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In This Issue
March/April 2010
From the Editor
Community Character
I smiled when I read Amahia Mallea’s comment in Mary Gottschalk’s story of Iowa coffeehouses (p. 14). She cites the proximity of an independent gourmet java joint as a selling point when choosing where to live. My home ownership fate was similarly sealed.
Lucky me — an independent bookstore moved into the neighborhood a short time later. I was now within easy walking distance of both steaming mugs and teeming shelves.
Our infatuation with “indies” is partially about product (where else can you order a cup of Indian Monsooned Malabar or request Winnie the Pooh in Latin?). But it’s more about place. These shops are destinations. Yet even that word fails to capture their significance for our communities. As the Book Vine’s Mollie Loughlin describes in Carol Bodensteiner’s story of Iowa bookstores (p. 38), these places nourish identity. They contribute to something we can be part of, to someplace we can belong.
I’m guessing that identity is important to anyone reading my words. Take a look at the cover of this magazine. Identity is proclaimed boldly in the publication’s title. While Iowans are always reexamining and redefining who they are in this dynamic state, there are some constants: pride, loyalty, steadfast devotion to community. Here in Iowa we’ve lost many of our communities and are in danger of losing more. Now as much as ever it’s crucial to support entrepreneurship and local businesses.
A good story and a bold cup of coffee can sometimes make my day. A locally tethered business and a distinct retail personality will always make a community.
— Beth Wilson, Editor
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