We personally watched Walmart kill the downtown of our county seat, one store at a time. It once had wonderful small, family owned businesses along main street, including a Ben Franklin. We finally lost the book store last year and the last jeweler gave up and retired. Most of the buildings now sit empty or are struggling junk shops or little bars oh there is a wonderful small bakery yet.
the Walmart built north of town which soon led to the addition of the county's second stoplight. (yep, the entire county-the other one is still downtown where two state highways cross) ,Then it was expanded to a "super store" which promptly killed the big grocery store and Kmart nearby and the other grocery store soon after. Fortunately, at least a small chain grocer went back in to one of the buildings, the other, across the street now holds a GoodWill which is at one end of a strip mall built with big dreams of benefitting from the traffic Walmart would attract. All Walmart did was kill any business that tried except a Dollar Store and a chain hair cutting business.
Now the seat of the county to our north ( a much larger town but still small by big city standards-I think it may have as many as 6 stoplights) is fighting, what appears to be a losing battle, to keep their downtown from suffering the same fate but they have already lost most of their anchor businesses along with the area Kmart, Sears and JC Penney just announced it's close.
I miss going to town and walking down mainstreet from one shop to another, stopping in at the lunch counter to catch up on all the news from the courthouse and chatting with all the store keepers you knew by name. Just sad. A whole way of life just gone.
the Walmart built north of town which soon led to the addition of the county's second stoplight. (yep, the entire county-the other one is still downtown where two state highways cross) ,Then it was expanded to a "super store" which promptly killed the big grocery store and Kmart nearby and the other grocery store soon after. Fortunately, at least a small chain grocer went back in to one of the buildings, the other, across the street now holds a GoodWill which is at one end of a strip mall built with big dreams of benefitting from the traffic Walmart would attract. All Walmart did was kill any business that tried except a Dollar Store and a chain hair cutting business.
Now the seat of the county to our north ( a much larger town but still small by big city standards-I think it may have as many as 6 stoplights) is fighting, what appears to be a losing battle, to keep their downtown from suffering the same fate but they have already lost most of their anchor businesses along with the area Kmart, Sears and JC Penney just announced it's close.
I miss going to town and walking down mainstreet from one shop to another, stopping in at the lunch counter to catch up on all the news from the courthouse and chatting with all the store keepers you knew by name. Just sad. A whole way of life just gone.
Last edited:
