On a recent trip to Jackson, Miss., I pulled into a McDade’s grocery-anchored center that was a total throwback to those I frequented as a child in the 1960s while shopping with my mother. In fact this particular center, because of its design, was featured in the recent hit movie, “The Help,” with several scenes being shot there.
But what caught my eye was not the center per se, but a particular patron, who herself was a throwback to the late 60s, wearing a tee shirt with “The Volk” written on the back. My German is not that good, but “volk” translates to “people.” That same night we listened to yet another rhetorical attempt by the White House to enlighten the American people on how the federal government will save them, get us back to work, and restore our economy.
We’ve heard it before—to no avail. The 60s anti-establishment hippie had it right. It’s the people, not the government, who will pull us out of this economic quagmire.
We see it every day in the retail real estate business. Entrepreneurial men and woman with big hopes and dreams, willing to work—and work hard—to create a life for themselves and their families. They will be the ones who bring us back.
An example of these people is a husband-and-wife team in Arlington, George and Estee. With one daughter and another on the way and wanting to open their third business, they know that both mom and dad will be working while balancing the demands of their expanding brood. But as George put it, “It’s worth it for the family.”
Sacrifice, a word heard frequently these last several weeks, in light of the 10-year anniversary of 9/11 and the ongoing battles in the Middle East; is a word for all the volk, myself included, to embrace.
Perhaps our elected officials, on both sides of the aisle, will set the people free. Free to do our thing, to dream, plan, achieve, and to succeed. The volk and the businesses they create, untethered by the government, will lead us back.
Frank Bullock is executive vice president and market leader at SRS Real Estate Partners. Contact him at [email protected].
