Reconsider our displaced shops | Letters | May 29

As I read the Review article about the proposed project on the corner of Winslow Way and 305, I was, again, confronted with the challenges that redevelopment/progress presents to those of us who live on this island.

The shoe repair shop that will be displaced by the project has for years provided us with convenient and reasonable option for extending the wearability and use of shoes, bags, belts and other treasured items. Where can such a small, one-man, labor-intensive business go? Will we soon need to go off island for this kind of service.

The Bargain Boutique started over 40 years ago by Pru Trugen will also be a casualty of this redevelopment. The boutique offers us a place to recycle and purchase furniture, clothing, books, jewelry and other household items in a manner that benefit Bainbridge residents, and the Seattle Children’s Hospital and Research Foundation. I ask, “Where can a nonprofit, volunteer-run organization like the boutique go?”

In light of Bainbridge’s tradition of support for local businesses, sustainability and charity, what if the following proposal was considered?

Ask developers to take responsibility for the housing or relocation of small, vital community businesses that are displaced by their projects This would not be that different in intent from the current provisions that mandate the inclusion of low-cost units in island housing developments.

Suellen Cunningham

Bainbridge Island

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