#dewtask007

[ogdewhq]

to the residents of stardew valley,

but more importantly, my neighbors and my friends. when i took this office, i swore to do right by you and to lead always with your best interests in mind, and over the years i have done my best to keep that word. i see now, though, that allowing joja mart to take refuge in our town was not in any of our best interests.

i understand the threat that large corporations often pose to small businesses, but i believed joja mart would diversify our town’s offerings and grant us all access to products we can otherwise only find in the city. without proper care and regulations, however, joja mart’s stronghold clearly tears our community apart in the most regrettable way.

over the past two months, i have tried to negotiate with joja mart and establish a balance that could allow both joja mart and the general store to thrive alongside each other. because we could come to no agreement, i will not allow the corporation to stay in the valley when its lease expires at the month’s end.

i understand this is the least i can do by way of reparations, and it will also host more problems for us in the valley. to ensure you all have access to the products you need, i have developed a plan with the mercer family to ensure their store can reopen at once. i will also work with the other businesses who have taken losses due to joja mart.

this matter goes beyond business. your trust is something i can only restore through further time and care. but as your neighbor before your mayor, i thank you for your letters and meetings, for my accountability. time and time again, you all spoke of the community that we have built together, and you are right. stardew valley as we know it takes a village, and i am nothing without your guidance. so i thank you.

your friend, lewis

[wintcrwinds]

[qvietlight]

[dcwdrops]

LETTER THREE — FROM LIZZIE JOHNSON-PHAN  ...  

Mayor Lewis,

Hi! I’m Lizzie. I know your daughter well, but I don’t think we’ve made official acquaintance yet. It’s unfortunate that that introduction is under these circumstances — but perhaps this is an opportunity for both of us to prove how much we care about the Valley!

I know I haven’t been here long, but I can tell that this is an incredibly special place. JojaMart is necessary for this community for people to be able to get affordable goods that you need anywhere — but the general store is precious too! They sell so many unique items that Joja doesn’t offer, and it’s always worthwhile to support small businesses. I’ve recently been helping to try and get a farm up and running here, and I know that my friend Kiran Varani also relies heavily on the general store to assist him in farming. The general store offers so much more as a community. 

I’m not advocating for a Joja close, of course, I just really hope it is not impossible for JojaMart’s convenience and reliability to coexist with the general store. I don’t think anyone here wants to have to make a choice between them, least of all me. 

Come by the farm anytime to visit our chickens!

- Lizzie

[silvcrlining]

Mayor Lewis,

I moved to Stardew Valley on a whim. Honestly, I didn’t think I’d be living here for long; I thought I’d stay for a few months, then move off to Zuzu City or whatever other town lied in my path. However, It’s been a year, and I am still here.

Why do you think that is, Mayor? I’ll give you a few seconds to mull it over.

Done?

It was the people. It wasn’t my paradisaical escapist fantasy, it wasn’t the beauty of the Valley-- it was the people. You may remember that you hired me as the photographer for quite a few Valley events, and I can tell you from first-hand experience: I have never seen such a tight-knit community of people who look out for one another, who care for each other, and who make each other thrive. If it weren’t for them, I wouldn’t be here right now. They have not only provided me with opportunities and employment (I was a regular employee at the Mercer General Store), but they have also offered compassion, friendship, and loyalty.

Locally run businesses like the Mercer General Store make Stardew Valley what it is. It is a natural extension of that tight-knit community this place has fostered over the years. Made by dewers, for dewers. They have a stake in this valley, one that is much deeper than any other corporation you could try and force onto us. I think the recent protests and calls to boycott are proof enough of that, aren’t they?

Joja Mart is not a part of Stardew Valley. It never has been, and it never could be. Our “neighbors” have been destroying our local economy, leaving many citizens unemployed or forced to work in the strenuous circumstances the corporation places its workers under (don’t worry, word of overworked and exhausted employees runs fast in a small town). Joja does not represent our valley, our values, or our community, nor has it helped us in the slightest, no matter what poor excuse for “philanthropy” they try to hide behind. The bus would have been fixed much sooner if Joja hadn’t run us dry by then, forcing themselves into their own savior narrative.

Stardew Valley thrives when its people thrive. I know capitalistic ventures like Joja might seem enticing, and those dollar signs might be blinding, but know that this isn’t what the Valley wants or needs. If you do think it’s what the Valley wants and needs, I advise you to take a step back and listen to the citizens that have been directly affected by your and Joja’s actions. I’m sure they will tell you otherwise.

