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The Stores Remain the Same

By Gloria Diaz

Check out Gloria's Blog — Edge of Gloria!

Fort Wayne Reader

2005-07-25


I didn’t realize there were three Wal-marts in Fort Wayne until I drove past the northeast location on 469 a few weeks ago. I know about the proposed Wal-mart for northwest Allen County. But I completely forgot a Wal-mart is coming to the south side of Fort Wayne. If the Lima Road Wal-mart goes through, that means we’ll have five of them in the city.

Don’t we deserve better? I mean, do we want to be known as “Fort Wal-mart?” The store does serve a purpose, but personally, I don’t shop there because I don’t think they treat their people right. I’ve never seen a company so blatant about squeezing every last penny out of a budget, and sometimes breaking the law to do it. Saving a buck is fine, but not the way Wal-mart does it, so I don’t shop there.

How about attracting stores that are different? People here shop for entertainment, so I can’t quite understand why they won’t demand stores that are truly unique, but are perfectly willing to put up with yet another Wal-mart. I look forward to my road trips, because it gets me out of town, but it also opens up other shopping/entertainment possibilities. For those of you who refuse to leave Fort Wayne, here’s what you’re missing:

Half Price Books, Indianapolis: Always a treat. Cheap books, some new, some not. I’m always on the lookout for older favorites that Borders doesn’t stock, because the books have been out of print for more than a year. They also buy books, magazines, CDs, computer programs and cassette tapes. It’s rare that I don’t buy something when I go in here. They also sell calendars and other bookstore type things.

Block Party, Indianapolis: A giant video arcade, complete with old-school favorites. It’s open to all before 6 p.m., in the evenings, it’s adults-only because it also boasts a sports bar. There’s even a ball pit and one of those habitrail-tunnel things for those times when you feel like being a hamster. You can also play games and win tickets, redeemable for prizes.

Ikea, Schaumburg, IL: Rather challenging to get to, as the directions on the website were fine up until the very end, but it’s well worth the trip to the only three-story Ikea in North America. It’s so big, I assumed it was part retail store, part manufacturing. Instead, it’s 80 percent showroom, 20 percent warehouse. And the prices are unreal. If you’re looking for clean designs, whimsical accessories, linens, reasonably priced furniture, and a family-friendly shopping atmosphere, Ikea is the place. It’s easy to spend several hours looking at all the stuff and planning what to buy. And if you get hungry, stop in at the café, where the food is incredibly cheap.

Dave and Busters, Chicago, IL: A lot like Block Party, but the furnishings are much more elegant, and you can actually get real food, not just bar snacks, although there is a full bar on the premises. Probably the only video arcade I’ve been to that has valet parking. It also has cool video games I’ve never seen in Fort Wayne, such as a virtual boxing game that is a great way to burn calories and vent your frustrations at the same time. It also has Derby Owners Club, a game that allows the wannabe horse trainer/breeder in me to flex her muscles. It’s the closest I’ll ever get to racing my own horse and this game is a refreshing change of pace from the usual shoot-em-up violence-fests that permeate the world of video games.

Quimby’s, Chicago IL: ‘Zines, unusual books, comics and graphic novels. The local free publications drop their product at the front of the store, and this is the place to load up on rags like “The Onion,” quite possibly the funniest parody of newspapers and journalism in general that I’ve ever seen, and the “Chicago Reader,” an insanely-thick weekly that always has something interesting in it.

Tim Horton’s, Windsor Ontario, other Canadian cities and a few U.S. cities: The best hot chocolate I’ve had from a coffee shop. Besides, a hockey player started the franchise, so it has to be good.

So the prospect of yet another Wal-mart in town leaves me cold. I’m waiting for the day it merges with Starbucks and we see ugly buildings with the name “Wal-bucks” or “Star-mart” popping up. Both stores are everywhere as it is, why not join forces? Overpriced coffee and cheap stuff. Add some wireless internet and live music and you’ve got the next new consumer trend.

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