Several months ago Bill and I moved to Harrison, MI. Bill, having grown up in nearby Farwell, finds this enormously embarrassing, and refers to our location as "Northern Clare County." But I like it here, and find the people open and friendly. I've been in small towns where everyone eyed outsiders with suspicion, and no one will have anything to do with you unless they know your entire background and all your relatives. Harrison doesn't strike me as being this way, and Gladwin never did either.
Yesterday I took a deep breath and called the salon around the corner from where I live and made my first appointment with them. It's crazy for me to drive all the way back to Clare for a haircut, especially since I wear a short style and need it cut frequently. The shop I went to is owned by relatives of someone we share a property line with, so I used that as an opening for a friendly conversation. The shop itself is polebarn-ish in construction with gravel parking right outside the door. It's easy to get in and out of in summer months, but might be a different story in the winter. Unfortunately, the haircut is really awful, and I feel that it makes me look man-ish. Think "lesbian--with a Snookie-poof."
Another nearby business I've visited since I moved here is a complete disaster. I live right next door to a discount grocery store, which sounds GREAT, right? The entrance is at ground level so I walked right in with my cane, only to be faced with a half-flight of the worst stairs I've ever tried to use since my disability. The steps were too shallow to put my full foot down, and only one rickety handrail. Another customer saw my plight and helped me up the steps. The store clerk pretended not to notice. I don't know if she was one of the owners or hired help. Either way, I never went back.
A third business here in Harrison I want to mention is Steve's Country Market. They generally have good prices on gallon milk, which is handy because they are the closest store. But I love them for their meat and deli counter! It's HUGE, and the prices are the lowest in the area. Very good quality as well! And the best part about the store is the people working there. They seem happy to be working there, as though they love their jobs and each other's company.
Harrison is the intersection of Old US-27 and M-61. It appears there once was a "downtown" district several blocks long on a street at an angle to both highways. But the focal point, Surrey House, sits empty and forlorn, no longer the lovely restaurant you took your grandmother for dinner. There is still the downtown branch of Chemical Bank across the street, a solid "old" bank by current Michigan standards. McLean's Pharmacy is on the same side of the street,locally owned and housing a tasteful gift shop. Also a laundromat that I hope I never have to use, and I think a hair salon. I'm sure there are other businesses still open on that street, but since I never drive down it, I forget what is there.
However there are many little businesses strung along Old US-27, some in strip malls and some free-standing. The difficulty is determining which are still open and which have closed, because they nearly all have that "I'm not putting any effort into the exterior because I don't know how long I'll be here" look to them. I know that Harrison once had the distinction of being the welfare capitol of outstate (non-Detroit) Michigan, and I don't think it's improved much since then. But I admire the people who remain hopeful and optimistic and keep trying and trying again with their little shops.
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