America’s Main Street: Small Towns Disappearing?

I was reading a piece that I found in my email about America’s small towns which in part said, “little communities had everything a person would need, a post office, grocery store, churches, school, gas station and everything was within walking distance, including the homes of extended family members.” Over the past half century, that has all changed.

What got me thinking about the loss of main street businesses in small town America was a question that was asked of me by a friend who is a resident of Glenhaven in Glenwood City. He asked, “Is there any place in town that I can buy a pair of blue jeans?” I just had to say NO. He would have to get someone to take him and travel some distance to find what he needs.

A hundred years ago, fifty years ago and even twenty-five years ago our small town main street was full of stores and shops that fulfilled the needs of the community.

Back then small town main street had several grocery stores, clothing stores, furniture store, several hardware stores, gas stations, five and dime store, shoe repair shop, feed mills, farm equipment dealers, new car dealerships and many others that have closed their doors. But most of those have disappeared.

Continuing with the email piece, “Whether taking a relaxing drive through the rural communities across the Midwestern plains or visiting quaint mountain towns out west, the towns that used to thrive with stores and activities now bear a striking resemblance to ghost towns from long ago.”

Who do we blame of the loss of our main street? We can put the blame on the big box stores (Wal Mart, K-Mart, Target) and now the internet that brings shopping into your living room.

But I blame You and Me for getting into our car, which has made it possible to drive the twenty-five or fifty miles to the big city to do our shopping. But most of all I blame myself.

As the publisher of the local newspaper, it is my responsibility to inform everyone about how spending money at home makes your community a better place to live and grow. It’s a case of use it or lose it.

Money experts say that each dollar will turn over as many as four or five times in a community. Each dollar spent at home helps farmers, teachers, wage earners, everyone. As money rolls over locally it helps support public services, schools, churches and other groups and organizations.

As I look at the downtown of our local communities and see the closed and vacant store fronts, I think about the number of people that at one time worked in those places. Those people not only worked in the community, but lived in the community and volunteered and supported the many ventures in the community like churches, scouts, little league, school projects and even supply the membership of the local fire and ambulance service. I think about the lost tax revenue that these stores contributed to the community, school, county and state and the jobs lost.

The piece concluded with a number of people responding to it and one that caught my eye was penned by georgettejohn, which stated, “I am from a small town and it has definitely changed since I was a teenager. On Friday nights we would walk to the local main street pizza shop, stop at the local drug store (to buy heaper candy) run down the street to the movie theater.  All of that is gone…The Movie Theater caved in years ago. The Pizza shop closed and the small corner drug store has been replaced by Walgreens, Rite Aid, and of course Wal Mart Pharmacy. In so many ways it is sad. Instead of the hustle, bustle and excitement of Friday night on Main Street, there is no minimal activity other than the cars passing through.”

I realize that main street is not coming back. Things are changing and that will continue and I wish I could see the future and what we can do to fill up those empty spaces.

Thanks for reading!       ~Carlton