Some people look at the closing of Jacobsen's differently
and find that the store itself really has no connection with promoting a sense
of community in Northfield. What is your opinion of these people's analysis
of this situation?
There was a split divide in how downtown business owners versus non-downtown
business owners responded to this question. Downtown business owners, most of
the citizens and most of the non-downtown business owners responded that they
are extremely disappointed to see Jacobsen’s close. Some people agreed
that goods purchased at small stores might be more expensive. However, the
higher cost is replaced by the outstanding level of customer service and the quality
of the product or service that you receive. Many respondents spoke about the true
value of the existing sense of community in Northfield. Many people feel
that this sense of community is built upon by the web of connections in Northfield.
Many respondents stated that every transaction that they make in Northfield,
they know someone who is there. These transactions include every aspect
of living in Northfield, from buying gas, to going to the grocery store, to buying
a new pair of shoes at the Rair Pair, to getting a cup of coffee.
Inevitable Growth
Many non-downtown business owners stated that this
type of change is inevitable. They strongly believe that Northfield needs
to move on and "let go of this ancient remnant of Northfield" (Northfield citizen).
Several non-downtown business owners made comments about how the downtown businesses
need to be more competitive when asked if they agreed that Jacobsen’s is
a local institution that facilitates a sense of community for Northfield citizens.
Often, these individuals continued to explain that they believe businesses should
not receive regular customers because they are the only business in Northfield
that is providing a particular service or product.
Lack of fulfillment of Needs
Some people expressed that they cannot find everything they need in downtown
Northfield. This led to people's strong opinions about what type of effect they
believe Target has on people's sense of community in Northfield. One downtown
business owner stated that she believes that the presence of Target in Northfield
helps to promote a sense of community in downtown. She said that people would
go to Target in Burnsville, if it were not located in Northfield. When people
take the time to drive to Burnsville to go to Target, they are going to make a
day of it and also go out to dinner and possibly to a movie as well. This
pulls money out of the community of Northfield. Inevitably, if people do
not shop at the stores downtown, these stores will not be able to stay in business.
Research supports this increasing trend of people not being able to purchase everything
they need in a downtown shopping area. Kent Robertson, Ph.D., is a Professor
and Director of Community Development at St. Cloud State. His research illustrates
that consumers are increasingly believing that they cannot buy all of the products
that they want or need in the downtown centers of small towns. This may
be caused by people's increasing dependence of buying products at large retailers,
like Wal-Mart or Target. The average American shops 22-25 times per year at these
types of stores.
Changing Retail Habits
Both downtown and non-downtown business owners believe that this shift away from
supporting small, local businesses is an expression of the inherent change in
people's retail habits. The majority of people are going to shop wherever
the products are the least expensive. In reference to the closing of Jacobsen’s,
one citizen stated, "I see it as being inevitable. People are going to shop wherever
it is the most cost-effective." A few people stated the convenience of shopping
at major retailers: "You just drive up, get what you want and leave. It
is so much easier that way. I don't have time to park my car and walk a
block or two to a store" (Northfield Citizen). In contrast, other people
expressed that even though it may be a little more expensive to shop downtown,
you have a better shopping experience downtown. Some people became very
bitter at this point in the interview with people who do not support downtown
businesses. They argued that a person should not move to a small town if
they are not going to support the core of what composes the small town.
Northfield's economic vitality is heavily supported by all of the businesses in
Northfield. This includes everything from the retail shops, the restaurants,
the professional services ( insurance, realtors and banking), health care and
car services (sale, repair and maintenance).
The Price of Downtown Involvement
Many of the non-downtown business owners believe that the higher price of the
items for sale downtown deters people from shopping downtown. One non-downtown
business owner stated, "Northfield has a lot of neat shops and everything, but
the stores are so expensive that most people can't shop downtown." These
people equated this statement about the high price of products downtown with the
need and importance of increased development on Highway 3. This is an interesting
argument, but development issues are not the focus of this study.
A few downtown business asserted that in addition to
the sense of community in Northfield, there are also better quality products
available for sale in downtown Northfield. Downtown business owners
acknowledged that the prices may be a little lower at Target, but the quality
of the products sold at some major retailers is often lower. One downtown
business owner used kitchen utensils as an example of the trade-off that
exists between price and quality. The kitchen utensils company makes two
different lines of the same product. The line that is sold at major
retailers is less expensive, but it is of lower quality. The line that
is typically sold at small stores has a higher cost, but also is of better
quality. One can conclude from this that if people are increasingly
buying products of lower quality from major retailers, people will need to
repurchase these products once they break. The more products that we
buy has a direct effect on our environmental impact.
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