Letter: Downtown eateries missed

I loved going downtown to our unique cafes. Unfortunately, I am unable to visit them as often as I once could. The Waterfront Vancouver restaurants have certainly changed the environment for these establishments. It’s like big box stores taking business away from mom & pop stores. It is very nice to walk into your familiar cafe where the owner greets you as if you are family. The food is tasty, affordable and the ambiance comfortable. Ever since the waterfront came on the scene, I wondered who their clientele would be. Yes, I got to spend a special Mother’s Day on the waterfront. It was great! The waterfront to me is for special occasions. We need our downtown restaurants/cafes and it is sad that they are gone. The Columbian’s headline said it wasn’t a tragedy (“In Our View: Loss of downtown eateries sad, but not tragedy,” Jan. 10). How about the folks who worked at The Jerusalem Cafe and Tommy O’s? How about the delivery companies who will no longer deliver product? Down the line, it could very well be a tragedy to those who lost revenue. I will certainly travel the extra miles to have a great meal at these cafes.