Town Fights to Turn Retail Tide at a Little Mall That Might
- 6 years ago
Town Fights to Turn Retail Tide at a Little Mall That Might
“Quite frankly, I am tired of our future being controlled by corporations
that live in other places, whether it is Alcoa or these corporate stores,” said Ms. St. Hilaire, president of North Country Showcase.
— When the Payless ShoeSource at the St. Lawrence Center closed this spring, it could have been just
another statistic in a grim year for retailers, one more struggling shop gone in a dilapidated mall.
The only mall in St. Lawrence County — an area larger than Delaware — it was
the place to be on frigid nights, and there are plenty of those in Massena.
Frustrated by a wave of store closings and suggestions from discouraged shoppers
that they “just burn the place down,” Ms. Leonard went on the local radio station to urge listeners to stop the “negativity” and to start shopping there again.
The number of major retail store closings has been more than double
that of openings in 2017, according to Fung Global Retail & Technology, a research firm.
“We are not going to sit and wallow,” said Karen St. Hilaire, who helped open the store selling locally made goods.
“You can’t get that from shopping online,” said Ms. Conners, whose business card identifies her as a “popcornologist
Nearly 7,000 stores closed in 2017, the most ever in a calendar year, according to the research firm Fung Global Retail & Technology.
“Quite frankly, I am tired of our future being controlled by corporations
that live in other places, whether it is Alcoa or these corporate stores,” said Ms. St. Hilaire, president of North Country Showcase.
— When the Payless ShoeSource at the St. Lawrence Center closed this spring, it could have been just
another statistic in a grim year for retailers, one more struggling shop gone in a dilapidated mall.
The only mall in St. Lawrence County — an area larger than Delaware — it was
the place to be on frigid nights, and there are plenty of those in Massena.
Frustrated by a wave of store closings and suggestions from discouraged shoppers
that they “just burn the place down,” Ms. Leonard went on the local radio station to urge listeners to stop the “negativity” and to start shopping there again.
The number of major retail store closings has been more than double
that of openings in 2017, according to Fung Global Retail & Technology, a research firm.
“We are not going to sit and wallow,” said Karen St. Hilaire, who helped open the store selling locally made goods.
“You can’t get that from shopping online,” said Ms. Conners, whose business card identifies her as a “popcornologist
Nearly 7,000 stores closed in 2017, the most ever in a calendar year, according to the research firm Fung Global Retail & Technology.