To the Editor:

As a nephew of the owner of Fox Creek Market, a beloved local shop and café in the hamlet of Berne, I write in regard to the proposed opening of a new Stewart’s in this community. Family-owned, small businesses play a crucial role in communities such as this one.

It is upsetting when big businesses take resources from local ones. The well-knit community of Berne thrives off the close relationship between the residents of the town and my family working in Fox Creek Market; opening a new Stewart’s would be detrimental to this notable attribute.

People believe that a Stewart’s would put the business out. Mike Cecunjanin, owner of Fox Creek Market, believes that it would be hard for Stewart’s to do so as the loyalty that the customers have is too powerful. The Stewart’s Shop would need something different and better, which is hard to beat at Fox Creek Market.

Gas pumps could or could not be this “something different,” as there is already a Mobil gas station that is just a six-minute drive away from the market. This just goes to show that Berne has all the necessary amenities.

Arguments in favor of the new Stewart’s center around the creation of jobs for townspeople. Chuck Marshall, a spokesman for Stewart’s Shops, states that the store would offer 275 hours of payroll per week. Marshall states that this could provide 40 hours of work to seven people, but it may not be divided this way.

Comparing the relative size and population of the town, this cannot be taken as a serious job opportunity. You have to be lucky enough to be one of the seven people in this well-populated town to get that job. Nevertheless, Mike says a bar and restaurant right above the market is already underway and this will open job opportunities for the townspeople.

That being said, a Stewart’s can bring jobs, but so can local businesses. Just because Stewart’s can create jobs doesn’t mean other businesses should be destroyed, as soon enough the Fox Creek Market will be seeking staff for it’s expansion.

My family loves Berne and the people of the town. It’s the reason each employee drives 20 miles there and back to be open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day except for Monday. It’s the reason that 80 percent of the customers are on a first-name basis with the family.

It’s the reason they opened the shop in the first place. When I asked Mike why he chose this location, he said, “To help the people here have a place for food.” A new Stewart’s would challenge the business, but Mike believes the loyalty of his customers would allow him to strive.

Nevertheless, to alleviate any risk of this happening, the opening of a new Stewart’s in Berne should be frowned upon. The town wouldn’t be as connected without the Fox Creek Market.

Bajram Ahmemulic

Guilderland

Editor’s note: Chuck Marshall, a Stewart’s Shops spokesman, told The Enterprise earlier that the Hilltown store would offer around 275 hours of work a week. Although the hours roughly equal seven full-time workers, instead they would be divided to include part-time work, too.