Driving through town this past weekend, I couldn’t help but notice the obvious devastation to the local business community. Our two major local shopping malls, many shopping centers and the majority of strip malls all show evidence of the mounting economic pressure we see daily.
On this one trip I couldn’t help but notice the absence of so many establishments which have been a part of our local environment for so many years. The growing list is shocking. Across the country this list includes:
Old Navy- Circuit City
- Steve & Barry’s
- Linen’s ‘n Things
- Value City Dept. Store
- Shoe Carnival
- Whitehall Jewelers
- Bennigans
- Toys R Us
- Ann Taylor Stores
- Mervyn’s
- CompUSA
- Eddie Bauer
- Lane Bryant
- The Gap
- Foot Locker
- Zales
- The Disney Store
- Pacific Sunwear
- Pep Boys
- Sprint Nextel
- KB Toys
- Sharper Image
Kirklands- Pier 1
- Movie Gallery
- Rite Aid
- Service Merchandise
- Steak ‘n Shake
This list doesn’t include all the organizations that are scaling back such as JCPenney, Lowe’s, Office Depot, Macy’s and Starbucks.
It also doesn’t include the many local establishments which are not part of the national scene. Nor did I include gas stations, restaurants, convenience stores, florists, building contractors, realtors and so many other local businesses which have felt the economy crunch.
The International Council of Shopping Centers estimates that 148,000 stores closed last year in the U.S., and they are forecasting another 73,000 will shut down in the first quarter of this year.
While many establishments have managed to avoid going out of business, they have been forced to reduce their numbers greatly through layoffs and buy outs.
Until both Republicans and Democrats alike realize that both parties must work together to solve the problems currently facing those who elected them, this trend will surely continue. How many shuttered doors will that take?
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I’m not trying to be pessimistic, but with things going as they are, I just wonder how long it will be till there’s another GREATER Depression where our pictures will be taken standing in food lines like the old black and white photos of the Great Depression. I pray things turn around, and that our nation gets back to the way it was meant to be. It has become so perverted in many ways.