I realize that there are advantages for the Hollister Free
Lance, the Gilroy Dispatch and the Morgan Hill Times to have shared
sections for newspaper articles and advertising, but a great deal
of thought and local knowledge need to be considered.
Editor,
I realize that there are advantages for the Hollister Free Lance, the Gilroy Dispatch and the Morgan Hill Times to have shared sections for newspaper articles and advertising, but a great deal of thought and local knowledge need to be considered.
On Thursday , June 16, one of your shared sections entitled, “POP”, was in the Hollister Free Lance. One of the most important slogans of the San Benito County Chamber of Commerce and the Hollister Downtown Association is “Shop Local”. There’s even a segment on CMAP Channel 17 which promotes “shopping locally” in Hollister and San Benito County because of Hollister’s building moratorium due to our sewer woes. Businesses are struggling or closing while the city is at a stand still.
“Shop Local” is very important for Hollister’s economy now, more than ever.
I read your article in “POP” on page C6 entitled “Shopping local means you’re fully equipped for fun in the sun,” by Michael Stevens. It’s all about shopping at the Premium Outlets and Costco in Gilroy. They really don’t need any free advertising by the three newspapers. Everyone already knows about Gilroy’s growing shopping base, along heavily traveled highway 101.
It was in very poor taste to tell us, in Hollister, to “shop local” in Gilroy when Hollister could have used the free advertising article. Hollister and Morgan Hill deserve their own free advertising articles now about “shopping local” in our own communities! The article should have been entitled “shop beforehand and be fully equipped for fun in the sun.” If this was just the Hollister Free Lance’s section, “shop local” would have been understood as in this county!
As a community advocate for this county, I would expect our community newspaper to promote community support and to “shop locally” in our own community.
We all have the option to shop where we wish but “shopping locally” refers to each community that is Hollister, Gilroy and Morgan Hill.
Ruth Erickson, Hollister
