Derby Walmart Groundbreaking Recalls Littleton Legacy

Details: Created on Wednesday, 28 October 2015 17:44; Written by Tim Laroche

DERBY-- A giant is coming to town.

Since the initial announcement was made in 2005 that the multinational retail corporation Walmart had been eyeing a location in Derby, supporters and detractors from across the Northeast Kingdom have risen from the woodwork to make their voices heard. On October 20, after a decade of discussion, debate and a number of twists and turns, the corporation broke ground for their new location in a ceremony that included such speakers as Governor Peter Shumlin.

With questions abound about the efficacy of a massive retailer coming to the Orleans County border town, -- which only is home to only 4,600 residents -- another such instance of the retail behemoth's business practices in the area comes to mind:

In 1998, Littleton, N.H., made similar efforts to bring major retailers the area. In a section of town just off Interstate 93, which became known as "New Littleton," a series of openings brought new and increased industry and revenue to the area.

Brien Ward, an attorney in Littleton, says the town evaluated the need for a large retailer, and that the choice to allow Walmart -- the first major retailer to open a location in Littleton -- to come to town was intended to bring costumers to the area.

"We knew, after studying things, that for us to have a credible retail economy, we had to have a box store or something," Ward said. "Because we have learned through our economic development efforts that if you can't get them here, you can't sell them things."

After Walmart took hold, several other stores – such as Shaw's, Lowe's, Staples and Home Depot – dotted the "New Littleton" stretch.

Although the town benefitted from the increased economic development that came with the inclusion of the box stores, a number of locally owned businesses were forced to compete with the giants. And a number of businesses were forced to adapt to their new economic environment.

Such stores as Northern Lights Music and Foto Factory changed their business models in efforts to stay viable in the changing economic tides. In the case of Northern Lights, which sold electronics before Walmart opened their Littleton location, the store now sells musical instruments, which allow the store to compete with Walmart, which sells electronics at lower prices.

Dan Salomon, the owner of Northern Lights, also says that the store has increased its online presence and taken a number of other steps to keep the business open.

"Our Internet sales at Northernlights.com, and what we do on eBay, and things like that have also helped us specialize instruments," Salomon said.

Foto Factory, which specializes in digital printing, framing and sign making, underwent a change of owners when Walmart's Titanic presence threatened the former owner's business model. But Foto Factory and its current owner, Art Tighe, chose not to submit, but to adapt.

"We were able to purchase [Foto Factory] from a person who did not want to compete with [the box stores]," Tighe said. "We developed multiple times, and Staples came to town, and we revisited ourselves in order to compete with them."

Despite the challenges of operating a local business in shadow of an international corporation though, some owners have accepted the challenge and welcomed Walmart into their town.

"There is a place for Walmart in our town," Tighe said. "It works well. It brings customers to town and provides services that we cant provide."

P-WALMART ECONOMIC IMPACT from NewsLINC on Vimeo.