People don't run nor walk. Huh?

 

Welcome to Norwalk--WE HAVE WAL-MART!!! 24/7 Supercenter!!!

 

 

                                              ^Your Mom

 

 

 

 

                               ^tcjoe1985?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Norwalk's best, again

 

But this is good too

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I like Norwalk!

 

                              ^tcjoe1985?

 

You called it :lol:

Great photos of my hometown!  Uptown is fairly active, and it helps that busy US250/SR13 run right through it.  But did you happen to get any photos of the West Main Street Historic District, ink?  (I will hopefully get some photos of this district posted in May.)  Great job by the way!!!

 

 

 

An interesting side note:  this building, the New Glass Block, is in place of a prominent department store.  The original Glass Block, was destroyed in the 1920's by some kind of explosion and accompanying fire.  Here's what it used to be:

 

 

Looks like a good sized healthy town, I hope it stays that way. But the first pic says what city leaders think about it and makes clear they don't value their own culture. Doesn't paint a good picture of the people who voted these people in either.

Wow! You're kidding.

 

Nice looking downtown, with an elegant courthouse. Looks like the area chamber of commerce has bought into Wal-Mart's line of BS.

 

Unfortunately, Wal-Mart is in a position to make towns like this an offer they can't refuse; embrace Wal-Mart in your community and at least keep some commerce and property tax revenue, albeit the fungus infection of second-rate chains that springs up around Wal-Mart to feed off the scraps, or they'll go 15-20 miles down the road to the next town and suck all the life out of your town and leave you with nothing. Communities are forced to choose between a rapid decline and a sudden death.

There are some wonderful buildings in that town.  The black and white effect makes that old building look brand new.  For a bit I debated it, but then I notices the touched up grout lines. 

nice to see an easily overlooked, yet funky/quirky kind of building that actually looks decent

 

I believe Norwalk suffered some devastating floods back in summer 2006.  Nice pics.

Nice looking downtown, with an elegant courthouse. Looks like the area chamber of commerce has bought into Wal-Mart's line of BS.

 

Unfortunately, Wal-Mart is in a position to make towns like this an offer they can't refuse; embrace Wal-Mart in your community and at least keep some commerce and property tax revenue, albeit the fungus infection of second-rate chains that springs up around Wal-Mart to feed off the scraps, or they'll go 15-20 miles down the road to the next town and suck all the life out of your town and leave you with nothing. Communities are forced to choose between a rapid decline and a sudden death.

 

I just don't buy that logic. These people have a choice and they'd rather be Sprawlsville, USA/Canada. There are so many good reasons not to support a Walmart vs. your small town, but they don't care to even glance at them. How about taking advantage of the walkable/bikeable town they have and not blowing their income on buying a car for every member of  the family? Norwalk has a good sized downtown and residents live within 2 miles of it.

Nice looking downtown, with an elegant courthouse. Looks like the area chamber of commerce has bought into Wal-Mart's line of BS.

 

Unfortunately, Wal-Mart is in a position to make towns like this an offer they can't refuse; embrace Wal-Mart in your community and at least keep some commerce and property tax revenue, albeit the fungus infection of second-rate chains that springs up around Wal-Mart to feed off the scraps, or they'll go 15-20 miles down the road to the next town and suck all the life out of your town and leave you with nothing. Communities are forced to choose between a rapid decline and a sudden death.

 

I just don't buy that logic. These people have a choice and they'd rather be Sprawlsville, USA/Canada. There are so many good reasons not to support a Walmart vs. your small town, but they don't care to even glance at them. How about taking advantage of the walkable/bikeable town they have and not blowing their income on buying a car for every member of  the family? Norwalk has a good sized downtown and residents live within 2 miles of it.

 

in a sense that kind of response that can only be said by someone who can afford to say it. you need a car in norwalk, no getting around it. as for shopping -- for the majority of people downtown shops could never be able to compete with walmart prices and convenience for most basic consumer stuff. there is no choice about that, its fact. sad to say, but the rise of superstores like walmart are inevitable given the rise of a global economy and nafta/outsourcing.

