Local opinion: Garcia Cleaners shows why local businesses matter

For me, the closing of Garcia Cleaners is more than the closing of a longtime Tucson business. It feels like saying goodbye to a place that has been part of my family’s story for generations. So many of my memories are tied to those doors. My baptism gown, my First Communion dress and my graduation robes all made their way through Garcia Cleaners. Those were important moments in my life, and each one carries a little piece of the Garcia family’s work and care with it.

Whenever I came back into town, I knew I could stop by the cleaners and see some part of my family. It was never just a business. It was a place where people knew each other, where family connections were remembered, and where you could feel a little bit of home. That is what makes this closing so difficult for me. I am proud of what the Garcia family built and of the role Garcia Cleaners played in Tucson for so many years. It was a Latino-owned business built on hard work, dedication and relationships. It became part of the fabric of our community. When a business like Garcia Cleaners closes, we lose more than a storefront. We lose a place where memories were made. We lose a piece of Tucson’s history and another example of the Latino entrepreneurship that has helped shape this city.

And that should make all of us stop and think.

Tucson is changing, and the way we shop is changing, too. It is easier than ever to order something online or drive to a large chain, but those choices have consequences. Every time a longtime local business closes, we lose another piece of the community that makes Tucson feel like Tucson. Garcia Cleaners should be a wake-up call. If we want local businesses to survive, we have to support them while they are still here. We need to make an effort to spend our money locally, shop at neighborhood businesses and remember that there are families and people behind the doors of those businesses. Our local leaders also have a role to play. Small businesses need an environment where they can survive, including reasonable permits, tax relief and grants or other resources that can help them through difficult times.

But ultimately, it starts with us. We cannot wait until a business announces that it is closing and then realize how much it meant to our community. By then, it is too late. Garcia Cleaners is a reminder to treasure Tucson’s local businesses while we still have them. Because when another longtime business closes, we are not losing just another shop; we are losing memories, relationships, history and a piece of what makes Tucson home.