Teach your kids that ‘big box’ is a dirty word. Or is it?
Baltimore was full of big boxes… Target, Wal-Mart, Lowes, Home Depot. There was a big box in just about every neighborhood. Nothing wrong with that. I lived near at least 9 or 10 and could quickly go and get whatever I needed (and also a bunch of stuff I didn’t)
So why am I on about this?? Because Ithaca has a love hate relationship with big boxes. I guess people are just used to the idea of little boxes. Little boxes…like the ‘quaint’ shops that sell clothes, pottery, jewelry in the Commons. It makes the locals feel like Ithaca is different from other cities.
People here talk about big box stores with such displeasure, but I see masses of people every time I go to the Wal-Mart. As for the Target…well… the students in town ransack the shelves so often that you seriously need to plan your trip to get the items you need. With everybody at the mall, Target, Wal-Mart and Lowes, I wonder who is shopping at the little boxes that Ithaca loves so much.
There is always some minor controversy. The rationale for protesting development is that big boxes take away money from little boxes. But whose money?? Are the protestors afraid that given a choice between MomPop Shop and Target they would rather go to Target? They must be..cause they protest too much.
Don’t get me wrong… Little boxes are charming. You can walk along on a sunny day and look at the pretty pottery or jewelry. Even still, a town can’t survive on little boxes alone.
And this city import sees nothing wrong with a town that has big boxes, little boxes and everything in between.
My Simple Life in Ithaca 