To counter my previous post about the things I love here (no linkage, sorry…feeling lazy!) I promised a “Things that annoy me” post. And perhaps annoy is too strong a word. If anything, they make me sad, because I think Sanford could do better. So anyway, here goes!
1. Target. This is my #1 biggest disappointment. When we lived in SC, the Target was 5 minutes away from my house. No joke. I was there on an almost daily basis. I adore Target. Other than the mortgage company, they get more of my husband’s hard earned money on a monthly basis than any other single place. This is not an exaggeration. The Target trips have been highly curtailed lately and I’m in serious withdrawal. So, Target Powers That Be, please PLEASE consider putting a Target in our town. It doesn’t have to be a big fancy SuperTarget (though that would be a dream come true) but I would probably be able to keep you in business all by myself. Please. I really want a Target. I even know a great place for one! (Hwy 1, between Tramway and the Wicker/42 exit) Wal-Mart sucks and I hate that they are often my only option in town for things.
2. A big book store. Perhaps when they put in the new Target, they could add a B&N or a BAM. Something, ANYTHING. I can order from Amazon and get free shipping (yay for Amazon Prime!) but sometimes I just like to walk around and see if anything catches my eye. I love to read and it’s so hard to just pick something off of a website if you don’t know what you want. This problem also relates to our library…I admit that I’ve been spoiled by some great libraries in the last few places we’ve lived, but the state of the library here is dismal. I think I’ve been there only twice and was completely underwhelmed each time. Haven’t been back in the last 2 years.
3. Parks. Again, we’ve been really lucky in our last few homes to have great parks close by that were well maintained with lots of safe play equipment. Here? Not so much. We can go to neighboring Moore County and find some great playgrounds. Wake County has some nice ones. There really isn’t much in Lee County. Yeah, there’s the small one where the tennis courts are at the intersection of Carthage & Wicker, but that’s really only for little kids. I have one who’s about to outgrow it, and then where do we go? I’m not planning to be one of those inconsiderate parents that lets their gigantic 6 year old trample the 2 year olds who are *supposed* to be safe there. My dream is a fully fenced in play area with equipment that is safe for a wide range of ages. Too much to ask? I guess it is if you live in Lee County. (Though the “Rec” part of the Parks & Rec Dept. is great! Can’t beat their prices or the range of activities!)
4. A natural food store/co-op. I don’t mean a Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s (though either of those would be fabulous!) but something like the Chatham Marketplace. I love shopping there, but again…gas prices are terrible and I’d rather not drive such a distance to get more local and natural foods/products.
5. More childcare/preschool options. I may not be looking in the right places, but I just cannot find a *good* place that will take my youngest for a few hours or one day a week at a reasonable price. Something like respite care for stay at home moms. My dream would be to find a place willing to take him on an as-needed basis…if I have an appointment or need to get some shopping done that would be easier without him. It’s really tough because we know so few people in the area. Of course, even if we did I’m not the type to take advantage of that without a LOT of pushing or getting to a point of simple desperation.
So there you have it. My top 5 things that I wish Sanford had. Honestly, most of these are minor, petty things. I think the parks issue is a big one, and it’s one I’ve heard is coming to the forefront lately. I really hope we see some improvements in that area soon. As for the rest, I suppose a lot of patience is in order because Sanford is just not the type of place that can (or will) support places like this. And honestly, that’s fine with me most days. It’s just those times when I run out of Seventh Generation Diapers (nobody carries them locally, as far as I know) or get the itch to browse and fondle books or other merchandise that I really and truly miss all of those superficial things.
