The only place

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To the Editor:

I am an Islander that unfortunately has moved away from the only place I have ever wanted to live. The Island means so much to me that when I heard that there was a possibility that a Starbucks might open up I felt compelled to say something.

I’ve seen the Island change a lot over the years, and for the most part it’s been okay. However I feel like now we have lost our identity. People used to come to the Island to get away from the hustle and bustle of mainland life. They came to infuse themselves in the way we lived. But now it’s the opposite. People don’t want the Island way of life, they want their lives in a more exclusive place.

Starbucks, come on, are we really going to let this happen?! Are we going to sit by and let people take Islanders out of the equation. It’s time for everybody to take a hard look at what the Island has become and do something to get our community back on track. If people want mainland life, then move to the mainland, don’t bring it to the Island! Who is looking out for the Island way of life? I know its ridiculous to say everybody on the Island are best friends, or even that we all get along. However, I do know that I grew up on the Vineyard when people knew each other and would help one another.

Let’s get back to it, let’s get back to the community that people found so amazing that they wanted to be a part of it. Let’s stand up for the Island and its way of life and stop this chain from coming to the Vineyard. I just worry that once it starts, where will it end. I love the Vineyard, it’s my home. I don’t want it to lose its soul.

Aaron Larsen

Ireland