The basement of Boyds for Boys and Girls in downtown Litchfield, Min- t
nesota, looks like a history museum of the worst in childrens fashions. All
the real duds from the past forty years have accumulated down there: wool
pedal-pushers, polyester bell-bottoms, wide clip-on neckties. Theres a big box
of 1960s fat~ fi~r hats, the kind with the fur pompon ties that dangle under a
girls chin. My father, Boyd Anderson, drags all the old stuff up the stairs and
onto the sidexvalk once a year on Krazy Daze. At the end of the day, he lugs
most of it back down. Folks around here dont go in much for the retro look.
At least for nmv, the museum is only in the basement. Upstairs, Dad
2
continues to run one of the few remaining independent childrens clothing
stores on Main Street, USA. But this is the age of Wat-Mart, not Main
Street. In 1994, the nations top retailer plans to add 110 new U.S. stores
to its cutrent total of 1,967. For every Wal-Mart opening, there is more
than one store like Boyds that closes its doors.
259
260
decided it
So far Litchfield
the town
each less
emy is~ Morn and I
twent}
Just inside the,
(actually the greeters
from shoplifting). We
had been a cashier at
o( Minneapolis,
rm crisis and the
)1 student during
me and again tomtly cut the conzssing, okay?"
Street Litchfields
ds. Should he reiris children? Or
,he-year-old rameither path. Tile
ho have worked
e end of a workknows it. When
eea going downat the future for
nights worrying
with a business
eighteen for the
ll-town life. My
rnns a farm with
~d fight tile retail
tween them, they
.n kids fashions.
hough to believe
nds of rural peothese fights have
rmont, citizens
er the company
operation of the
ne have defeated
kansas, three
r Wal-Mart }lad
ve out competi"Pledge of Cort at least a dozen
l-Mart out or to
262
early this year. I tried to be casual when I asked if she greets many people
from Litchfield. "Oh, a-a-a-ll the time!" she replied. Sure enough, Morn
immediately spotted one in the checkout liue.
Nt wanting t tok too suspicious, we moved on toward the chitdren,s
department, where we discreetly examined price tags and labels. Not all,
bu.t mauy items were cheaper than at Boyds It was the brainwashing campa~gn that we found most intimidating, though. Throughout the store were
huge red, white, and blue banners declaring BRING IT HOME TO MvlERICA.
Confusingl); the labels ou the childrens clothing indicated tbat they had
been imported from sixteen countries, including Haiti, where an embargo
on exports was supposed to be in place.
Of course, Wal-Mart is not Main Streets only foe. Over coffee at the
Main Street Care, some of Litchfields tong-time merchants gave me a
litany of additional complaints. Like my dad, many of these men remember when three-block-long Maiu Street was a bustling social and cormnercial hub, with two movie theaters, six restaurauts, a department store, and
a grand old hotel.
Present-day Litchfield is not a ghost town, but there are four empty
storeffonts, and several former commercial b~ildings now house offices for
government service agencies. In recent years, the downtown has lost its last
txvo drugstores and t~vo supermarkets. As a resuk, elderly people who live
downtown and are unable to drive can uo longer do their own shopping.
My dad and the other merchants place as much blame for this decline 14
on cutthroat suppliers as on Wal-Mart. The big brand names, especially,
have no time anymore for small clients. Don Brock, who ran a furniture
store for thirty-three years before rething in 1991, remembers getting an
honorary plaque from a manufacturer whose products he carried for many
years. "Six months later I got a letter saying they were no longer going to
fill my orders."
At the moment, Litchfields most pressing threat is a transportation de. is
partment plan to reroute the state highway that now runs down Main
Street to the outskirts of town. Local merchants fear the bypass would kill
the considerable busiuess they now get from travelers. Bypasses are also
magnets for Wal-Mart and other discounters attracted to the large, cheap,
and often unzoned sites along the bypass.
When I asked the merchants how they felt about the bypass, the table a6
grew quiet. Greg Heath, a florist and antique dealer, sighed and said, "The
bypass will come--it might be ten years from no% but it will come. By
then, well either be out of business or the bypass will drive us out."
The struggles of Main Street merchants have naturally created a growth 17
iudustry in consultants ready to provide tips on marketing and customer
relations. Con:
ual merchant:
the enormous
is with active p
National Cent~
Sotne of th
community de
governed by a ~
dation and gov
ment and abou
corporation to ~
nesses ~vere bo~
sistance, the an
Although ~
ated to serve l
could be equall
church, civic, al
development cc
sides revitalizin
a buy local cu
The Nation:
provides some
vices. The Cent
among mercha~
focus on impro
stores, which ca
No matter h
fail without loc
ral people to co~
the high levels c
worried about
at your local ha
Another pr
hoods, many rl
concluded that
for their o~vn
through forecl,
move to Mexic
Litchfield i~
confidence and
ing ceremony, ]
relations. Community development experts caution, though, that individual merchants acting on their own cannot keep Main Street strong. "Given
the enormous forces of change, tire only way these businesses can survive
is with active public and government support," says Dawn Nakano, of the
National Center for Economic Alternatives in Washington, D.C.
