Troy and Mandy Weaver Cartersville, Ga. Service manager/bank teller Just before September 11, the Weavers made an offer on their dream vacation home, a condo on St. Simons Island, off the Georgia coast. They considered walking away from the deal after the attacks, but falling interest rates trumped their uncertainties about the future. “We are very excited,” says Troy. Now, in the midst of a recession, the Weavers are the owners of a three-bedroom retreat just a bike ride from the beach.
CHARGING GIFTS, CHARGING AHEAD
Erica and Brian Chambers Los Angeles, California Travel Consultant/TV Editor The Chambers family didn’t let terrorism or the recession slow their Christmas spending. They dropped over $3,000 on gifts for the family, including their two young children–about what they spend every year. “We are not changing our ways,” says Erica, 38. Although Erica’s part-time business was hit hard after the September 11 attacks, Brian’s job is steady, and she’s confident the economy will bounce back. “It always does,” she says.
STRETCHING TO EXPAND, DESPITE THE DOWNTURN
Cyndi Lee New York City Yoga Instructor Stressful times haven’t hurt the Om Yoga Center, which Lee, 48, founded four years ago. They may even have helped. Revenues jumped about 50 percent last year to around $1.3 million as Lee doubled her space to 5,000 square feet and hired a CEO to oversee finances and planning. She’ll move to an even bigger space this year and plans to hire more staff. “Sometimes it’s scary to think about the fact that I’m expanding a business in a tough economy,” she says. “But you can’t let fear paralyze you. That would be defeat.”
UNEMPLOYED–NOT FOR LONG, AND WISER FOR IT
Dennis Miyashiro Brooklyn, N.Y. Telecom Administrator When his dot-com went dot-gone last year, Miyashiro, 22, a human-resources professional, was asked to help lay off some 200 colleagues before losing his own job. “It was four months of misery,’’ he says. But he’s found work again. It’s in the volatile telecom industry, but he has confidence in the future of his new company, IntelliSpace. Miyashiro thinks of his dot-com nightmare as a learning experience. “I learned how companies should be run,” he says, “and I learned the right questions to ask.”
FORGET FORECASTS: CARPE DIEM
R. J. and Marge Costa South Hampton, N.J. Retirees After scrimping and saving for years while raising three children, the Costas are ready to enjoy life, and the unsettled economy won’t stop them. In September, the 55-year-olds will embark on a two-month cruise to Japan, China, Australia and other distant ports of call. The trip will cost about $40,000. “I’ve had it with the doom-and-gloom forecasters,” says R. J. “The people of America aren’t going to let America fail.”
