COMMUNITYThursday, July 19, 2012Page 1-C www.heritage.com

By Jerry LaVauteSpecial Writer

Appearances matter – ask anyone who hires people for a living. Better yet, ask a job seeker.

First impressions count. And just as a person’s appearance matters, so does that of a commercial build-ing, or an area like a public park or a library. A specific scene may evoke a host of feelings among witnesses, some quite different.

Most days, we travel through some portion of the Belleville area. Often, these trips are daily and repetitive – say school or work. Other trips outside the home happen a bit less frequently – shopping on Main Street, a visit to one of the stores on Belleville Road, or a pastoral, relaxed drive to a farm stand in Sumpter Township.

Some of these signs, sites and storefronts in the area evoke a feeling – positive, perhaps, possibly negative, even indifferent.

But, as they say, beauty is

in the eye of the beholder. To a devout teetotaler, a large sign boldly advertis-ing the sale of liquor inside the store may be distasteful. Advertising the availabil-ity of check cashing may suggest to some a lifestyle inconsistent with their behavior.

But to others, it’s com-merce; it’s free enterprise. Maybe you don’t have an established relationship with a bank in the area: that offer to cash your check on a Friday, or the taste of a cold beer at the end of a long week, is a godsend.

Here are a few photos taken of different signs, sites and storefronts in the area. What are your first impressions? Do they cause you to think? And where, pray tell, are these places?

Jerry LaVaute is a special writer for Heritage Media. Follow his “Pa’s Blog” at http://jlavaute.blogspot.com. He can be reached at glavaute@gmail.com or call 734-740-0062.

Signs, sites and storefronts of Belleville strike the eye

Photos by Jan and Jerry LaVaute

Tell us about it!Look around our com-

munity. Are there scenes like these that evoke feelings in you? Send us a .JPEG original of a photo attached to an e-mail to glavaute@gmail.com, and share your thoughts with us.

Citgo station

Van Buren Charter Township welcome sign

Otisville Cemetery

Van Buren Township Fire Station - South

Marathon on Main Street

Loranger Chiropractic

Main Street Flowers store-front sign

Farmer Jack