Skip to main content

Nothing

You'll probably be surprised to hear this, but: I did nothing.

That's right. The Oakland Mills branch of the Columbia Bank is closing, and I did absolutely nothing to prevent its demise.

When you think of all the energy I have spent advocating for The Second Chance Saloon, encouraging folks to try the Food Lion one more time, lauding the efforts of the Oakland Mills Village Staff to make our village a better place--well--it's kind of horrifying to think I let this one pass me by.

My village is losing its only bank, and I did nothing.

Why? Because I had absolutely no idea until I got the letter in the mail.

I know a lot of incredible people in Oakland Mills who send out the call and get to work when it comes to helping neighbors, schools, local businesses and organizations. Am I naive to think we might have been able to help our village bank, had we only known? After all, a place like the Second Chance is a mom and pop operation. The Columbia Bank is merely a purchased entity of the Fulton Financial Group. It stopped being a hometown business quite awhile ago.

Me? I haven't changed. I'm still the same old individual, local customer who wants local, individual service. I haven't changed with the times, I guess. Perhaps if I could have morphed into a more complex organization, I'd be worth negotiating with. And yet...what about their slogan?

The Columbia Bank. Listening is just the beginning.

So, listen to this: my husband has been a Columbia Bank customer from the moment he moved into Oakland Mills. So have I. We have multiple accounts there. We have used them exclusively for our loans. We have recommended them to others. We have encouraged folks to check them out for loan opportunities. And we are the kind of people who actually go into the bank and talk with real human beings. We also use online banking, ATM's and the drive-though. I'd say over 90 per cent of our bank interactions have happened in Oakland Mills.

More importantly, we stayed when they really stopped being the Columbia Bank and were transformed into a product of Fulton Financial. We knew things wouldn't stay the same, but we wanted to support our local branch and we stuck by them. Perhaps this is why I am so ticked off that they are not sticking by us.

So much of any business happens through word of mouth. If The Columbia Bank had been committed to staying in Oakland Mills, might they have reached out to the community for support? Does anyone bigger than a mom and pop even do that these days? I don't know. But I do know that if they had really "been listening", they would have known how important it is to Oakland Mills to keep The Columbia Bank.

"Listening is just the beginning." Yes, and then they obey the bottom line instead. It's a sign of the times I guess. But I don't have to like it. And I really don't like that I wasn't able to do anything about it.

 

 

 

 

 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Getting Fresh

One of my favorite days in the Spring comes when this year’s list of Farmer’s Markets is released. That happened this week. New this year are markets in Old Ellicott City and the “Merriweather Market” which, according to the address, will be located here . I mistakenly thought at first glance that it was in the new-construction part of the Merriweather District. I find the name confusing considering its actual location. I’m going to guess that this market is an initiative of the Howard Hughes Corporation because the name seems chosen more for branding purposes than anything else.  Alas, the market in Maple Lawn is gone. The thread on the markets on the County Executive’s FB page will provide you with quite the education in who actually runs the Farmers Markets vs what people often think is going on. Short answer: they are not  chosen nor run by the county. Each market is an independent entity, sometimes started by community volunteers, other times supported by local businesses...
1 comment
Read more

They Can Wait

This is not a typical Saturday post. That’s because, in my community, it’s not a typical Saturday.  Oakland Mills High School, after years of deferred repair, needs massive renovation. It’s pretty simple: when you don’t fix a problem it gets bigger. The school system itself said the the OMHS school building was  "no longer conducive to learning" back in 2018.  2018 .  But Thursday the Boad of Education voted to push it out of the lineup of important projects which will be given the go-ahead to proceed soonest.  In my opinion it’s a terrible decision and sets a dangerous precedent. To explain, here’s the advocacy letter I sent in support of Oakland Mills High School. I was rather proud of it. I am writing to ask you to proceed with needed renovation at Oakland Mills High School in the most timely and comprehensive manner humanly possible. I have read the letter sent to you by the Oakland Mills Community Association and I am in complete agreement. You are extremel...
1 comment
Read more

What Kids Are Thinking

  It’s a Monday in February, and if you guessed that a lot of Howard County students have the new cell phone policy on their minds, you’d be right. It will mean big changes and it will be stressful, no matter how much good we hope it will do in the long run. But on this particular Monday cell phones might not be top of mind, as amazing as that seems. Some kids will go to school wondering if they or family members will be seized by ICE. Some will fear that their parents’ employment will be purged by the ongoing rampage of Elon Musk and his cronies through Federal Government. Some fear heightened and renewed racism as programs that supprted Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion are vilified and destroyed.  Some worry that it soon won’t be safe for them to use the bathroom in school anymore. It goes without saying that some kids fear going to school every day because of the prevalence of school shootings.  And look! Here’s something new to fear. That old hate group, Libs of TikTo...
1 comment
Read more