The past several years have obviously adversely impacted us all in various ways. From job loss to loss of homes to families torn apart as the struggle to hold on became unbearable, these losses were devastating.
It was once unthinkable that a global financial services firm such as Lehman Brothers would ever stumble, or giants like Washington Mutual and General Motors could crumble, but they did. There were also the businesses that had become a part of our every day routine that unexpectedly left us.
I actually feel a profound loss resulting from some of the less publicized companies, such as Mervyn’s, Circuit City, and Borders Book Store. Mervyn’s was where my family shopped for school clothes when I was a small boy. I loved new pants and Mervyn’s always seemed to have the perfect pair of corduroys. The store was also based in Hayward, California, and founded only a few miles from there in San Lorenzo. Both locations are only minutes from where I grew up in Berkeley, CA. Circuit City became my store of choice for electronics, as it was close to work and I could make a quick stop there during my lunch hour. And I spent countless late night hours at Borders Book Store, where I could find books on just about any subject to help satisfy my entrepreneurial nitty-gritties.
The loss of Lehman Brothers, Washington Mutual and GM resonate an enormous U.S. capital loss, while on the other hand, Mervyn’s, Circuit City, and Borders evoke feelings of sentimental loss, closer to home. But the fall of Kodak tugs at our hearts. It lived with us, we celebrated it, we cherished it, we shared it, we loved it. Kodak quite literally helped us all to see who we are. It was a relationship unlike any other.
I thought it fitting that this book end with the words of some former customers who posted comments on YouTube about a brilliantly produced Kodak Gallery commercial that was poorly marketed. Again, very uncanny, as ultimately it was the voice of the consumer that Kodak ignored: