Not Looking Good
by James Glaser
September 26, 2008

I was driving around Tallahassee and happened to notice the store front of a friend's gallery that shut down in January. His sign is still up, and if you looked through the window, the place looked just like the day he moved out. Now there is a sign with a number to call if you want to lease, but I guess nobody is interested.

Right now in Tallahassee, if you wanted to open something new, you could pick any area of the city, and find many store fronts or offices to look at. I don't know if the rents have gone down, but if they haven't, they soon will.

It isn't just Tallahassee either. Wanda and I took a trip up to Saint Marys, Georgia where we got married this spring, and things look the same up there. Lots of store fronts and office space for rent, and people tell us this is the worst year they have had for a long time.

I see it in my gallery, too. We still see people shopping, but fewer are buying, and those who do are looking to spend less.

All the talk around the Square is about the bailout. Most people believe that Congress will give in, no matter how the people feel. To be honest, I haven't heard one person this week who wanted to help out the Wall Street bankers. Not even one.

So, we are looking at some tough times ahead, and we should all remember it was fun while it lasted, but now the United States has to get back to reality. You can't just increase spending year after year. Who knows, many people will have to learn how to cook at home. Maybe a drop in the numbers fast food outlets would do us all some good.

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