We went to dinner and a concert last night.  After dinner, we had some time and decided to check out the new patio at The Beverage Source.  As we sat outside sipping our beers, relaxing, Jimmy, one of the owners of the place came out to have a cigarette.  We talked about the store and the new beer patio.  He explained how the various liquor licenses work and he briefly chatted about some more plans for the store. 

Since the store opened, it has seen a stream of improvements from the cozy attached bar to the garden right in front of the store to the poured, stamped concrete pad, neat outdoor tables and bright umbrellas.  It is a magnificent work in progress coaxed along by the love and vision of its three owners.  Incrementalism writ well.  My wife asked what time they closed in the evening.  "Depends," said Jimmy.  "Usually around 10:00 or 10:30 but if there is a crowd, we stay open."  I asked other questions and the answers reflected the same unique blend of service and self-interest necessary for a owner-operated place to survive.

I've written about the store before.  I am a fan.  I enjoy the service; the calm, friendly owner-like service that is so hard to duplicate with masses of hired help.  I contrast it with the zombie-like non-service coupled with faux-genuine phrasings that I shouldn't tolerate from the (blank)-Marts of the world.   I like the selection of micro-brewed beers, pale ales, lagers and standards that might not merit the shelf space at a chain grocery store.

We need more places like this.  We need more owners - or at least people who think like owners.  The hardware store with people who care, the locally-owned and operated restaurants, the plumbers, service places and, yes, banks and grocery stores, pharmacies and coffee shops who get it and then get it right. 

And we need to reward these places, not simply because they are owner-operated (there are crappy owner-operated places too).  But the ones that do it right deserve a place in our communities.  We need more owners.