Open letter to Mr. Jagneau
To the editor:
With all due respect.. “what are you thinking?” The people of this lovely community have fought for years to keep out the box stores like yours’. They approved your plans to help comply with their plans to keep this island the “old Florida” style. Apparently your compromises and what you agreed to have fallen by the wayside. This small, but aggressively protected island is ready to do battle when the chips are down. These folks are not kidding. They will boycott your store and picket until there is no business being conducted. They have done it before and will do it again. I am sure in this economy you would be affected, even though I understand your company does quite well as a low-cost ticket item retail establishment.
I have owned four retail businesses in resort areas. I am from Myrtle Beach, and Hilton Head, SC, both thriving resort areas. My questions still is…. “what are you thinking?”
You still have time to correct, alter, comply with, …without taking too much away from “your” plans to keep a beautiful commercial store and get it up and running smoothly. The way it is going now, it will be a very rocky start and hope it can survive after putting a very bad taste in the mouths of those customers who would otherwise be your strongest supporters.
Time to rethink your approach to this situation. I, for one, will be behind their efforts if things don’t change. We came here 12 years ago because of “no commercialism.” It was not the “concrete jungle” like most of the rest of Florida coastal areas. Please do the right thing. You still have time to be a “hero” in the eyes of these people who are waiting for just that!
Best wishes.
Patt Miller
Pine Island Center