Memory's Vault: The Way of Things Disappearing in Time
When I was a kid, I used to go stay with my auntie at her summerhouse in Denmark, some 50 miles outside the city of Copenhagen.
For me, part of the fun of being "in the country" was the fact that we'd head out to the local stores to get whatever groceries we needed; the baker, the fish shop, the local market.
Since my auntie's house was in a "summerhouse district" there were quite a few little stores that stayed open only during the "season;" or they would only have very limited hours during the winter months.
Fall leaf in the sun
No Longer There...
It was a sad day when they little store down the road closed; no longer could we go and pick up milk, bread, soda, a few veggies or whatever we'd forgotten from a "big" shopping trip to town.
A few years later, the village grocer closed his doors, as well. In time, the village grocer in the next village over closed, too.
A few more years passed, and then the bakery closed. The convenience of truly "local" shopping was now a thing of the past. It was sad, because fresh bread in the morning has long been somewhat of a tradition in Denmark.
By this time, of course, I had moved to the US and would only come back for occasional visits.
About ten years ago, I noticed yet another local grocery and fresh produce store closing down; eventually getting replaced with a "satellite branch" of a large national chain.
Last time Mrs. Denmarkguy and I were back (in 2015)... the last local bakery and the "grill bar" where you could get great hot dogs and chicken-and-chips was gone, too. As was the post office.
Come to think of it, there are no more post offices in Denmark... you mail things from a postal service counter at the supermarket.
Japanese maples
Changing Times... but Is This "Progress?"
I asked my cousin Jesper — who also happens to work for a government ministry — if this was a trend all over the country, and he said yes...
His opinion was that the continuing "Amercanization" of the culture had made it pretty much impossible for anyone to still make a living from keeping a local store. People were working longer hours and were expecting more opening hours than small individual operators could provide... and the "online option" was also eating into the conventional ways of doing things.
Change is inevitable, of course... but sometimes I find myself wondering whether many of the changes we see can actually be called progress, as well.
Are we giving up parts of our souls and character, in service of chasing... well, what are we chasing? What do we accomplish by working ever longer hours and running ever faster?
Just something to ponder...
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Created at 191112 19:45 PDT
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That's right my friend. Just something to ponder indeed. And I agree with your sentiment big time on these matters.
In fact, you can say I've already been pondering about this subject many times before as you can see here. :)
Cheers!!
I do miss the small little stores.
There was this little fishing bait and random goods shop near my grandparents summer cabin when I was growing up. We go over there during the summers and pick up our bait, some fireworks, and snacks to enjoy.
Have not been back in a very long time. It was in the middle of no where so I don't expect that shack of a shop to still be around. I do miss having to use a net to fish out the bait I wanted to go fishing with!
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Same is happening in Norway, even in Oslo. Local small shops are partly to blame as some of them had become very outdated. Although i really like shopping its easy to see that with the small shops gone a lot of the community feeling in many places will be gone also.