It's pretty obvious most of you are not familiar with West Virginia. The only poorer states in the country are New Mexico, Louisiana, and Mississippi. That guy's arcade building looks pretty good for around here! He's got fresh paint on the building, a paved parking lot, the roof looks good and not leaky, and the sidewalk's not all busted up in front of his place. It looks clean inside.
You'd be amazed at some of the things that pass for "businesses" in our area! Here are a couple of pics from our local bar's Facebook page. This place is actually open, and people go in there and drink and do karaoke. LOL.
Amoroso's Bar, Piedmont WV 2022
Here's a picture of the owner/chef/bartender. He's a really nice guy, he means well. He comes up a bit short in the execution, like many people around here...
WVBar2 (resized).jpg
One of the sayings we hear a lot here in Piedmont WV is "we're doing the best we can with what we have!"
Translated, that means "We've done all we feel like doing right now and it's time to party!"
If you're looking for a cheap place to live, it can't be beat, though. My girlfriend and I live alone in what used to be a 5-unit apartment building. We have a 20,000 sq. ft. warehouse for a garage and storage unit, and a retail store on the main street that we will eventually rent out (maybe to a 1UP arcade! LOL probably not). Everything was paid for in cash, and we still haven't spent as much as we would have on a 2 bedroom condo in Colorado.
We make our own fun and depend on no one. We could live "normally" in a nicer area, but this allows us to do whatever the f**k we want and have all the space we could ever need. "Extreme Homes" was one of my favorite shows!
It's pretty amazing to see how different things are in different parts of the United States.