The cycle of local and big-box stores

This is identical to the strip-mall Wal-Mart from my hometown,
but this picture is not from there.

I am not quite old enough to remember my hometown without a Wal-Mart. This fact spurred me to call my dad and ask if he remembered when it opened. According to him and my mom, it must have been sometime between 1989 and 1991. But, I do remember doing almost all of our non-grocery store shopping at Wal-Mart. I do remember that there was never a vibrant downtown or local economy. Even the restaurant scene was primarily national, chain fast-food places. Presumably, in the past at some point, the area had a thriving local economy, though no more. 

But, it was the 90s. No one talked about reviving the local economy. It was a TREAT to go to the next town over and eat at a chain, sit-down restaurant. As high school students, my friends and I frequented Wal-Mart for costumes and goody bags and candy and we were excited about eating at Red Lobster before formal dances. 

My senior year of high school, my AP English teacher opened our eyes to the problems with Wal-Mart, and thus, non-local businesses in general. We had to write a research paper on the corporation. Now, I didn't immediately make drastic changes, because, well, there was no where else to shop, essentially. But, now I don't think I've been to Wal-Mart more than 3 or 4 times in the last 5 years. 

Some might say this is a tired topic. Everyone knows the evils of Wal-Mart! The buy local revolution is taking over! 
Well, I suppose that's true. Maybe none of us shop at Wal-Mart, but ... I'm guessing we all shop at some box stores - Target? Kroger? Kmart? Marsh? Meijer? So, on that note, I would argue, it's not a tired topic, because we still have these other big box stores competing with our local businesses for customers.

And, according to this 2012 Bloomberg article, big-box stores aren't exactly going away. Instead, they are shifting to meet consumer demands and refitting their models to smaller stores. Or consumers are purchasing from online retailers instead. 

So, if we know local is better, why do we continue to shop at these places?  I don't know. Sometimes, I'm not sure where else to buy some reasonably priced t.p. and paper towels. Right? Or if I want to buy conventional make-up, basic white socks, or heck, food, because let's face, most of us grad students don't do our primary grocery shopping at Bloomingfoods (as much as I love it).


Despite the Roseland text enumerating all the ways Wal-Mart has tried to clean up their environmental footprint, I just can't get on board. As long as big box stores are committed to increasing growth, consumerism, and profits to the demise of local economies, it's difficult to say they are helping community economic development. As we have learned this semester, a big part of sustainability is a strong community, one that comes together with local food, local commodities, walkability, and dense communities with local shops on the first floor of buildings lining the downtown streets. Big box stores are the anti-thesis of all that, as Post Consumers discusses.

However, the local movement has been very successful in certain sectors, particularly restaurants, breweries, and wineries. Now, it's almost blasphemy to suggest grabbing food at a national chain restaurant. New local breweries and wineries are opening all the time. Some people might give you the side-eye if you bring Bud Light to a party instead of Sun King or Upland.  And, speaking of Upland, they had to expand their building to accommodate the people flocking to their doors. 

It seems the local movement IS going pretty strong. But, I think it needs to be stronger. A greater cultural shift will need to happen for people to begin buying, for instance, locally sourced clothing. Additionally, much of the info I read discussed people's inclination to order much of their necessities from online retailers, generally, market leader, Amazon. This is not much better than box stores, especially when it comes to enhancing the local economy and eliminating "economic leakage". 

As for my hometown? 

This abandoned Wal-Mart picture is from Plainfield, IN,
but the one in my hometown looks identical.

Well, Wal-Mart decided a couple of years ago that their strip mall location was no longer good enough for the economically depressed town. Instead, they somehow got permitted to abandon that location and build an entirely unnecessary Super Wal-Mart on the outskirts of town. And that abandoned Wal-Mart and an abandoned KMart building, not a quarter of a mile away?  Well, they are still sitting empty. And the local economy is still struggling to take hold. 

But, I'm still holding out hope the buy local cycle takes over my hometown soon and a thriving local economy takes the place of the box stores and chain restaurants!