Joja will run this town dry. There’s no other way to put it. And if we have to protest, to expose Joja for the sham it is, to scream at the top of our lungs, we will do so, because this community sticks together. I hope you realize that before it’s too late. I’ve included a few things in this envelope that I hope will help you realize what Stardew Valley truly is.

Best regards,

Finley Martin

[ In the envelope, there is one of the BOYCOTT JOJA! flyers, along with several photographs Finley had taken during the Dance of the Moonlight Jellies-- people talking, laughing, sitting together and dipping their toes into the water, children running down the pier, the faint glow of the jellies in the  background. ]

[sloanepearson]

Dear Mayor Lewis,

I don’t think I can even express the rage I feel at the news of the Mercer General Store closing. You heard a very vocal protest against the establishment of Joja in Pelican Town, yet you went forward anyways. As a representative, your interests should like in your constituents, not in corporations and your own pockets.

In my travels, I have seen corporate entities, like Joja, destroy the economies of small towns. What do you plan to do when none of your farmers can stimulate the local economy because they have to ship crops outside of the valley? Or when they have to up and leave? What will you do when Joja raises the prices because they have monopolized the area and residents have to move from the valley or go bankrupt?

This seems like such a shortsighted solution to the valleys problems and assumes that the corporation has the best interest of the town in mind. I can assure you, this generosity will not last much longer. 

I implore you to really consider the values we hold in this valley - how we all look out for each other here, and consider if letting Joja establish roots here, unregulated, is consistent with these values.

I am of the opinion that it would be best to think of alternate solutions, that either involve the removal of Joja and stimulating the economy for local businesses. Or severely regulating how Joja can set prices. 

Once more, you represent the people here and it is in your interest to represent us if you want to remain in office.

Sincerely, 

Sloane Pearson

[alwaysgcld]

Mayor Lewis,

You have never steered us wrong, so I have faith that with bringing Joja here you had the best of intentions.

I will not deny that they have showered our small town with certain perks that I’m sure that no one ever dreamed we would be privy to. That spotlight that they shined on us, it must have seemed glorious to those who never thought that could happen here, to us.

Except it came with a price, didn’t it? 

The Mercers had to pay a price for the inclusion of Joja Corporation in our community. They had to give up their dream. They have to leave their home. Some of them have to say goodbye to Valley itself and nothing will justify it. No amount of publicity that we get from Joja Corporation will. Nor any other gifts they might shower us with.

We let the Mercers down. Their dream helped the Valley thrive for years and we let them down.

Our community is not bettered by Joja’s presence. It’s being teared apart. You can not ignore that now. Not after what happened to the Mercers. Because their loss just leads us into the question of who is next? Whose dream will we have to watch be torn from them next? 

Keeping Joja Mart, Joja Corporation itself, in the Valley would be a mistake.

I stand by that just like I stood by my thoughts on bringing it here in the first place was a mistake. You know that I am not the type to go back on a commitment to anyone, so when I dropped helping that construction I don’t understand how you could expect me to feel any other way. And don’t try to turn this into loyalty towards my friends because that’s not the whole truth of why I backed out. There was and is no way for corporations like that to exist here and for us to still keep true to ourselves, to each other.

The loss of the general store is just the first consequence of a corporation like Joja being here. Do you understand that? This isn’t a matter of us being unreasonable with standing against Joja. We don’t want to lose what makes the Valley special.

If there is a way for them to coexist, then I’d gladly settle for that. But if it comes down to choosing only one? My choice will always lie with the Mercer General Store. They deserve to have their dream, their home back. Because they have been a major part of this community for years. They are the purest example of what makes our home a home. Something worth cherishing and protecting.

Please don’t let what truly makes Stardew Valley beautiful slip further away. Because if this persists, it’s just a matter of time that the community that we all know and love is gone completely.

Best Regards, Benigno Park

[ogdewhq]

BOYCOTT JOJA! a call to boycott the town’s new “neighbor” erupted through the valley following the general store’s closing. the town, or those who feel led, banded together to boycott joja mart, creating a rideshare schedule, bartering their artisan goods, and commuting via bus to zuzu city together. some have even taken to protesting outside the store to get potential customers on their side. you can write your #BOYCOTTJOJA threads and tag them as #dewevent009.

people have also organized a letter-writing campaign to the mayor himself. tag your letters to the mayor as #dewtask007 before friday, september 25 for him to weigh your thoughts in his decision.

[dcwdrops]

LETTER TWO — FROM THE MERCER FAMILY ....

Dear Mayor Lewis,

We hope you’re doing well. This is letter is on behalf of the entire Mercer family. Obviously you know us, but based on last name alone, the decision that everyone is encouraging you to make greatly affects our family. 

