What message to take from Shopko closing here?

All over but the crying

Someday we'll all remember where we were, when we heard Shopko was closing. Maybe it's not a big deal. If it were a really big deal, there would be a business justification for keeping it open. Apparently there is not. So let's all just step aside and let the free market system work, right?
We have heard much about the whole "bricks and mortar" thing fading away, the idea that we shop at "stores." Or, at shopping malls. My, there was a time when the mall was at the apex of American culture - there was no more trendy place you could be. Today there's a haunting "Dead Malls" series on YouTube. I was at the Alexandria mall last summer. This was when Herberger's was hanging on with its going out of business sale. There was some activity on one end of the mall, whereas the rest was "dead." The Brass Lantern restaurant was hanging in there. It doesn't feel right to dine there now. I went across the street to Burger King.
Here in Morris we have sensed that Alexandria siphons away a lot of business activity. I have called it the "Hector phenomenon." The Star Tribune had a feature on Hector MN and how that town was on the ropes because of a cluster of big box stores a half hour's drive away. Alex is a 45-minute drive from Morris.
The Shopko building in Morris has a neat history. That place was a precursor to the "Wal Mart model." This is marked by a location away from the old standard "business district." I'm amused when getting close to a town and seeing a sign directing me to the "business district." As if the prime business activity was really concentrated there. And BTW why is it necessary for these roadside signs pointing to a particular church? It's visual pollution because I'm sure these signs never serve a useful purpose.
Our Shopko building started out as Gibson's. The old main street business people felt consternation. Here was a new business that was not a magnet for "main street" or the "business district." Free parking seemed revolutionary. So, it was a matter of time before it became necessary to remove the downtown parking meters. I suppose I'm in the shrinking circle of people who can remember parking meters and the meter attendants who would assess fines.
 
New store opened eyes
"Gibson's" was a real event when it opened in Morris. You could sense that something culturally significant was happening. Such a variety of things to buy under one roof. Not so much of a need to scurry to the variety of specialty stores any more. We called Gibson's a "discount store." Well, all things being equal, we certainly prefer lower prices, don't we? The "discount store" term faded so we came to just call the store by its name. Gibson's was retired and Pamida took over. Pamida had a long history with a black mark toward the end: horrendous potholes in the parking lot. "Somebody finally got hurt" because of that, a friend told me one day.

Nice while it lasted

The pothole situation got addressed when Shopko came to the rescue. The quality of merchandise seemed better but with prices somewhat higher, if that's a tradeoff you approved of. I found the store agreeable though I'm a low-consumption person. It may not have been a true "big box store" but it was close to being big.
I found these stores risky to visit because you could get chased down by someone wanting to check your receipt. This happened to me at Fleet Farm in Alexandria once. I had made an impulse purchase of a DVD (of old TV commercials). My parents and I were heading across the parking lot when an employee wearing an orange shirt chased us down. The DVD had tripped off some sort of alarm. I fished out the receipt and showed it to this person, who I presume took no pleasure in having this job. Of course the DVD was paid for. I don't recall her apologizing.
Later I fantasized about how I could have blocked her return to the store and demanded to be taken to someone in management who could apologize to me. But discretion is the better part of valor, if that's the proper expression.
Obviously I became less enthused about ever visiting Fleet Farm again. Oh, and subsequent to that I purchased a DVD as part of a visit to Pamida here in Morris. I heard a little beep as I went out the door. I turned and looked back at the employee who had checked me out. He almost seemed to be anticipating my look, and he instantly just waved for me to go on out. These experiences are traumatic. I don't buy DVDs or CDs any more because tech has advanced to where I get all my entertainment from my laptop.
I read recently that people exiting these stores can now get intercepted on the way out, not by someone who suspects theft but by someone who wants to check your receipt to make sure you got all the proper discounts. Still, I don't want the trauma of being "jumped" while I exit. So I have tended to avoid these outfits. Or, I will limit my purchase to 3-4 items which I can clearly verify with my receipt before I attempt to exit.
I personally will not miss Shopko at all. A young family would be more apt to miss it.
 
Town's complexion changing
What is happening to Morris? I live across the field from the old Sunwood Inn, where on many days I notice either no cars in the parking lot or maybe 2-3. There's a "for sale" sign in front of Northern Impressions. Anything going on there? Shopko will soon be a "ghost" building I guess. As for the old Heartland Motors location, in the same general vicinity, my understanding is that it was purchased by Superior. Well congratulations, but that place has the look of being vacated. It would be nice if Superior could at least slap a sign on it.
All these vacated-looking properties: are they going to start giving the impression of Morris being blighted? Look out, it could be coming. What's with the big long new service road going to the east of Grandstay? What could possibly be envisioned for that? As we see the bricks and mortar model for business steadily fading? There was a rumor for a time that Pizza Ranch was going to re-locate there. No dice, I guess.
A friend of mine who works at UMM commented recently that Morris could use another restaurant. I have maintained for a long time that Morris lost something special with the closing of the restaurant known in its later years as Ardelle's. Before that it was Kelly's and before that the Del Monico. It was a nice standard restaurant with American fare - no, I'm not prejudiced in saying that. Prices acceptable for the common folks. Well-lit and no alcohol. A nice meeting room with piano even. And it's just gone. Shopko is gone.
You might joke with me that there's no pool hall either. I don't know, what does "community" mean any more? It just means something fundamentally different, and I'm just not catching up with it.
We hear that Stone's Throw Cafe, what I'd call the hippie place, is starting a "Go Fund Me" page. Isn't that akin to requesting donations? Not sure that's consistent with the purpose but if it's legal, well. I shared this report with a DeToy's employee who said: "We don't need to do that because we have customers."
"Far out," a hippie would say.
Our only barber in town is retiring. No successor. No more Prairie Pioneer Days as a summer event - that's just as shocking as the death of the American shopping mall.
I think I first noticed a trend toward declension with the cancellation of the Morris community Thanksgiving meal. Why was that allowed to just die? Oh I've heard excuses to be sure. Well if there were problems, deal with them. Just like with PPD.
The retreat of such things in our community is such, I'm wondering whether we'll even be celebrating the Sesquicentennial. I remember the Centennial in 1971 being such a grand and glorious event. I guess Morris was much more of a "people" place then.
I recently shared concern with a friend that Bank of the West might close its Morris branch. The staff turnover gets me to wondering. It seems half that building has been emptied out - there are vacated desks. What's up with that? What happened to Jim Mahoney? Last time I was in the building, not one person knew who I was. I have lived in Morris since 1960. My personal opinion of Bank of the West is that it's a lot like Wells Fargo. Surmise what you want from that. "Corporate bank." Anyway, I shared my feelings with a friend via email and got this response:
 
I don’t think Bank of the West would shut down – they’re just a branch of a large institution, so I’m sure their overhead is less than a locally owned bank. Good question on what business is next. Paul Lesmeister is retiring and closing his shop in April, Joe Lembcke’s garage will never reopen. Is there anyone in the Eul family to take over the hardware store? I never see anyone in there younger than Tim, Rob or Kathy. (Cindy or her hubby don’t seem to be around there any more.) One has to kind of wonder about Design Electronics (nee Radio Shack), as that’s the kind of place Amazon or Best Buy.com would hurt. But, whenever I go in there there never seems to be enough help to take care of waiting customers, so they must be doing OK - for now. The writing appears to be on the wall for Stone’s Throw. Too bad the new owners couldn’t capitalize on the business Bela did – maybe they shoulda just continued the Italian motif instead of trying something new. 

 
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com