Many of you know I am interested in business and keeping an eye on the growing black market both on the blog (tag - Black Market) and the boards.  I have mentioned I feel I have some idea who is going to make it (stay in business) and who is going to be history... basically when Pluto goes direct and deeper into Capricorn. Today, I was distressed to read that Vid's karate studio is struggling. 

I can't tell you how much I think of this place and the people who run it.  Witness their newsletter which just said it straight out: We have 3 locations and we're not sure we can maintain them...

They went on to state that martial arts training was one of the first things to be cut when money got tight and that they wanted to offer scholarships to kids who would not be able to attend due family hardship. 

"We do not think lack of money is a good reason to quit your training..."

They basically were informing their customers what was going on. They said they had negotiated their rent... the landlords don't want them to close either, they have been in business 24 years!  But things were tight and... I just had such a reaction.

This place charges little and teaches a lot. It has served this neighborhood for YEARS and no kidding, I'd go wash cars to keep them in business.  I would sell candy bars for them, they just inspire a person in this way so I am going to keep you just posted and perhaps (hopefully) this business will find a way to survive this lean time and my blog along with it.

It just goes to show you, this is no kidding. If you like the business, don't leave them out their to starve because if you do, they will starve.

(Watching Business Die)

I told Vid on the way home, "They're in trouble.  If you know anyone at school who is interested in taking karate, tell them to get in here. This is a great school and we don't want to lose it..."

This is my community, damn it and the picture?

That is a karate kid with his new baby sister. They put this stuff on their website, see?

:( i can't see the picture.

i hope they can keep it up. martial arts provide a fantastic foundation for a kid. 

I feel the same about Aubrey's tae kwon do place.  Aubrey spent the summer there and they were all so good to him and all of the children really. 

They do an after school program AT the school that is very reasonable and probably brings them a lot of new students.  I signed up initially because it meant I didn't have to go to another activity, just have to pick my kid up after school instead of meeting the bus and then paid for the entire summer of camp because it was so good for Aubrey.  One of my friends had her son there on my recommendation and signed him up for the after school program. I hope Vid's school finds ways to make it. 

pic restored. The baby's name is Eliana.  Her FATHER started training at this place when he was 9...

CUTEY PA-TOOTY!

Awww... great picture and great story.  Rooting for the school to hang in there. 

They also have a ton of women in there. In fact, at least 1/3 of the instructors are women and the (childrens) classes are also about 25% girls.

It is a business that is doing everything right and I will just be heartbroken if it cannot be supported and maintained. It is unbelievable what they do in there.  Vid went for awhile when he was a 5... but this time it has really changed his life. He's only been going about 2 months and today he met with the head guy.

I watched him attack, Vid 30 different way and Vid immediately had a defense for every move.

It takes superior skill to teach a kid that much, that fast. Vid had no hesitation either. He attacked the instrutor with full fervor AND showed respect. 

This place is literally helping to turn my son into the kind of man I respect. It's priceless, like the library, see? 

We need a place where we can go get books and we need a place where COMPETING is encouraged!!

These kids in the group classes exercise and compete HARD. Kids don't get this at school anymore.  Dodge ball not allowed!  No one can be eliminated?

These kids break a sweat in the first 5 minutes and maintain it for an hour like a kid should... and should be able to readily do.  Today the instructor dropped a 10 pound ball on Vid's hardened stomach. The Vid gets to drop the ball on the teacher, see? It is hard core but fun. The kids have a blast in there and when they tell them 20 pushups and some kid does 16, they are called on it! The result is self esteem!

 Some kid lays his hands on my son this year (or GIRL like the one who kicked him last year) - they are going to find themselves on the ground in a compromised position.  I am sorry but Vid is TRAINED now and he knows what to do.  Big relief for Mom...

And you ought to see the little girls in there. Some boy (or man instructor) grabs them and they break the hold and shove the palm of their hand up under his chin.  It is thrilling, I'll tell ya.  Date rape, my ass!! These kids are taught (and allowed) to defend themselves.  They are also universally happy and energetic and it's easy to see why. Endorphins and mastering something maybe?

martial arts did wonders for my self esteem and confidence as a teenage girl.  took me a very long time to realize how much.

it also introduced me to buddhism, which probably saved my brain.

I can't recommend karate enough!

