Business Owner Seeks Positive Dialogue with DavenportOne

Regarding your article on DavenportOne (River Cities' Reader, Issue 332, July 18-24, 2001): I have lived in Davenport, I have worked in Davenport, and I now own a business in Davenport. I moved back to the Quad Cities after almost 10 years in the western U.S. I have done all this because I chose to, and because I believe in many positive aspects of the Quad Cities area. But when a DavenportOne official tells me that he will no longer be able to visit my shop because I'm not a DavenportOne member, I have to stop and think, "As a small-business owner, do I want to belong to an association with a negative attitude like that?" I would still like to hear from DavenportOne with positive dialogue about becoming a member, maybe not just for me and my employees, but for other small-business owners throughout Davenport.

Theo Grevas,
Theo's Java Hut,
former member of the Davenport Chamber of Commerce and the Downtown Davenport Association