The News Editorial: In times of trouble, focus on the positive

Shoppers in Worland Sunday found the Reese & Ray’s IGA store closed with a notice “Closed until further notice” posted on the doors. Now the signs just say closed but the liquor store remains open.

Yes, one more business closing is a heartbreaker for the community but it is not the end of Worland. Shopko has been closed for several months and we’ve seen stores increase their product lines and one new gift shop open (Classy Reinventions & Gifts, with more on that business next week). Worland Pharmacy is set to open this month thanks to the efforts and vision of the Shopko pharmacists and employees.

The community is pulling together, working to keep this community a great place to live.

To echo the words of Mayor Jim Gill when asked about the IGA closing, “Worland still has a lot to offer,” especially in the quality of life.

I have said before I love small communities and small-town life and I don’t mind driving to go and get things that may not be offered in small towns. Why? Because I’d rather live in Small Town America.

While it is sad to lose the IGA and we don’t know what the future plans hold for that space, we must to look at what Worland does have, rather than what it does not.

Worland still has one grocery store that has invested in the community and has expanded its business recently.

Worland also has shown it can support two grocery stores. Just because Eaglecav has decided not to re-open the IGA store, does not mean someone can’t come in and open a store. A Basin business owner stepped up to re-open that grocery store to give that community back what it had lost. It could happen here too with the right owner and right circumstances.

There has been a lot of negative comments about Worland with the announcement of the IGA closing and few positive comments.

Everyone loves to jump on the negative bandwagon.

I saw a post on Facebook recently about one in 285 children will get cancer, and I thought to myself, but that means 284 out of 285 will NOT get cancer.

Sometimes it’s OK to don those rose-colored glasses and look at things from a different perspective.

Let us not give up on our city and all of the other businesses working and striving to support our city and make a living here.

Let us be thankful for all of the businesses and industries that have invested in Worland and are still here, investing and supporting our community, and providing jobs for the people in the area.

We can sit back and whine or we can get to work and help others and help our community.

Let us focus on the positive.

Just a side note on the closing, we have tried to get as much information from the company as possible. As a private business, they do not have to disclose information to the public regarding their intentions for the building or property.