[Vision2020] 'Big Box' store openings worry retailers in Poulsbo

[Area Man]

But they seem to know what they need to do to combat the big boys . . .
>From the Feb 13 LMT
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'Big Box' store openings worry retailers in Poulsbo

By DEREK SHEPPARD Of The Kitsap Sun

POULSBO, Wash. -- The doors to the nation's two largest retailers might
have opened in Poulsbo, but local independent business owners aren't
about to roll over and die. 

The Poulsbo-area retail community is taking stock and acknowledging it
has big changes in its future. But some can see possible benefits as the
big newcomers lure more shoppers to the north end. 

Like a storm on the horizon, retailers have seen the clouds coming for
more than two years and now a Home Depot and Wal-Mart Supercenter have
opened in the city's massive College Marketplace development. 

Small business owners say they're ready and hopeful that the influx of
shoppers will be a benefit to them, but all know there's work to be
done. 
Caron Guilfoyle owns Caron's, a nautical-themed home decor shop in the
city's historic downtown. 

"We have to work hard to get people to recognize what we have downtown,"
she said. 

With the arrival of the retail giants, she said hers and other local
businesses will have to keep up their relationships with longtime
customers, and offer them something they'll never find at the Wal-Marts
of the world. 

"We try really hard to find things you can't find at Wal-Mart," she
said. 

The winter months after the holidays are always slow for retailers, and
it could be compounded this year for small shops as curious shoppers
head up the hill to check out the big box stores, said Liberty Bay Books
owner Suzanne Droppert. 

She said the city's approval of the development wasn't the right move
for the city. 

"Downtown Poulsbo is the reason tourists and other people come to town,"
Droppert said. 

In all the years the city invested in the battle to get College
Marketplace, also known as Olhava, off the ground, it could have been
investing in the downtown core, including a major sticking point --
parking, she said. 

The large development at the intersection of Highways 3 and 305 has been
an issue of contention for more than 14 years. Initially it was opposed
because it was a former Nike missile site, and later a legal battle was
waged to keep Wal-Mart out. 

Now that the first two stores have opened, Droppert fears it will draw
people away from her downtown business. 

"I don't even have the opportunity for the sale," she said. 

She's grateful for her loyal, longtime shoppers and will rely on them
for continued support. 

At times like this, small businesses need to make sure they're serving a
need that can't be met at the big box stores and they need to excel in
another area -- customer service, she said. 
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The reason I continue to shop at Tri-State and Spence Hardware:
Customer Service

DC