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There Is A Silver Lining
by James Glaser February 24, 2009 In everything there are winners, and there are losers. Driving around Tallahassee today I spotted another car dealer that closed up shop. That was the Mitsubishi dealer just down the road from the closed Ford and Chevrolet showrooms. What happens when people stop buying new cars? People fix up their old ones. Mechanics are working overtime at some shops, and backyard outfits are in a boom time right now. It isn't just mechanical work being done. Many people are getting a new paint job or having that dent taken out. New tire sales are up. Putting a few grand into your car could very well give you a few more years of safe transportation. The same goes for furniture repair and small jobs around the house. Everyone knows that now is not the time to think about selling your house. So instead of looking for a new place, remodeling the kitchen is making more sense. Maybe you were looking for a new house with an extra bedroom. Well chances are good that an addition would cost less than trying to sell in a down market. Yes, things nationally look bad, and nobody is doing well in the stock market, but the vast majority of people are working. They might not be spending like they used to, but a lot of nitch markets are doing just fine. Cars have to be repaired, and so do leaky roofs. Anything in the "repair" sector of the working world is looking at an upswing in business. Clothes are being altered, shoes are being resoled, and people with the talent in caining chair seats have all the work they want. Who knows, I might get back into chair reglueing. |
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