I visited small businesses in Jamaica Plain. The quiet residential area was lined with individual stores along the main street. There is a bakery cafe, grocery store, second-hand clothing store, etc.
The bakery makes bread and cakes with ingredients from neighbors and acquaintances. The grocery store has several trash cans set up in the back to separate food waste and other garbage before throwing it away. There is also a refrigerator and shelves where anyone can donate food and drinks they don’t want there. The cafe has stopped using plastic and uses eco-friendly paper and other materials. The building itself is old, and there is a step in front of the entrance, but for the elderly and handicapped, a bell is installed at the bottom of the door so that the staff can assist them when they enter the store. There are several recycling stores in this area alone, where anyone can sell items they no longer use, and anyone can buy them cheaply.
The small businesses that line this boulevard support each other and are committed to being friendly to people and the environment. I was convinced that this kind of town development is needed worldwide.
Rio Takase
