Some people feel picked on in Carbon County. I have heard that from many who have made comments to me about all the stores that are closing in the area. They are concerned and rightly so…but maybe there is a different way to look at these closures. Maybe they should be viewed as opportunities rather than negatives.
In the last year K-Mart, J.C. Penney, Payless Shoes, Rue 21 and now Bealls have announced the closure of their retail outlets in the area. It seems ominous and people feel targeted. But the sky is not falling in on Carbon County, it is just changing color.
With the exception of one of these stores, as far as I can ascertain, none of these closures have anything in particular to do with Price or the operations each company had here. The first four I mentioned were part of the closure of dozens of outlets by each company at the same time. In their economic haste, and wanting to increase quarterly profits, some companies discarded stores that were doing well along with some that were doing poorly to cut costs. They did it based on many economic factors, not because our area is in an energy downturn, or that they perceive that the towns here are going to turn to dust.
Wall Street, not Main Street
Most did it to satisfy their investors so CEOs could say they were cutting costs of marginal properties. I doubt the name Price was even mentioned in many of the board meetings where these cuts were announced.
Bealls, however, is reportedly a little different. Despite it doing better profit wise since K-Mart closed, it was the only outlet that Stage Stores, Inc., closed in this round of cost seeking liquidations. It’s hard to tell what corporate people were thinking about when they did this one. Still it is a blow with nine employees losing their jobs and another source of tax revenue lost for Price City.
I don’t remember Creekview Shopping Center this empty since I moved here 26 years ago. It is eerie…
There is also another store on Main Street in Price that has a “For Sale” sign in front of their building, and it is a chain as well. However, if that store closes it is not based on their sales or what they have been doing here. It appears to be because of a lease dispute between the retailer and the owner of the property that could cause that action to happen.
But other than throw our hands in the air there is another way to look at these closures and potential closures. Other businesses in town can profit from these firms demise here and some have. I have heard many say that Bealls was the last place in town to buy clothes besides Walmart. That is not true.
Shop around for another
There are other small local retailers that sell clothes, too. But the fact is that while some of the Bealls customers will go to Walmart, many will go over the mountain or shop for clothes on-line instead.
What they should do is look around and find those smaller locally owned stores that are selling items that Bealls and others that have closed used to offer. It might take a little work but they are there, and by purchasing from them, we not only supply the owners with a reason to stay open but we support neighbors who work at these shops. We also help the local tax base.
There is also something else here that many people are ignoring. That is the opportunities these closures provide for new businesses to start up. Look at the full lines that have been lost from the area not only in terms of clothes but other things. Not everyone likes to go to box stores to buy stuff, and there is a chance for someone or many someones to found new retail businesses here or even for existing businesses to take a look at expanding what they carry.
Is it easy? No…but it is possible. We are in a downturn of sorts, one we have never faced before. The energy industry as we have known it will probably never be what it was. That means we need to find other ways to sustain our community. Retail is only part of that, but an important part.
Helper’s revival
A bright spot in our community is coming and in fact it has already arrived in some places. Helper is a good example. Years ago it was talked about that the town was in rejuvenation because of all the artists that were coming into town.
That helped and there are even more now. There is a lot of investment going on in Helper. Many of the old buildings are being purchased and renovated, some by locals, but most by people from the outside who like the atmosphere, the scenery and the people here. If they believe in us and our future, why can’t we?
The fact is as long as we have the drive and ingenuity to keep our community moving ahead no closure, no single industry declining to do business in our area, no negatives from other areas can stop us.
We can’t look to an outside messiah to help us out of this dilemma; we have to do it ourselves. Our history is one of tough people living through tough times and flourishing. We just have to follow our predecessors’ examples, and do exactly the same thing. That thing is to triumph over negativity and those who say all is lost.