Orvis + Wal-Mart = Angry local shopkeep

From: George Cleveland

Our town (Merrill, WI) is probably pretty typical. Before Walmart
moved in we had a couple department stores, a half dozen clothes
stores and other small businesses (cafes etc.) downtown.

After
Walmart we lost both of the department stores and most of the clothing
stores. The other small businesses regularly change owners as they
find it impossible to make enough money to stay in business in that
location.

Now we have several empty storefronts and a bunch of antique
shops who never seem to have anyone inside when I go in.

Development
in the town has shifted to the area around Wallyworld, with several
fast food places and motels being built in the last few years. It has
brought growth to some parts of the community but it seems to have
removed any sense of community from the growth, if you get my drift.


Just the opposite in the town of my birth, Ware, MA. They lost all the
department stores and all but one specialty clothing store by the early
nineties. The main street had several empty stores, and the restaurants, auto
parts, and other surviving small businesses moved to the outskirts of town.
Most of the locals shopped in Springfield, the nearest city. There was only one
supermarket, part of an area chain, and they took full advantage of their
monopoly status.

Enter Wal-Mart. They built near the businesses that had moved south of town,
and in time added a full grocery store. They provided much needed jobs, and
widened the tax base. Business interest in the town increased, specialty
appliance and electronics shops opened on Main Street. The one remaining
specialty clothing shop flourished. Professionals moved their offices into the
remaining empty storefronts. A new auto parts shop opened down the road, and
another new one is opening this summer directly across the street from W.M.
This isn't a bad idea, as folks looking for auto pats at W.M. are likely to be
disappointed, and there will be a full service shop across the steet. In
addition, Home Depot has taken notice of what happened here, and will likely be
building a new store on the W.M. property.

Conclusion is that W.M. can kill thriving small businesses, but if these
enterprises are already gone, a big box store can be a real boon to a depressed
community.




George Adams

"All good fishermen stay young until they die, for fishing is the only dream of
youth that doth not grow stale with age."
---- J.W Muller