To the mayor:

For more than three years now, I have owned and operated the Valley Grande Market.

The Market and other small stores like us are relatively small fish in the big pond of business.

Over the past three years we have been approached a number of times by advertising representatives for The Selma Times- Journal about advertising in the paper.

Each visit brought with it the same disappointment as the ones before it.

After making their standard advertising option presentation, there was never any flexibility in the program to accommodate the small fish.

In any business, all expenses must be budgeted and are normally done as percentages of gross sales or business volume.

We, small business, obviously do not generate the same sales volume as the big corporate stores and thus have smaller advertising budgets.

Finally, it appears there is someone that cares. A new publisher, new editor and a new advertising director have apparently decided to get creative in order to include small businesses in their ad plans. This is really a “win-win” for small businesses and The Times-Journal since we need the additional advertising outlet and since we make up somewhere in the neighborhood of 80 percent of all businesses and therefore collectively represent a larger share of the total market than the big guys.

Programs like the “VIP” option now offered by The Times-Journal are exactly what I have asked about for the past three years.

For the first time, because of this type program offered by The Times-Journal, we are able to reach farther into our consumer market.

I am sure The Times-Journal, since it is a business also, is very much like us in that the more business we do the more competitive we can be.

Whoever is responsible for the refreshing change in attitude about the businesses throughout The Selma Times-Journal service area is to be commended. Good luck on the effort and thank you for caring.

Tom Lee

Valley Grande