 

the only hope for smalltown mainstreet retail is to find the creative niches walmart ignores like repair services, laundromats, diners & things like that. i think that's happening....slowly. so i dont think mainstreet, usa is dead for good in smalltowns yet -- not by a longshot.

 

maybe people will take more advantage of bike riding around norwalk and building up the town and all that with the ongoing high gas prices/inflation/recession? seems inevitable too.

 

^But that makes no sense (pun intended). To save a few bucks you have to buy a car, maintain it, repair it, buy car insursance, buy gas, etc. Not to mention subsidize the "free" parking at Walmart which is on the outskirts of town. Even if your job requires a car, there's no excuse for not biking/walking to places in town for just about everything else. If/when Norwalk becomes a rundown shell of itself it will be because residents didn't want to walk to a couple of places for groceries and everyday goods. Hell, parking Downtown is even free there.

naah. you absolutely need a car almost anywhere in america, but especially in small towns. yet having a car doesn't mean they don't walk or have bikes too, any more or less than anywhere else. 

 

also, you can't shop with your convictions like that when you don't have the money. most people are not in your enviable economic position to have choices about shopping for basic stuff, that's why when walmart comes to town main street gets crushed.

 

this is economic reality and has absolutely nothing to do with people walking or not walking to main street shops or driving out to the walmart.

 

so it's true norwalk might very well become a shell of itself, but only if main street businesses do not adapt to the cut rate behemoth and provide goods & services walmart does not.

 

Just some info, not really trying to prove anything:

 

-Super Wal-Mart (in Norwalk) is a member of the Chamber of Commerce as well as hundreds of other businesses.  The banners are located only in the Uptown area and businesses pay for their name on the banner; Wal-Mart was not freely given a banner.

 

-Also, Wal-Mart has been in Norwalk since 1996 (or 1997); obviously there have been effects on Uptown (as with other small cities' central business districts) but Norwalk has maintained its CBD fairly well.

 

-Norwalk's CBD has been "spared", compared to nearby Sandusky (where things are bleak and it's pretty sad to see).  About 9 miles north of the Norwalk city limits on Route 250 is the edge of Sandusky's (Perkins Township's) big-box retail sprawl.  Almost every name-brand retail store is on that strip (for example, Lowe's is right across the street from Home Depot, and a Menard's is being built 1/2 mile up the road).  People from Norwalk and northern Huron County drive up there to do that kind of shopping; the market isn't there (in Norwalk) for all of the big-box stores since Sandusky is so close.

 

-Norwalk has Wal-Mart, K-Mart and that's about it.  There is a new development that is a small-scale "lifestyle center" which really is just a hyped-up term for a movie theater, senior housing, and a couple of restaurants ( www.norwalkcommons.com ).  This has stolen a restaurant from Uptown.

 

-Norwalk interestingly has 5 (used to be 6) grocery stores and 5 drugstores.  Way too many IMO.  A big-box style Giant Eagle (which has gone out of business) is two blocks away from the courthouse.  It was built on the former site of an abandoned railroad roundhouse (which burned down).  3 grocery stores are locally owned and hold there own against Walmart and Aldi.  If you stand at one corner, you can see Rite-Aid, Walgreens, and CVS.

 

-Uptown Norwalk has the "niche" businesses; bookstore, sewing/embroidering, computer repair, antiques, Mexican grocery, numerous professional offices, bowling alley, salons, 5 or 6 eateries/coffee houses, and 2 schools.

 

 

SORRY for the ramblings  :whip: ; these were just some background/basic info and observations of mine. 

naah yours was facts, mines was ramblings  :laugh:

 

thx for the background -- sounds like norwalk has been weathering the big boxers fairly well for quite awhile now.

3 grocery stores are locally owned and hold there own against Walmart and Aldi.

 

Is Apple's still around?  I get to Norwalk maybe once or twice a year and for some reason that place always stood out to me and I have no idea why.

3 grocery stores are locally owned and hold there own against Walmart and Aldi.

 

Is Apple's still around?  I get to Norwalk maybe once or twice a year and for some reason that place always stood out to me and I have no idea why.

 

Yeah Apple's is still there, coincidentally right next to WalMart.  There is an Apples in Elyria and 2 in Lorain as well.

for some odd reason, i have the urge to watch drag racing.