So aside from traffic, country living, etc... how do you all feel about the Walmart and the Mom & Pop stores in this area, or even franchises. Do you think the Walmart is going to have an effect on them in the 4042 area?
I think if you are a retailer in Peddlers Village or the equivalent you are screwed. Depending on the "Service" centers put in the front of the store even folks like Buckaroo Express and the video rental shop are at risk.
Considering the unbridled excitement most have expressed here for the arrival of yet another sterile, big-box store, I'd say those small businesses are not long for this world. But, isn't that part of Mall Wart's strategic plan: to eventually dominate the world??!!! Just like Charbucks, I believe. It's really too bad. We loose all sense of self...become "***-imulated" into the great w-HOLE and therefore loose not only our town's identity, but our's as well. Let's build more...more...more....wasn't there something recently about what was happening in Wake county?????? Nah....could never happen here in Johnston county!
In our specific situation, I don't think it will effect. Lowes has been here a long time, and they would have effected the local hardware store/ paint store/ flooring store/ garden store etc. We don't have a local shoe store / small dept store /clothing store here. We don't have a downtown so to speak like FV/Clayton/Benson, and 2 of those 3 already have a Wal Mart, and there downtowns are improving or being renovated. Now Wal Mart can wipe out a town for sure. We were going up North and stopped in a small town in Indiana between Cincinatti and Indianapolis (1995?). It was the county seat, but I can't remember the name. We stayed at a hotel by the Interstate, and drove into town for breakfast. It had a courthosue in the middle of a square with little shops all around. Dress shops/ mens shops/ baby storre / shoe stores/ hardware/ paint / restaraunts/ law offices/ other offices etc. A real nice little town with a very busy downtown. As we drove out of town a Wal Mart was being built. I told my wife that would be the end of the little town we just visited and ate breakfast at. It was probably 5 years later (2000 ?) and we were making the same trip, and stayed at the same hotel. In the morning we drove into town and almost everthing had closed. If they did not close, they moved out to the Wal Mart shopping center. I bet 75% of the busniess had boarded up windows. All in 5 years. I suppose the tax revenues went up which made the town council happy, but they are probably spending money to draw business to downtown. Maybe the owner of the mens store got a job in the wal mart selling mens clothes, same for the show store person etc., but not the same.
I would think the property owners/ landlords for the strip malls would be against it too. They have a hard enough time keeping those places occupied. Then again, maybe a large anchor store is what they have be needing. Either way it will be a traffic disaster unless they do two things: 1) Open a new on/off ramp at Cornwalis 2) Make Hwy 42 a sturdy 4 to 5 lane road from I-40 to the new US 70 bypass
That's kind of what I was thinking, markfnc. But, what about the auto parts shop - Walmart has an auto section. The tire store/oil places - Walmart has that stuff - and you can shop while you wait! Is the Walmart gas station coming, too? Optometrist? I just went by Eye Deals today. Want to get your nails done? Your hair? You can do that there, too. What if it shuts down the Food Lion, then those shops don't have an anchor... Just sayin'.
I understand where you all are coming from and agree with most of it but when has the super walmart shut down food lion or the hair place or any of those side business shut anyone down. Would you want to get your hair cut at walmart? NOT ME. It has its pros and cons, more cons then pros but I highly doubt it will shut down food lion or any other business. But if it does then I'll look like the idiot but has happened on many occasions
This is just one of the CONS of Walmart, but this has happened many times. I admit the Foodlion is a stretch, I think the new Lowes Foods will have a bigger impact, but the two together might kill them. You might not see the stores close up immediately, usually there are enough people who understand that shopping at Walmart is a rather costly thing to do. It is when a Walmart coupled with a dip in the economy hits that these folks dry up and blow away.
Well I, for one, will be frequenting the LOCAL stores before I ever set foot into that place. It's something I usually do, but will make a point of it if Wally World comes up here. Support your LOCAL businesses. They are your neighbors, friends, and family. Frogger
The only shop i see them really threatening is the Party Shop and still Walmart will not have the specialty items they carry. Most of our local business up there are service oriented or specialty shops so i don't see Walmart threatening them so much. Again, i could be wrong but as someone else remarked, it is not like a downtown section with bookstores, clothes retailers, shoe shops, etc. If we did have that up there, then yes, they would definitely be hurt.
My hometown was the same. Small town square off the interstate. Some businesses did close up around the square once Wally World opened but I think more of it had to do with people would just rather drive 25 miles away to another bigger town and do their shopping for clothes/shoes. Yes and they are spending money to bring business to downtown. Even got a federal grant. Locally, in Clayton, I always try to patronize the local businesses when I can. Why would I want to save a couple of bucks for a few items at Lowe's or Wal-Mart when I could go to Food Town or Hudson's and be in and out and not have to have somebody paged to get help finding a 99 cent item?
