I heard an interview on the radio the other day with author Peter Lovenheim, who has written a book about getting to know his neighbors. Called In the Neighborhood: The Search for Community on an American Street, One Sleepover at a Time, it reports on his experience of realizing that he did not know the people on his street very well and his determination to change that.
The story behind the book and Lovenheim’s experience in meeting people he’s lived on the street with for years but has never really known is fascinating, and it reminded me of why I started McCann Window and Exteriors and started selling replacement windows in the North Shore in the first place.
I wanted to know people in the community, and I wanted to have a positive influence in neighborhoods.
I remembered in particular one customer, Linda Lewison. We replaced her windows on the 3900 block of Fargo St. in south Skokie about 10 years ago.
Linda loved the work we did. She was the hub of the block and told all her neighbors about her new windows.
Not only that, she got six or eight of them to have us install new windows. And she went around to all of the home after we had finished to make sure they were satisfied.
I started in business to be the area’s “window guy” in the North Shore, and Linda helped me see how that was indeed possible. I liked hearing about Peter Lovenheim’s book because I’m glad to know that people like Linda are still out there keeping neighborhoods together one conversation at a time.
Read a transcript of an interview with Peter Lovenheim.