Hanks: Shopping locally is more important than you think

You’ve got that friend — heck, it might even be you — that whines about everything.

“When’s it ever going to get warm?”

“Oh! It’s too hot outside!”

“This country is too liberal. It’s going to hell!”

“This country is too conservative. It’s going to hell!”

“President Obama is leading this country to hell!”

This example of whining I hear, though, is the most ridiculous: “There’s nothing to do in Kinston!”

Yeah … right.

This county has the best parks and recreation department in North Carolina. There are more opportunities for youth — and adults, too — provided by the Kinston/Lenoir County Parks and Recreation Department for a county this size than any of its counterparts in bigger cities like Charlotte, Raleigh or Wilmington.

Want a fantastic meal? There are plenty of places — including the critically-acclaimed Chef and the Farmer and many others — where you can impress a date, your wife or a prospective business person.

Want a delicious and unique beer brewed in our very own backyard? Steven Hill and the good folks at Mother Earth Brewing will hook you up in a minute.

There are more churches and opportunities for worshipping the religion of your choosing in Lenoir County than you can shake a stick at.

The state’s newest and best gym facility — the Woodmen Community Center — sits on Vernon Avenue.

Nothing irritates me more than that whiner who bemoans the fact there’s nothing to do in Kinston. Most of the time that’s also the same person who complains about the terrible kids in Kinston (but doesn’t volunteer or donate time to help those children), argues that the police or sheriff’s office doesn’t do enough to curb crime or gangs (but has never helped taken part in a community watch or truly supported law enforcement) or bitches about politics in Lenoir County (but has never sat on a community board or helped in the political process).

The common refrain in the previous paragraph is people want to complain but don’t want to take action … which takes us back to those of you who try to convince others there’s nothing to do in Kinston or nowhere to shop or eat.

I know the economy has changed dramatically in the past decade but it hurts my heart to pass the old Blockbuster Video site on Vernon Avenue and see it gone. Of course, that doesn’t compare with heading east on Vernon and passing venerable Grainger Stadium with an empty parking lot on a beautiful spring night.

The coincidence? Both are empty because you and I didn’t support what filled their premises.

And it’s going to continue to happen. I frequent Bellini’s on Herritage Street as much as possible; it’s a nice little Italian restaurant across from the hospital in the same building the former Pizza Inn was in (you know, before it closed).

Bellini’s offers a delicious buffet lunch (inexpensive, too!) along with great service and a great dinner menu. But here’s the rub: it probably is not going to stay in business much longer if folks don’t support it.

Bellini’s is just a microcosm of some of the outstanding restaurants and businesses that have come and gone in the past 10 years in Kinston and Lenoir County — because too many of us spend our money in Greenville, New Bern, Jacksonville or Goldsboro. If we took the money we spend on cars, clothes, entertainment and food outside Lenoir County and spend it here at home, we not only help those businesses stay in business, we help ourselves by adding to our own tax base.

The next time you complain about nothing to do in Lenoir County, close your mouth, take a few minutes and find out what you have here. You might be surprised.

Bryan C. Hanks is the managing editor of The Free Press; his column appears in this space every Sunday. You can reach him at 252-559-1074 or at Bryan.Hanks@Kinston.com. Follow him on Twitter at BCHanks.