[Outlaw]

I noticed those who are fussing about this post don't seem to have much in the way of their user profile, just the standard issue info. Speaking of showing yourself.....?

New Hampshire is New Hampshire. Things here are a little different (Lakes Region). We don't have things like rush hour traffic jams (rush hour in the Lakes Region might be 12 cars on the same road at the same time in both lanes); tremendous amount of light pollution because everything is open 24/7; not everything is biggie sized; we don't mind waiting in line at the store and don't make faces at the cashier or comments loud enough for those close by to hear; when the traffic light turns green and no one moves there isn't a symphony of horns screaming at you; most drivers don't try to 'beat' the yellow light; getting your dry cleaning back in a week is really ok and when they have to write up your tickets by hand and that takes a few minutes we don't get upset; when the sign on the highway says, right lane closed 1/2 mile ahead, guess what we all move over to the left lane when we see the initial warning, rather than race each other down to the line and cut in when the lane ends.

Life here (and in general) does not need to be rushed, folks here are really in no rush and we all don't need to have immediate gratification and 24 hour access to all the world has to offer. I think because we are not waiting to the last minute or leading such a rushed/fast paced life style we tend to plan out our errands and if you need something unexpectedly, well there are two choices - go to the Big Retailer, or wait until your favorite local retailer is open tomorrow. It's not that we don't care or are not sophisticated enough to understand the fast pace of society and technology, we just really like where we live and like to take the time to enjoy it and the people in it.

Most local businesses have extended hours in the summer, for a number of reasons; it's summer - and we have longer daylight hours translating to more time to do things, but more so because the population in the area increases drastically with vacationers and tourists. Simple rule of supply and demand. The demand is greater when the number of people here is greater. Once summer is over, the population is back to 'normal' and we go into daylight savings time and the demand is decreased. When the demand is not there, it makes no financial sense for a business to be open or remain open longer hours. Some of the local businesses are seasonal, and one of the reasons they are is the financial impact it has on their business to remain open when the demand is lower. It costs the same amount of money (actually more in the daylight savings time for electricity and heat) to keep the doors open regardless if the seasonal folks are here or not. It can often be financially less expensive to close for the season.

Yes, all the small business owners have lives, some have families, some have other responsibilities (jobs, volunteer work...). Not all have the luxury of affording additional help which may enable them to remain open longer hours and/or more days a week - but back to my earlier comment, it can often be an increased business expense to keep the doors open longer hours/more days, and the amount of foot traffic (this translates to sales) may not justify the means. I feel the most important of all reasons why small business owners may not be open 24/7 - is because they can!! Small business owners work for themselves, a choice they made - and this choice has tradeoffs. A small business owner may not pull in 6 figures a year (some may), but you know what, we can be open when we feel it is important and when we know our audience needs us. It may mean being open on weekends and not on Tuesday or Wednesday. Small business owners chose to be business owners because they chose to live their particular lifestyle. A lifestyle where 9 to 5 it is not dictated to them. Oh and by the way, small business owners have to pay for their own benefits (medical, dental...) and when we take a vacation, granted we don't generally have to fill out a form or ask for someone's permission - but guess what, most of us do not get paid when we take a vacation. These too are a cost of doing business.

What's great about this country is diversity. Within an hour you can be in a completely different area with a different culture. People choose to live/work in certain areas of the country because the area feeds their personal and professional needs. New Hampshire may not have as much industry as some of its neighboring states, and that's not a bad thing. It's what makes New Hampshire unique and attracts people because they are looking to escape the culture they live/work in for something new, different, less intense - call it what you like, it's whatever you find intriguing about New Hampshire.

I too am a small business owner and I can first hand appreciate and understand why we need to operate the way we do, and yes I believe all small business owners feel the impact of the Superstores, the Depots, the Biggie size competitors. There is strength in numbers and these retailers have numbers, a large number of dollars to support their organization, a large number of people working in the stores, a large number of people behind the scenes - a Board of Directors, Investors, a legal team, a financial team.........many times all the members of these teams can be found in 'THE' business owner - he/she just wears many hats.
Maybe some of what I said can help people understand why New Hampshire is.......New Hampshire, we're here doing what we do because we 'Like / Love' what we do.

Life is too short, enjoy it while you can for it may surprise you and be gone tomorrow.