I could be in business almost anywhere. Being in Corvallis wasn't a matter of having family here, or a job, or some athletic vice catered to by local enthusiasts. It was a choice.

Talking about the homogenization of the American landscape has become about as trite as those kids waving loud signs from the street corner offering $5 off an oil change or a pizza (or both). But Corvallis remaining uniquely community oriented � retaining an identity not defined by strip malls � is no small feat.

Just as I could have chosen other places to be in business, you can choose another place to live. But we live here and enjoy a beautiful riverfront defined by the lazy Willamette on one side and converted old buildings with non-chain businesses on the other. We're a skip from the sea or mountains, the city or the country. We say hello to the people we pass on the sidewalks and hold doors open for each other. We as a community choose to make things the way they are.

And the way things are is in no small way due to this community's love of the arts. All of the arts: The Majestic Theatre, da Vinci Days, independent bookstores, street art and art galleries, just to scratch the tip of the iceberg. It is this communal love of the arts that keeps me in business. Independent art cinemas have never made anyone rich. But, against all business logic, it's what I do here � and this community has kept me going for eight years now.

When Carmike opened a huge multiplex in north Corvallis last year, it very well could have been the end of independent cinema here. Most single-screen art cinemas do not survive the invasion of a 12-screened monster, ravenously scarfing up any film to feed its huge overhead. After a little research, it became obvious I'd have to fight fire with fire and build more screens to try to play product before Carmike snatched it away from me.

Expanding a business in the face of imminent doom could be considered, well, pretty damn stupid. But I have faith in Corvallis. So I built.

I asked my customers to share some of the risk by buying memberships � investing in the future. And they did! And other people came out of the woodwork to make sure things got done: contractors shaved their bills, workers worked for minimum wage, money came along when I ran out, and people stopped me on the street to thank me for taking a chance on their community.

This is who we are. We understand it will be the independent bookstore that will promote the unknown authors, the community theaters that will spotlight local actors, the local galleries showing local artists, and little art cinemas bringing unknown cinematic gems to a silver screen in your community. These are the things that keep money in our community in the face of downsizing and retirements.

The main drag in almost any town in this country is pretty much indistinguishable from the next. The milder the climate, the fiercer the blandness. One doesn't have to wander too far from Corvallis to realize how good we have it.