Only information
K.B. Thomas, Emporia
Originally published 01:49 p.m., May 5, 2008
Updated 01:49 p.m., May 5, 2008
The Buxton Group was paid $75,000 to study retail commercial development in Emporia.
Their information said Emporia was not a good fit for any big-box retailer such as Home Depot, Lowes or Target.
Albert Einstein said, “Information is not knowledge.” The big-box retailers have that knowledge and will act on it at the proper time.
Success is recognizing the power of synergy. That’s what the big-box retailer is to a shopping development.
Call it what you will; incentives are what get people to work harder.
Bjnemp (anonymous) says...
I could have given Emporia that same information and charged them only $500 for it. Emporia has neither the population base nor the economic strength to support big box stores. Wages and annual incomes are far too low here to keep the doors open for a major retailer or fine dining establishment. To most Emporians, Wal-Mart is considered a quality department store and McDonald's is fine dining. Any business needing to sell quality goods in volume or depending on upscale traffic with expendable income could not survive in Emporia. Should a time come when companies paying decent salaries---as opposed to low hourly wages---locate here, the socio-economic environment would change and attract the big box stores and upscale retailers. As long as local workers consider 14 bucks an hour to be "good money", it ain't gonna happen.
May 5, 2008 at 4:13 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
dhcc66 (anonymous) says...
to bj's comment i have to say "ditto". i hate to tell the upper crust here in emporia this, but we aren't lawrence and we aren't topeka..and we surely aren't kc or wichita. stop trying to develop strip malls in between roundabouts by the turnpike and try to fill the empty storefronts we have all around town. heck, we couldn't even keep Big Lots interested...what makes anybody think that Olive Garden or Home Depot would want to locate one of their stores here?
May 5, 2008 at 4:43 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
b3bill (anonymous) says...
Well that was an easy $75K for Buxton to make. The City should be ashamed of spending money like that for something already so obvious.
It's a very basic and simple economic problem that Emporia has. The problem is limited industry base, and the solution is getting more industry to locate here that pays decent wages. Other smaller business may have more of a chance then to start up and survive, and various stores such as Lowes might then have more reason to consider Emporia.
The City Council needs to work diligently on getting more industry to locate here that will pay decent wages and have higher employment numbers.
May 5, 2008 at 6:26 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
momus (anonymous) says...
Amen! And, if I might add... Incentives won't mean a thing to these larger retailers. They can either make money here or they can't. If they can make money here, they will come regardless of incentives. If they can't turn a profit, we can beg and plead but no major corporation is going to take a loss because they were impressed with the fruit basket we sent them.
Our best retail incentive is creating jobs, improving our median income and rebuilding our existing infrastructure. If we create the customers retailers want, retailers will come. Retailers don't create markets, they take advantage of existing market opportunities. I hope we as a community figure that out soon before we make any more expensive errors.
May 5, 2008 at 6:26 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Bjnemp (anonymous) says...
Well, butter my butt and call me a biscuit! We four local yokels just gave the city leaders a thorough and comprehensive analysis of Emporia's retail woes and it didn't cost them a stinkin' dime! Is it too late to get that $75,000 of our tax money back?
May 5, 2008 at 6:58 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
MelissaE (anonymous) says...
Bj, I'm afraid it is too late.
But you can certainly look forward to higher property taxes and/or sales taxes in the future--to help pay for that evaluation (and then some).
Nice.
Melissa
May 5, 2008 at 8:11 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
create (anonymous) says...
Amen, all four of you! Very concise, and what a touch with the fruit basket, Momus. LOL
May 5, 2008 at 8:15 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
admireed (anonymous) says...
You will have an opportunity to vote for a new local sales tax soon...chance to voice your opinions regarding local govt. spending or non-spending
May 5, 2008 at 8:58 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
gazette_reader (anonymous) says...
>>Well, butter my butt and call me a biscuit!<<
That made me laugh. A lot.
It will be a heck of a lot easier to attract retail if we can show that there are people living here who actually make enough money to buy things.
May 6, 2008 at 2:30 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Bjnemp (anonymous) says...
Thank you, gazette_reader: I'm glad you enjoy my idiotic sense of humor. As far as people in Emporia "who actually make enough money to buy things": there is you, and me, Paula, Steve, our city commissioners, the doctors and lawyers, Skip, and the guy who sells the fake IDs and SS cards. That's about it. Until per capita income rises we are doomed to zero population growth and retail stagnation.
May 6, 2008 at 9:16 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
gazette_reader (anonymous) says...
>>As far as people in Emporia "who actually make enough money to buy things": there is you, and me, Paula, Steve, our city commissioners, the doctors and lawyers, Skip, and the guy who sells the fake IDs and SS cards.<<
These days I'm not sure I'd count myself amongst the people who can afford to buy things. Maybe I should make friends with the guy who sells fake IDs. Ha!
May 6, 2008 at 3:49 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
citizen (anonymous) says...
Would the 75,000.00 been a better investment to the biodeisel plant to keep it up and going. Then maybe Emporians could have hired to work there.
May 6, 2008 at 4:21 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )