This letter is in response to the editorial on Wine Sales in Supermarkets that ran May 27.

Don't be so sure about the impact on small, independent businesses, carelessly minimizing the effect that mass marketers have on those less sizeable.

As a 25-year veteran of the floral industry, both retail and wholesale, I have seen first-hand the impact of grocery store floral sales on the retail florist. In fact, in the last 10 years the number of retail florists has been reduced by roughly 7,000 (Society of American Florists). I would suspect that small family-run bakeries have suffered similarly, as have other retailers like local butchers and markets.

Your inference that only poorly run business will succumb to the pressure is narrow minded and quite insulting. The florists who have managed to survive the onslaught of the giants, struggle to compete with low pricing offered by stores who do not depend solely on the sale of flowers. At the same time we try to educate the consumer on the superior quality of our product and an art form that is endangered.

The simple truth is that the public needs small businesses for diversity, quality and a better level of service. In our case, are you going to Wegmans or Wal-mart for your wedding flowers? How about for dear Aunt Betty's casket spray? But we can't survive on weddings and funerals alone; we need your business the rest of the year too.

Liquor store owners face the same battle. Sure, they'll still have the liquor to sell, but you're taking away a huge portion of their business and acting as if it is no problem. Well, it is a problem for them! Consider this, who will suffer more from the passage of this bill - the small store owner or the giants like Wegmans? We need to stop being so short-sighted when passing bills and consider the whole picture. Our country was built on independent businesses, now we seem bent on cutting them off at the knees.

Cathy Martinez

Auburn

Martinez is manager of Smiley's Town and Country Florist, Auburn