First, we want to greatly apologise for any strife that any of us have caused in the Valley these past weeks due to the emergence of JojaMart as a threat to the general store’s ability to stay open. As we’re sure you’re aware from our closing, it has put a great amount of pressure us as a family. All of us extend our deepest apologies to both you and Sasha for any behavior that has been unnecessary and out of line. 

Regardless, we want to preserve this community as we love it — and the we in we love it includes us here, as a family. Without the store present, it becomes incredibly difficult for us and for many other people – including the Varani family and their farm, and the two new farmers in town who would have soon used our services — to support ourselves here. While we recognize Joja is easily accessible and affordable, it was only due to our extremely local focus and limited financial options that we were not able to offer competitive hours and prices as they do. 

Despite what seems like a discrepancy in effort, we want to remind you that we have served this community well for many years, and fully intended on doing so for many more — JojaMart may be lucrative, but they are impersonal, and will not have the same lasting community impact on the level that brings people together.

We encourage you to look past the lucrative benefits JojaMart may offer and instead into the hearts of the community, who have supported us so well. This kind of spirit and kindness extends a lot farther and a lot longer than any gold could. 

Thank you for your time. 

All best, The Mercer Family 

[dcwdrops]

LETTER ONE — FROM JILLIAN MERCER ...  

Dear Mayor Lewis,

This is Jillian Mercer. I know that in these letters, you’re probably looking for the opinion of the community — or at least, everyone is pushing you to listen to the opinion of the community as a whole, and I might seem biased. And I am. 

Maybe some members of the community would rather have Joja stay. You might be thinking that it stimulates the economy, or that it’ll create more jobs because more people can be employed there than can be at the general store. Or that maybe, Joja will just be a better opportunity to launch Pelican Town, and the entire valley forward with change. We’ve got a lot of catching up to do with other towns, with Zuzu City. 

But when has being the same as other towns ever been what we wanted? 

The Valley is special. I don’t think that the general store is what makes us special, though I’d like to be selfish enough to assume me and my family might be part of that. What makes us special is that we all look out for one another. This isn’t just the Mercer family versus JojaMart. This is Stardew Valley, the people here who love and trust and help one another, verus a corporation that doesn’t even know us from the next place or the next place or the next. 

We know the town. My family knows the town. We’re party of the town. I’m sure you remember when Sasha was younger – my dad still bothers me with plenty of stories reminiscing about when we were all kids. I still remember her favorite color when we were twelve, because she wanted me to paint her nails to look like that. I’m sure you remember Malia too, as a kid, since all of us were friends with Sasha. I went to every single one of her track meets that I could, and we all cheered her on the whole time. I remember exactly what Koa wore to tea parties Sasha hosted.I  remember a lot about all of us, and I remember that you cared a lot about this town when we were all little. I know that you still do now — just like I know a lot about the people that are here now.

I know that Joja made us have to fire Alex, who has been nothing but kind to me despite all that I’ve done to him, and however many ways I hurt him. I know that it made Finley lose their job, when they’ve made me laugh more in the past month than I have in years. I know Kiran won’t be able to sell to Joja from his family farm that’s been in town for ages, even though he’s one of the most hardworking people in the valley and makes us all proud. I know Sloane hates Joja as much as I do, and anything that would make faer show up here less would be a disservice to everyone here. I know Ben has helped my family endlessly, and helped me more than he knows, with unconditional support for us as people and for our business. I know Henry is good enough at what he does to open his own bakery one day — do you think Joja would ever allow for that? I know a lot of things about the people in this town, because I took the time to learn them. Even if it seemed like I wasn’t listening. 

When has Joja ever done that for us?

That’s the thing. I am a part of an us here. So are my parents, so are my brothers. So is everyone else born in the Valley, and everyone else who moved here because we are an us. All the new faces in town came here for something special — something real. Do you really want to deprive them of that? Do you want to make the Valley, with all of its magic, a place that’s just as good as somewhere else, instead of the best place anyone could be?

And lastly, selfishly: the Valley is my home. I can’t be here without the store, and neither can my family. A personal plea, if not the one for everyone: I don’t want to lose my home. For all the sadness and anger I’ve felt, and for all the horrible ways I’ve expressed it for ways I’m sure you personally don’t want to read this for: mostly, I’ve been scared. I’m really, really scared to have to leave the place I’ve known my entire life. 

If you won’t do it for me, go back up and read all the names of the people who make this valley special. Read them again. And again, and again and again. 

I strongly encourage you to look at that and make the decision that’s right. No matter how many times you have to read it. 

Sincerely, Jillian Mercer