It could be the folks in, say, Benton and Washington counties are at least more familiar with change, if not entirely comfortable with it, than some other parts of the Natural State.
Some communities in Arkansas haven't changed a bit in a decade or three, unless change is measured by a formerly occupied building crumbling or a brick wall advertisement for Coca-Cola fading a little more every day.
What’s the point?
A chain retailer’s introduction to rural St. Paul raises concerns about the town’s longstanding businesses.
Frankly, we love the little places all over the state that never lose their familiarity. The down-home general stores where the wood of the spring-driven screen doors slams to the door frame with a loud clap. The diner known equally for its big hamburgers as its tall ice cream cones. The front porches where passing cars can still elicit a wave from a porch swing.
Yes, change comes at a creeping pace most of the time in these places, but it comes nonetheless. And occasionally, it comes far more swiftly than anyone is prepared for.
It's happening in 113-resident St. Paul, in rural southern Madison County. The Front Page tells us Dollar General is coming to town, expected to open its doors by the end of this month. It'll be next door to Ahart's Grocery, a rustic retail gem that's operated -- with the town's only gas pump -- quietly and reliably for decades.
There's the very predictable concern: Opening of a chain store, while improving the retail offerings for area shoppers, may hurt businesses that have loyally served the area's needs for years.
It's not that Dollar General stores are massive. Individually, they're quite small. But the company says it has 16,000 around the country, most of them in small towns.
The locally owned stores don't stand a chance, some worry. If that's the outcome, the towns will lose some of that rural charm that's such an integral part of many Arkansas communities. It's easy to dismiss such concerns with a simple "time marches on," but businesses that have served small communities for decades are like neighbors. Heck, they're not like neighbors. They are neighbors.
There's only so much business to go around, though, so the concerns are real. But so is the nature of business. A company looks for opportunities to meet a need in a more effective way. Sam Walton built an empire on the concept.
So, yes, there's some sadness at the potential erosion of small-town America. But, really, what's to be done about it?
The folks who ultimately influence whether the longstanding country stores in small towns survive are their owners and the people of the community who make their shopping decisions every day.
That's about as democratic a process as one can expect in any town.
The future of the small-town stores is entirely in the hands of local customers.
Commentary on 01/18/2020