Letter to the Editor, Dec. 27

Ruben’s great example for businesses to follow

I want to give a shout out to Ruben Valdez of Ruben’s Wood Craft and Toys. On Dec. 12, I went with my granddaughter’s fifth-grade class on their annual shopping trip downtown. The class is learning how to budget money and they had a set amount of cash (they could not borrow any from friends or relatives); they had to stay within their budget. Not only were they buying gifts for their families but they also had to buy lunch and leave a tip for the waitress.

Needless to say, most of the kids ended with pennies left over and they all wanted to go back to Ruben’s because he has items for under a $1.

After spending what was left of their money they still had about 45 minutes to waste before they had to head back to school. We were sitting on the benches outside Ruben’s store (which Ruben kept open for the kids) and he came out and played some awesome games of Simon Says with the kids.

He is really good at the game and was able to get the kids pretty quickly. But not only did he play the game he gave prizes to the winners.

Ruben is a great example of a business owner engaging with his customers. I know if I need a toy or a gift, I will think first of Ruben’s store right here in our little town.

I would be remiss to not give a shout out to our wonderful fifth-grade teachers who offered such a hands-on life lesson for the kids as well. All in all it was a special day for the fifth-graders and me.

Becky Wilken