supporting all our small businesses. Some will thrive, some will fail because they cannot adapt to change, but they ALL need and deserve our support. What makes Mattapoisett “Special”? It is the people who live here and those who visit because it is the beautiful place of rest that the name implies. My respect and appreciation goes out to all those business owners who strive to provide jobs for our citizens and services we enjoy and need despite having to deal with higher costs of living and operating costs. I know that costs have to be passed along to the consumer, and I am willing to support them in their efforts. I hope the rest of us locals do the same and keep Mattapoisett “Special.”
Steve Heath, Marion – I like to think of it as “East Mattapoisett”
The views expressed in the “Letters to the Editor” column are not necessarily those of The Wanderer, its staff or advertisers. The Wanderer will gladly accept any and all correspondence relating to timely and pertinent issues in the great Marion, Mattapoisett and Rochester area, provided they include the author’s name, address and phone number for verification. We cannot publish anonymous, unsigned or unconfirmed submissions. The Wanderer reserves the right to edit, condense and otherwise alter submissions for purposes of clarity and/or spacing considerations. The Wanderer may choose to not run letters that thank businesses, and The Wanderer has the right to edit letters to omit business names. The Wanderer also reserves the right to deny publication of any submitted correspondence.