An Open Letter to Watertown, MA – Please do not bring Walmart here.

Dear The Powers that Be in Watertown, MA,

I am writing to express my disappointment in the consideration of bringing Wal-Mart to Watertown. We first moved to Watertown six and a half years ago. Coming from Florida, I was thrilled to land in an area that had small town charm, but was still minutes from the city. It was the best of both worlds.

But then I looked even deeper into Watertown, and discovered that it is more than small town charm, it is a foodies paradise! With small local shops like Crown Cafe, Maximo’s, Demo’s, The Aegean, Matilda’s, Fordee’s, Arax Market, International Natural Bakery, Russo’s and so many more, it is so nice to know that I can get almost everything I need from a local vendor. And for the times when these shops can’t provide what I need, we have Target and the Arsenal Mall to take care of that.

So please tell me, why on earth do we need a Wal-Mart? What can this big box store possibly provide us that we don’t already have, and couldn’t have from a local shop?

The future of Watertown should be in our uniquely local, small business economy. Why do more people not know about our shops and eateries? Let’s spend our efforts in getting that word out there, not in bringing in a conglomerate that is so divisive. The movement in New England is to know exactly where your goods come from, and Watertown has been ahead of that movement for years, so lets let everyone know about it! We don’t need Wal-Mart to come in to our town and kill our most valued asset, that would be heartbreaking.

Please take note of our voice as citizens of Watertown. We have signed this petition (if you would like to gather signatures, please email info@sustainablewatertown.com), we will be writing in Mike Mandell for Town Councilor at Large based on his anti-Walmart platform on November 8th, and we have come together in opposition of even the thought of Wal-Mart in our town. Please do not let our cries fall on deaf ears.

Thank you for your time, and here’s hoping you do the right thing,

Renee Hirschberg, Watertown, MA.

Renee Hirschberg is a food writer, product / restaurant reviewer & social media maven as well as the editor of the Eat Live Blog. Check out her blog at http://eatliveblog.com/