Empty Storefronts

I live in a small town outside of a big town. Whenever I tell people I live in Alameda, they say, "I love Alameda, it's so cute!" This five-mile long island that sits along the southern edge of Oakland, is separated from 2018 by three bridges and two tunnels. Coming upon Alameda feels a little like the 1950's, which may be why people think it's so "cute". It was once home to a Naval Air Station and half the island still has homes that look like barracks. On the other half of the island there are old Victorians, a neighborhood called "The Gold Coast" because of the beautiful front lawns and the old mansions. It is a bit idyllic.I live on the East End, close to the older homes away from the Naval Base. Park Street is our main shopping stroll. Lately, I've noticed so many empty storefronts. It's alarming to me. The restaurant next door to the movie theater, down the block another that has been empty since we moved here four years ago. The old shoe store on the corner closed. A huge space where a Mexican restaurant used to be sits vacant. I can count at least one vacant shop on each side on every block.There is some good news. We have a few outposts of some really great local businesses. We have a Burma Superstar (originally in SF on Clement), The Star (an extension of the Little Star brand), our very own Scolari's (with an outpost at Alameda Pt). We're getting a Cholita Linda (from the Temescal neighborhood of Oakland, they better open soon!!)I once owned a restaurant with my husband in the Ferry Building in SF. In those days, the Ferry Building was just opening up, and the mission of the folks who developed the list of tenants was to have a good representation of small artisan businesses from the Bay Area. Slowly, over the course of the last fifteen years, the tenants of the Ferry Building still represent local businesses. However, for most of the them, the Ferry Building outpost is only a small segment of their business. Many of them have big money behind them.Which is to say merely this: Entrepreneurs who create small businesses must at some point partner up with bigger businesses to scale and  compete. As long as a small business keeps it's focus, and maintains some independence, it can benefit those investors as well as the communities they serve.For me, I never thought I would think that way. However, my community comes first, and empty storefronts don't serve the community..