Capitalism is alive and well in Manhattan. Just this past week, the Collegian has printed two articles on local businesses expanding their services to new locales.

Kite’s Grille and Bar just opened up a new banquet hall for private events, and Radina’s Coffeehouse & Bakery now has another location with a drive-thru to boot.

I enjoy seeing local businesses prosper from locals and college-aged people. While coming out of a recession is seldom easy, it’s great to see businesses actually expanding as they come out of the recession, as opposed to being smaller as a direct result of low profit forcing cutbacks.

Radina’s and Kite’s are not the only businesses doing well in Manhattan. Dara’s Fast Lanes seem to be everywhere. I was sure during the recession, at least two of the Dara’s in town would close. And yet, to my knowledge, none have.

I figured gas stations would be some of the first places to have to close as many people don’t need gasoline. I pictured gas stations closing while necessities like grocery stores would be the select few not suffering terribly during the recession. Whatever the case, it seems Manhattan grew quite a bit during the recent recession.

The area around the new Hy-Vee is a great indicator of recent growth. None of those businesses were there a year ago. There is also a new Walgreen’s and Sonic out by Westloop. These two areas of growth may not be the only ones in town, but they are hard to miss.

So what does all this growth say about Manhattan or even Kansas? I think it shows how hard-headed Kansans are. It also shows how well most Kansans understand economic situations.

First the hard-headed portion of my answer: My personal experience with family members and friends is during tough times, we tighten up our proverbial belts and spend much more carefully by only buying necessary items we can afford.

I know my parents do not get anything on credit during a economic downturn in the event that the bills will be due and need to be paid. They choose not to be in more debt than necessary because of how hard it is to escape that vicious circle.

The argument of Kansans being well informed of economic situations is an easily disputed one, I know, but hear me out. Our Midwestern values have made us Kansans, and other Midwesterners, appreciate the value of some things.

While some kids that end up here at K-State were coddled and given everything their entire lives, I like to think the majority of us students have at least have had one job in our lifetime prior to college. The same goes for our parents and our siblings.

The majority of us know the value of hard work, and the value of being able to cutback without cutting off. We are also willing to take those opportunities to work hard and earn some extra cash.

Unfortunately for our counterparts on either coast, where the recession seems to have had the most effects, they seem timid to take those opportunities.

Maybe that’s because Edison had it right when he said, “Opportunity is missed by most because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.”

Luckily for us, we know how far work can get us. It got us through this recession in good shape. I wonder what else it can do?

1 comments

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Mon Nov 16 2009 16:21

I agree with your article. I think Kansas has also been successful due to its strong ties to agriculture. However, I'm very concerned with State budget cuts. Would these cuts affect KSU? If so, how would that affect Manhattan's economy? Do we want to keep cutting taxes if we can't fund essentials like public safety, transportation, and education? All important questions that I don't know the answer to... sounds like a good idea for an article.

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