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In my rural area, complete w/Walmart, McDonald's, Subway, Kwik Trip, a soon-to-be Walgreen's, etc, we have a program called "Adopt A Highway". Various groups/schools/churches volunteer to pick up the trash along a stretch of highway/both sides of the road. Our roadsides are usually quite tidy.

I am pretty sure this is a national program. There are signs announcing which groups are responsible for the litter removal on a particular road.

I have lived here for 32 years. The ma & pa operations gouged, gave poor service, were always the richest folks in town and interfered in the lives of their customers in obnoxious ways, usually by loudly mentioning personal happenings in front of anyone who was within earshot. Some stores would gloat that not only did they not have what you wanted, they were not ever going to carry it and they charged extra, believing you were a captive customer. The greasy spoons were actually places with greasy utensils and poor quality food. The young people left as soon as they could and those remaining were often poor.

Life is better today. Our town and county have increased in population and income. Add in the Internet and we are better educated, have more opportunity and a wider choice of goods/services. The local social services programs have to advertise for food stamp clients! Many run down places have been rehabbed. And the people who moan the loudest about these changes are the Democrats, most of whose families ran the former family-owned stores.

Adopt a Highway is here in Tampa too.

Regarding, mom & pop's. Good and bad are here in Tampa. One of the worst mom and pop convienence stores is right around the corner from my condo. They price gouge and treat customers poorly.

However our mom and pop restaurants are to die for. Bella's, Bern's, Ceviche, TQ's Cicco & Tony's are great places all within walking distance and locally owned.

If you're good at what you do, that will create customer loyalty. Small town or big city.