General Discussion

technotwit

(71 posts)

76. Here's one that may happen

Tue Mar 5, 2019, 07:42 PM

Mar 2019

https://www.visaliatimesdelta.com/story/news/2019/03/05/could-k-mart-become-visalias-first-city-operated-homeless-shelter/2980991002/?utm_source=Morning+Roundup&utm_campaign=db373ccc29-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2019_03_05_04_10&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_165ffe36b2-db373ccc29-78445437&mc_cid=db373ccc29&mc_eid=ec8c2d9613

Visalia has no shortage of empty storefronts.

K-Mart, Best Buy, Toys R Us, Fallas: Each retailer has closed its doors or moved over the past year, leaving behind large vacancies across the city.

More than 150 people turned out to the latest 210 Connect panel on Feb. 11, where community leaders and residents gathered to discuss innovative, humane solutions to Visalia's growing homeless problem.

When an audience member suggested the city convert one of its unoccupied commercial spaces into a homeless shelter, Vice Mayor Steve Nelsen responded that he was looking at three such sites.

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The Retail Apocalypse (major stores closing) [View all] Honeycombe8 Mar 2019 OP

My favorite store Sur la Table just closed in our neighborhood. defacto7 Mar 2019 #1

i can see signs of struggle in several several shopping malls i visited recently Demovictory9 Mar 2019 #26

Replacement with mom and pop stores is ok but that's not happening here. defacto7 Mar 2019 #70

Any possibility of demolishing all those unneeded shopping malls and building public Aristus Mar 2019 #2

How about we convert them into homeless shelters... Wounded Bear Mar 2019 #7

Why didn't I think of that? Aristus Mar 2019 #9

I knew that... Wounded Bear Mar 2019 #10

Some are being converted to schools. MineralMan Mar 2019 #15

Senior housing is a great idea Ohiogal Mar 2019 #28

Here's one that may happen technotwit Mar 2019 #76

For all the unemployed people who used to work at those locations. nt Honeycombe8 Mar 2019 #11

they are oddly designed structures. Demovictory9 Mar 2019 #27

I know this is hardly a homeless shelter, but fierywoman Mar 2019 #77

I don't want to be bdamomma Mar 2019 #80

Our local mall is about to be converted to an "open air" sort of thing. GoCubsGo Mar 2019 #35

Our town tore the roof off of a struggling mall Codeine Mar 2019 #57

Is America great again yet? lpbk2713 Mar 2019 #3

Forgotten by pro capitalist republicans ffr Mar 2019 #4

For the first time this past week I bought 2 things advertised on Facebook Miigwech Mar 2019 #5

I read today that Amazon is going to start opening brick & mortar grocery stores. Not good. Honeycombe8 Mar 2019 #12

Amazon already owns Whole Foods Zorro Mar 2019 #13

yep. Demovictory9 Mar 2019 #29

They have a bookstore Dorian Gray Mar 2019 #18

Understanding in-person buying habits vs online Blue_Adept Mar 2019 #31

Maybe... Dorian Gray Mar 2019 #82

How about local grocery stores do better? Adrahil Mar 2019 #22

Most "local grocery stores" are part of Codeine Mar 2019 #32

Our local grocery chain has some of the worst stores in town The Genealogist Mar 2019 #37

Kroger? 912gdm Mar 2019 #81

Actually we did have Kroger, in the form of their Dillons division The Genealogist Mar 2019 #83

Groceries will always be largely bought at a brick and mortar stores. democratisphere Mar 2019 #47

Universal Basic Income needed ASAP. sarcasmo Mar 2019 #6

It's an historical inevitability, Codeine Mar 2019 #33

Oh, no...Socialism! LuvNewcastle Mar 2019 #39

It's simply the natural result of tRump policies. Joe941 Mar 2019 #8

Not so sure about that... its been happening for a long time. dsp3000 Mar 2019 #66

Pretty soon retail will boil down to Amazon and delivery companies. Blue_true Mar 2019 #14

People should really stop blaming Amazon... Xolodno Mar 2019 #16

The malls were YUGELY successful, though. Honeycombe8 Mar 2019 #17

You touched on something which I think is heart to the problem... Xolodno Mar 2019 #19

I was thinking about that recently. Honeycombe8 Mar 2019 #24

Buying less stuff doesn't solve... Adrahil Mar 2019 #30

Buying stuff just to buy stuff doesn't help either. llmart Mar 2019 #42

Really you think it's people wanting stuff at lower cost is the problem? Farmer-Rick Mar 2019 #55

Nice rant...but you're not telling this economist anything new.... Xolodno Mar 2019 #73

Thanks for the compliment on my rant Farmer-Rick Mar 2019 #75

I recall reading/hearing that mall developments also had huge tax breaks. This helped the c-rational Mar 2019 #20

I'm a teen of the 90s. The mall was my hangout crazycatlady Mar 2019 #21

You and me both...... Xolodno Mar 2019 #23

Because a skate park isn't profitable,and has a large liability. Honeycombe8 Mar 2019 #25

Just about every suburb here has a skate park. Many of them have two. MrGrieves Mar 2019 #41

But not in a mall. Honeycombe8 Mar 2019 #43

maybe we do have private skate parks that do very well here MrGrieves Mar 2019 #45

It's like a roller rink, only catering to teen males, and more dangerous. Honeycombe8 Mar 2019 #46

I am not saying it is or is t going to happen but MrGrieves Mar 2019 #48

I know. But doing something that could COST you money is worse than doing nothing. Honeycombe8 Mar 2019 #50

Yeah it could never work... MrGrieves Mar 2019 #67

Here you go. I rest my case...they are not profitable. Honeycombe8 Mar 2019 #72

it isn't about them making a profit MrGrieves Mar 2019 #79

For me, that's an opportunity. Xolodno Mar 2019 #74

Skateparks are difficult to insure Codeine Mar 2019 #34

Not really. MrGrieves Mar 2019 #40

Most of those are city projects around here. Codeine Mar 2019 #61

Shopping used to be a major pastime, like sports. LuvNewcastle Mar 2019 #49

For teens it is a little different crazycatlady Mar 2019 #53

I think the teen mall experience is virtual these days. Codeine Mar 2019 #56

It was more of an experience for me crazycatlady Mar 2019 #60

We have a hugely popular outdoor "mall" near us Roland99 Mar 2019 #62

the difference is climate control crazycatlady Mar 2019 #65

I expect the climate control was part of the problem.. EX500rider Mar 2019 #78

To some extent, they only have themselves to blame. GoCubsGo Mar 2019 #36

It's not the stores' fault, really. Honeycombe8 Mar 2019 #44

Retail is outdated. Some boutique shops may survive, or even thrive, but online shopping reigns. PTWB Mar 2019 #38

Even as I lament it I recognize Codeine Mar 2019 #58

I wouldn't be surprised pressbox69 Mar 2019 #51

its the new era. Horse and buggy industry suffered same fate when cars came about beachbum bob Mar 2019 #52

I shop almost exclusively online cagefreesoylentgreen Mar 2019 #54

People always complain about IKEA Codeine Mar 2019 #59

This! We call it Disney World for Home Stuff obamanut2012 Mar 2019 #69

Sure, they complain cagefreesoylentgreen Mar 2019 #71

I was just going to post IKEA is the one store I always drive to obamanut2012 Mar 2019 #68

A good article MrGrieves Mar 2019 #63

Another good article MrGrieves Mar 2019 #64