Years ago, before I was married and had children, a time so distant it fades in memory, I had a conversation with my boss about the homogenization of towns and cities. There were, he said, very few places left that exuded a sense of uniqueness. Why? Because of what Chesterton was already seeing in 1929. The "big store" had made the street monotonous. The chains were taking over everywhere eliminating and driving out the unique.
It's true isn't it? How far can you go without coming upon the ubiquitous strip of McDonalds, Burger King, Target, WalMart, CVS, RiteAid, Cracker Barrel, International House of Pancakes, Starbucks, etc.? How many mom and pop stores have been driven out of business and replaced by the monsters? You can be sure that even in a city like Washington, D.C. that has a national mall uncluttered by the chains, they are only a few blocks away. And that has made cities, for the most part, boring as Chesterton points out.
It has, however, inspired my own little rebellion. I will not shop at WalMart unless I can't get what I need anywhere else in town. Instead of going to breakfast at our nearby Cracker Barrell which is loud and unappealing, we go to our little local Seven Bends Restaurant which is decorated with hundreds of black and white cows: pitchers, banks, stuffed toys, windchimes, and anything else you can imagine being made in the shape of a cow. I've gotten to know the waitresses because there are only a few rather than a cast of thousands. In Front Royal, instead of hitting the McDonalds, we prefer to eat at Spelunker's where you can get the best hand-dipped frozen custard in the area or at the Melting Pot pizza place which is a little tawdry but has good food. Spelunkers reminds me of Tubby's in Alexandria where we used to go for chili dogs and homemade custard. Yum, it makes me hungary thinking of it. You can find these gems in many places.
When we travel, we rarely stop at a chain unless we need a quick bathroom break and a soda. (They are good for that.) But when we're ready for a meal, we seek out the one-of-kind mom and pop establishment. If you ask at the Visitor's Center they can almost always recommend a good place with great local food.
As for unique and one-of-a kind people, they are always worth seeking out. And Chesterton gets my vote for one of the most unique of all. More people need to get to know this champion of truth whose writing is, after 100 years, still fresh and invigorating.