I have a headstrong Mars conj ASC and throughout my childhood, I'd always had "problems with authority" in schools... until karate. One class, us students didn't run to line up when the sensei asked - we just walked, and the sensei was not pleased at our slow pace. He immediately ordered us to do push ups, but what blew my mind was that he did every single push up with us - on his knuckles - to make his push ups more comparable in difficulty to ours. I immediately realized how instinctual his caring for his students was, and that the man had rare, special qualities as a teacher, leader, human being... qualities I would find in other senseis, although not expressed in the same ways. That was the first time I witnessed an authority figure who I felt deserved all my respect and trust, who gave so much so that you could only hope to repay him by making the best progress you could push yourself to. Those karate senseis were far stricter than any teachers I'd had in school (one sensei was particularly fond of this "whacking stick" he'd found LOL) but they were also so much more self disciplined, caring, empowering, etc. Can't think of a better environment for a child!!

I could see Vid becoming a sensei. He's got all the qualities.

that sounds like a great place

Elsa, I'm sure karate will help your son preserve and develop those qualities. So many ppl think karate is all about fighting, but I always thought it was more about disciplining the mind and creating a mind-body connection than anything else.

I don't think I've posted this link yet, but it's a project designed for supporting local businesses.  It's regular people shopping in local shops and reminding each other to do so.  The little guys putting their money where their mouths are, not the government bailing anything out.  Me gusta.

http://www.the350project.net/home.html

Thought some of you all might also be interested, and might even want to pass it along to local businesses in your neighborhood.

I live in Los Angeles, it's true, but I have this village of amazing little shops and restaurants, all within a mile or so of my house - walking distance!    I don't want to lose that, either.

Update on my neighborhood, the Ethan Allen furniture closed down sometime last year. It was 3 blocks from my house and now gets painted with gang signs which people do paint over for now - trying to rent the place I am sure. It's been vacant since the store closed.

Today the independent convenience store in the same strip mall also closed and that is when I noticed the local bar there had closed as well. All three of these businesses thrived for at least the 14 years I have lived here. I don;t expect them to reopen.

A couple miles away the transition is very disturbing and ironically, this is the strip mall I was driving by 8 years ago, with Vid's dad when he was a baby. 'All these businesses are going to close - they'll be gone," I said.  He stared at me. 'When," he asked. "I don't know? 5 years, maybe," I said. I was right.

 The Target is now a thrift store and the Jason's Deli with the good salad bar where I used to go eat once a week with my kids... you aren't going to believe this but it is a planned parenthood.  There is also a check cashing place now and everything else is vacant a at the moment... and likely to stay that way... unless a sell your blood place opens or perhaps a food stamp office.

It is going to get worse, much worse depending on what people do at this juncture.

Another point - the convenience store that closed replaced their gas pumps just a year ago so much have thought they were going to stay in business.

:( Sorry Elsa.

we've lost about 15 independently-owned businesses in 2 months within a few blocks from my apartment. it's because of fires.

people are starting to freak out because the possibility of independent business owners being able to afford rent in a brand new building in the city that has most of my country's most expensive real estate...next to none.

a new building opened up a year ago and the bottom retail is still empty (the one that didn't become starbucks) and i suspect will be for a very long time because it seems no one has any money.

my old neighbour had a shop down the street, which she had to move because the rent was upped to $7,000/month. What independent business owner is going to afford that selling t-shirts??

was that increase because of the olympics?

yah,that's part of it--it's heartbreaking. don't even get me started on cutting senior's programs, libraries, the arts, the empty food bank, but we can spend billions upon billions upon billions on the olympics:(

you really see the difference between rich and poor here. there are still a lot of independent business owners but once the corner is rebuilt (where the fires were) the neighbourhood is going to be transformed. very good reasons for supporting local business while i still can --while they still exist.

and you know, i have no idea what kind of property tax increase the landlord of her shop had. p.taxes go up every year here..maybe his hand was forced, too

Huh. I don't know squat about martial arts really, but one day I was hanging out with a friend and she wanted to pop into the karate studio we were walking by (the owner had retired and sold it to a student). I gather it was the one her kid had gone to back in the day. Oddly enough, he said they were having their best year ever. Go figure. But they've only got the one location to pay rent on, maybe three is where things are tricky for these folks?

The sad thing is that anything that isn't pure survival, like food, can be cut from someone's budget these days. Makes me fear for me because I am nothing but expendable skills :P

Well it is bizarre around here. It's as if I live RIGHT ON THE LINE.

Directly north of me (I am talking 3 blocks) there is obvious decay.

3 blocks south of me, things are holding up.

I realize that rot spreads however I have one hope.

This is that some of the McMansion people who used to live around here are forced back into more modest homes (like my neighborhood), move in and start to replenish and restore the neighborhood.

I figure the odd to be a coin flip where the coin is currently in the air.