Change

David Wilcox is one of my all time favorite musicians. An amazing singer and songwriter, David has a way of making you ponder, celebrate, and reflect on life. One could argue his music is better than most therapy sessions, and a heck of a lot cheaper.

His album, East Ashville Hardware, with a song by the same name, was released in 1996. It was my freshman year of college, more than 20 years ago now. (Yikes!) So many great songs are on this album.

Here’s the last verse of East Ashville Hardware

But no, you go, he said to me with light around his face

He said, You go first to that age-old place

To that old wooden door that you have to close behind you

To the wide-board wooden floor worn down soft

To the real thing, Good advice, quality at a fair price And they know how deep the frost goes here.

I was listening to this song for the first time in a long time the other day, and the very last sentence caught me off guard.

I’m sure there’s stuff you’ll have to find at Paty’s, Lowe’s or Sears

But go to East Asheville Hardware

Go to East Asheville Hardware, before it disappears

What caught my attention was one of the stores that would eventually put East Ashville Hardware out of business, had just recently shut down 150 stores, and I am willing to bet there will be more in the future.

The hunter has become the hunted. The thing is, this doesn’t just apply to small businesses. It also applies to us and our careers. If we are not willing to learn, to adapt, and add value to people and businesses, we just might become the next East Ashville Hardware, or the next Sears.

True Story: At a David Wilcox concert several years ago, he was taking requests from the crowd. Someone asked him to sing East Ashville Hardware. He responded with something to the effect of, “Sorry, they’re closed.”