You know as much as so many are against Walmart in the downtown Broadway district, one has to stop and think about back when downtown was successful actually. I mean when our downtown was at its highest what was down there??? Hmmm if you can't figure it out, it was major retail stores before they moved out to the suburbs.
The death of downtown Green Bay started many decades ago even back into the 1950's. The whole port plaza mall killed downtown Green Bay actually went back into the 1950's and took decades for them to actually try to move forward with that plan. It wasn't the mall killed downtown, downtown was already dead they were just trying to do something new and the "in" thing at that time to hope to revitalize our downtown.
Big retail doesn't kill downtown's, the lack of them makes it harder for the mom and pop shops to be even more successful. If you bring a Walmart that could lead to a Target or to others and more big retail. In return small business opens up near big retail to piggy back off them, isn't that what we usually still see now, wasn't that how it was at malls and still to this day? The better the anchor retail stores the more successful a mall can be, or any location for that matter.
I mean you don't think people who would shop at Walmart downtown wouldn't be interested in stopping in the other places to shop or to get a bite to eat? Those business owners down there complaining, I highly doubt you would be complaining when your bottom line increases, then you will be praising the increased traffic and bodies spending money at your places.
Now myself personally, I think what we need downtown is a year long market type place downtown. I thought the old mall would have been a great place for this. A year round farmers market open everyday, with food and other vendors also there to sell their goods. After I visited Japan and saw these covered street "arcades" that was blocks of stores that people could walk down no traffic on them, shielded from the elements but yet still outdoor/indoor. I thought you know places like broadway or washington st could use an idea like this. If you have never seen these type of places look them up, they are great.
I also thought you know a place like a woodman's would really do a great job downtown to serve not only the "poor" people in the area downtown, but it would also do wonders to influence other people to want to move downtown. Seriously a close good priced source of groceries should be one of the fist things one thinks about when they move somewhere. The poorer you are the more important this should become to be honest, yet unfortunately it isn't the case.
Plus let us be honest, despite the initial low wage hiring at Walmart, the place will bring jobs to the area. jobs bring income, which in turn boost local economy. It may not be much at first, but if other places piggy back on Walmart being there, they will need to hire more and if they are not like Walmart then they can hire their new needed employees at a good living wage right??? I mean what is the average wage of the employees at these places already downtown? Are they already paying their employees like $12 an hour? If they are not then they should really shut their lips since they are not any better than the big box places too when it all boils down.
Really when it comes down to it, what are people so afraid of? I mean isn't it better to have someone like Walmart and take a chance on them actually making it better for everybody long term than to not have them at all and wonder did we make a mistake on what could have been. Too be honest I think Walmart has more at stake to lose here than any of the existing shops.
My mother and her husband are thinking about moving back to Green Bay, and they have been eyeing up downtown places. My mom believes like me that right now is the time to move downtown, the revitalization is happening right before our eyes and those who move down there to live will be the ones who help shape the direction things grow. My sister doesn't want my mom to move down there, but I think as long as there is the things they need are close by then living downtown could be a great place for her and her husband. You should have all the conveniences close by within walking distance or a short bus ride when you live downtown, if you don't then your downtown is in need of repair and not good for living still.
They have made great strides over the past decade or so downtown, let us keep this rolling and build it into something we all can be thankful for.
Just my 2 cents
