The McCollumn- 9/10

Farewell, Tyler's

“Just saw the sign that said Tyler’s had closed for good. I’m crying,” the text message read.

After I saw it, I may not have cried, but I certainly felt a few odd pangs of sadness and regret.

For 42 years, Tyler’s Restaurant has been an Opelika institution, bringing good, affordable food to the citizenry.

Now, we have a darkened, empty building on Geneva Street, a hull of a place that was once teeming with life and energy.

It’s hard to place blame on any one factor for the death of this beloved icon.

It’s certain that the closure of plants like Ampex and Uniroyal dented their business.

It’s also true that when the growth and development of Opelika moved out toward Tigertown, some of us forgot about places like Tyler’s in lieu of a quick run for some Chicken Minis at Chick-fil-A.

There was many a Saturday that I fully intended to wake up early and run to Tyler’s for breakfast, grabbing a bag full of those heavenly biscuits for myself and the other Cottage Café folk.

However, intentions seldom led to action, as I usually just slept in until I was almost late for work.

While I mourn the death of Tyler’s, I can’t fully escape the guilt of that death.

If I loved the place so much, I should have been a better customer.

It’s all well and good to say you love something, but that love must be backed by action and example.

With small businesses, especially restaurants, the support and patronage of a returning clientele are essential.

Somewhere along the way, most of us just stopped being good customers and that shell on Geneva Street is a reminder of what can happen we just don’t make an effort.

The national economy is in shambles right now.

Unemployment climbs ever higher and we are all hurting right now.

However, if we don’t find the time and the way to try to support our local landmarks, we run the risk of losing them forever.

No business is immune. Tyler’s was here for 42 years and it went down.

We should all be worried.

Take time to rediscover and support your favorite Opelika businesses.

Stop, reminisce and remember why you fell in love with those places in the first place.

Bring others – make your support infectious.

Try new places – some of these new businesses may be the staples of the future.

We may never taste the crisp, flaky, buttery Tyler’s biscuits ever again, but if we act now, we can hopefully make sure that other businesses don’t meet that same fate.

Remember the biscuit.

Remember the well-grilled hamburgers and the perfectly salted shoestring fries.

Remember seeing the Geneva Street Think Tank as you picked up your order or sat down for the breakfast buffet.

Try to remember them because the memories are all we have now.