It was in both of our newspapers last week and I’m still not sure how I feel about it.
It looks like our little town is growing up. Slated to break ground next summer, it seems we will be the proud new target audience of an orangey, boxy store. Yep, you better watch out, you better not cry, you better not pout, I’m tellin’ you why: Home Depot is comin’ to town.
Part of me is sad and annoyed. I like our town the way it is, now that I’m an old-timer at 3.5 years. A big box like Home Depot can only signal the arrival of more large packages. And increased traffic. And a likely negative impact on our awesome little farm store just a few blocks up from where the orange ground will be broken. Worst, best we can tell, the Depot’s parking lot will displace one of my favorite attractions on Main Street: a small herd of longhorn cattle. Yes, just down from Albertsons and next to the road paving company, there is a herd of pointy longhorns just hanging out, reminding folks that this town was a lot more rural not so long ago.
But, on the plus side, the fact that Home Depot is interested in displacing small businesses here suggests we’re a growing, vital community. It also means that we will only be 15 minutes away instead of 30 from exchanging the inevitably wrong-sized part for all upcoming home improvement projects. And it means we will likely get a couple new fast-food joints as part of the deal. We’re hoping for Wienerschnitzel or Wendy’s. Well, honestly, we’d really love an In-n-Out Burger but since our “in” of a brother recently quit the company, our pleas for Double Doubles to move farther northward now fall on "la-la-la-can't-hear-you" ears.
As a sign of odd consumer loyalty, I know I’d be a whole lot more excited about all this if it were a Lowe’s invading the countryside. I like blue much better.
7 comments:
Ah yes, the projects that take 3 times as long, and twice as much as budgeted coupled with the "it's not a DIY project without at least 3 trips to HD"... We're experts at those projects!
Then there's my city of 800k which has neither a Lowes or a Home Depot in the city limits (or an OSH for that matter). But then again, taking that 4x8 sheet of plywood home on the metro would be a bit of a challenge anyway.
So exactly how DOES one do a home improvement project in your city, Marc?? Do you have to rent a car and go to the suburbs? Do contractors just figure it out? I guess I need to realize our current 30 minutes isn't that bad!
And Eileen -- our first year here, the nice lady at the Lowe's Returns desk nearly knew us by name. She certainly knew us by sheepish face. And I seriously considered trying to figure out how to get a job at Lowe's since I pretty much knew every department.
Small items are easy enough to find at the myriad of local hardware stores, all within walking distance or just short metro/bus ride away. I recently fixed my drip irrigation system after a visit to the local ACE hardware for example, and replaced a leaky diversion valve on a shower head with parts from the local variety store. For larger items, say lumber, I'm told the local lumbar yard (yes, there is one) will deliver. Contractors have their own places to get things (specialty supply centers, which are scattered about the south end of the city).
Home Depot is negotiating to open a store within the city limits, at the site of a defunct local hardware/lumbar store. I'm not sure where this stands, but given the previous occupants of the spot were in essentially the same business as Home Depot, it seems unlikely any protests from neighbors about "traffic" or "noise" will hold much water. Then again, there's a serious aversion to "chain" and "formula" stores here.
Surprisingly enough, we do have a Costco.
Here's what I don't get: I understand why it can be bad for a town or city to shrink... But why is growth the only sign of health? Why can't staying the same size be okay? Because sometimes I get tired of everywhere always knocking down old buildings (sometimes nice ones) or plowing up landscape and fields, and building big new stuff. Always more traffic, etc. (I'm living in Pasadena right now and it's constant construction.)
Cara
Cara - staying the same size would be fine if it was done without stagnating, and that's the trick.
If you're good enough to attract new folks/businesses, it's likely many of the old ones are doing well enough that they want to stay put. And if you keep "making room" for new folks/businesses by losing old ones, how many new ones are you likely to attract?
I'm sure I'd have an answer if I were an urban planner. Hey! Maybe I'll fire up SimCity and see what I can do!
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