Big, Empty Boxes.
Our Sears is closing down, and by now they're getting down to a lot of stuff that nobody wants (most of their clothing lines) or is otherwise not an impulse buy (appliances). I went early on and picked up a bunch of Craftsman tools and stuff that I didn't really need but could see a viable use for in the future. The little 3/8" sockets sets were cheaper than buying the ratchet alone, and I'm always losing sockets. I spent more than I should have, but I rarely regret buying tools. We bought a bunch of other stuff while we were there- far more than we ever have before. Might as well take advantage of it while it lasts, because soon we won't have the option.
Our Sams Club closed down a little while back. They went fast. The locusts cleaned them out in short order. We weren't members, so it was no great loss for us (we've always shopped at Costco). Still, another option gone.
Last year our Sports Authority stores closed, and that was a bigger hit for the family. We used to buy sneakers and North Face stuff from them regularly, plus random, non-enthusiast level sporting goods. Once in a while I'd stumble across something I wanted, like the time I scored a couple sets of new Shimano 105 pedals with cleats for $25 each. Our trampoline came from that store closing sale.
Now it looks like Toys-R-Us is on its way out. I have a four-year-old who is still right in their sweet spot, but for the most part we don't shop there much. I think we buy more things there for other people's kids than for our own. The odd Lego set or set of plastic dinosaurs is about it, mainly because the more my monster has, the more he spreads out. I ended up taking the majority of toys away from him, boxing them up, and storing them in the shed. It really didn't phase him, so we haven't rushed out to return them to him or add new ones. Stepping on a small plastic triceratops in feet protected by thin cycling socks in the middle of the night is a lot of fun, but not as much fun as non-punctured flesh. We'll probably hit the sale, follow current protocol and buy more than we should, then adapt to fewer one-stop toy shopping options.
Other big stores have closed as well, as their failure to respond effectively to online competition drove them out of business or down-sizing took them out of the Anchorage market.
So, when I drive around Anchorage these days, I see a whole lot of great big empty stores. Some of them get filled with useful things, like the Sports Authority that was partially converted to a Duluth Trading Co store. However, most of them just sit empty for an extended time, occasionally getting some love from a Halloween store or another temporary tenant.
That the stores are leaving is a natural evolution of the market, I guess. What they leave behind is the real problem. When a big box store shuts down or moves its location, it's harder and harder to find something to replace it. Most businesses can't afford that kind of square footage. Shopping centers are built around the anchor stores drawing in the shoppers, and the smaller stores survive by catering to ancillary needs. When the big stores close, the smaller stores suffer and often close, and then what you're left with are low-rent pull-tab shops, nail salons, and dollar stores. Urban blight replaces what was once woodland, and it very rarely is returned to what it once was.
My hope is that someday, when the rents finally bottom out sufficiently, the land is converted to parks or at least housing developments with decent green spaces- anything but another shopping center or mall. Maybe sometime during the decline we can run a crit through the decaying parking lots, dodging cracked pavement, discarded syringes, and broken glass. Such declines don't happen quickly though, so we could be in for a long wait.
Until then, there's going to be a lot of empty boxes out there.
Our Sams Club closed down a little while back. They went fast. The locusts cleaned them out in short order. We weren't members, so it was no great loss for us (we've always shopped at Costco). Still, another option gone.
Last year our Sports Authority stores closed, and that was a bigger hit for the family. We used to buy sneakers and North Face stuff from them regularly, plus random, non-enthusiast level sporting goods. Once in a while I'd stumble across something I wanted, like the time I scored a couple sets of new Shimano 105 pedals with cleats for $25 each. Our trampoline came from that store closing sale.
Now it looks like Toys-R-Us is on its way out. I have a four-year-old who is still right in their sweet spot, but for the most part we don't shop there much. I think we buy more things there for other people's kids than for our own. The odd Lego set or set of plastic dinosaurs is about it, mainly because the more my monster has, the more he spreads out. I ended up taking the majority of toys away from him, boxing them up, and storing them in the shed. It really didn't phase him, so we haven't rushed out to return them to him or add new ones. Stepping on a small plastic triceratops in feet protected by thin cycling socks in the middle of the night is a lot of fun, but not as much fun as non-punctured flesh. We'll probably hit the sale, follow current protocol and buy more than we should, then adapt to fewer one-stop toy shopping options.
Other big stores have closed as well, as their failure to respond effectively to online competition drove them out of business or down-sizing took them out of the Anchorage market.
So, when I drive around Anchorage these days, I see a whole lot of great big empty stores. Some of them get filled with useful things, like the Sports Authority that was partially converted to a Duluth Trading Co store. However, most of them just sit empty for an extended time, occasionally getting some love from a Halloween store or another temporary tenant.
That the stores are leaving is a natural evolution of the market, I guess. What they leave behind is the real problem. When a big box store shuts down or moves its location, it's harder and harder to find something to replace it. Most businesses can't afford that kind of square footage. Shopping centers are built around the anchor stores drawing in the shoppers, and the smaller stores survive by catering to ancillary needs. When the big stores close, the smaller stores suffer and often close, and then what you're left with are low-rent pull-tab shops, nail salons, and dollar stores. Urban blight replaces what was once woodland, and it very rarely is returned to what it once was.
My hope is that someday, when the rents finally bottom out sufficiently, the land is converted to parks or at least housing developments with decent green spaces- anything but another shopping center or mall. Maybe sometime during the decline we can run a crit through the decaying parking lots, dodging cracked pavement, discarded syringes, and broken glass. Such declines don't happen quickly though, so we could be in for a long wait.
Until then, there's going to be a lot of empty boxes out there.
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