Some of the most effective efforts at revitalization, Nakano says, are 18
community development corporations--private, nonprofit corporations
governed by a community-based board and usually funded in part by foundation and government money. In Pittsburgh, for example, the city government and about thirty nonprofit groups formed a community development
corporation to save an impoverished neighborhood where all but three businesses xvere boarded up. Today, thanks to such financing and technical assistance, the area has a lively shopping district.
Although most community development corporations have been cre- 19
ated to serve low-income urban neighborhoods, Nakano feels that they
could be equally effective in saving Main Streets. "Theres no reason why
church, civic, and other groups in a small town couldnt form a community
development corporation to fill boarded-up stores with new businesses. Besides revitalizing Main Street, this could go a long way towards cultivating
a buy local cultnre among residents."
The National Main Street Center, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit, ~0
provides some of the most comprehensive Main Street revitalization services. The Center has helped more than 850 towns build cooperative links
among merchants, government, and c~nzens. However, the Center s effort
focus on improving marketing techniques and tire physical appearance of
stores, which can only do so much to counter the powerful forces of change.
No matter how well designed, any Main Street revitalizatin Pr ect will ~
fail without local public support. Unfortunately, it is difficult for many rural people to consider the long-term, overall effects of their purchases, given
the high levels of rural unemployment, job insecurity, and poverty. If youre
worried about paying your rent, youre not going to pay more for a toaster
at your local hardware store, no matter how much you like your hometown.
Another problem is political. Like those in decaying urban neighbor- 22
hoods, many rural people have seen the signs of decline around them and
concluded that they lack the clout necessary to harness the forces of change
for their own benefit. If youve seen your neighbors lose their farms
through foreclosure, your school close down, and local manufacturing
move to Mexico, how empowered will you feel?
Litchfield Mayor Ron Ebnet has done his best to bolster community 23
confidence and loyalty to Main Street. "Every year at the Christmas lighting ceremony, I tell people to buy their gifts in town. I know everyone is
264
sick of hearing it, but I dont care." Ebnet has ~vhipped up opposition to
the proposed bypass, with strong support from the city council, chamber
of commerce, the newspaper editor, and the state senator. He also orchestrated a dowutown beautification project and helped the town win a state
redevelopment grant to upgrade downto~vn businesses and residences.
Ebnet has failed to win over everyone, though. Retired merchant Don 24
Larson told me about a local resident ~vho drove forty miles to get something seventeen cents cheaper than he could buy it at the Litchfield lumberyard. "I pointed out that he had spent more on gas than hed saved, but
he told me that it was a matter of principle. I thought, what about the
principle of supporting your community? People just dont think about
that, though."
Mayor Ebnet agrees, "Many people still have a 1950s mentality," he 2s
says. "They cant see the tremendous changes that are affecting these small
businesses. People tell me they want the bypass because theres too much
traffic dowutown aud they have a hard time crossing the street. And I ask
them, but what wilt you be crossing to? If we get the bypass, there will be
nothing left!"
Last summer, with the threat of the bypass hanging over his head, Dad 26
bec.ame increasingly stubborn about making a decision about the store. His
anuque Underwood typewriter was never more productive, as it banged
out angry letters to the state transportation department.
My sisters decided to try a new tactic. While my parents were on vaca- 27
tion, they assaulted the store with paintbrushes and wallpapeq transforming ~vhat had been a rather rustic restroom and doing an unprecedented
amount of redecorating and rearranging.
The strategy worked. "At first, Dad ~vas a bit shocked," Laurie said. 28
"He commented that in his opinion, the old toiletpaper dispenser had been
perfectly fine. But overall he ~vas pleased with tile changes, and two days
later he called for a meeting ~vith us and ore" spouses."
"Your dad started out by makiug a little speech," Colleen said. "The 29
first thing he said was, Well, things arent how they used to be. Then he
pulled out some papers hed prepared and told us exactly how much sales
and profits have been over the years and what we could expect to make.
He told us what he thinks are the negative and tile positive aspects of the
job and then said if ~ve were still interested, we could begin talking about
a starting date for us to take over."
Dad later told me, "The only way I could feel conffortable about Lau- 30
tie and Colleen running the store is if it was at no financial risk to them.
So Im settiog up an account for them to draw from--enough for a oneyear trial. But if they caut make a good profit, then thats it--Ill try to sell
the business to
theyre getting
,pposition to
cil, chamber
also orchesn win a state
>sidences.
~erchant Don 24
to get sometcbfield lumed saved, but
~at about the
d~ink about
~entatity," he
ng these small
res too much
eet. And I ask
, there will be
his bead, Dad 26
: the store. His
, as it banged
transformanprecedented
the business to someone else. I still worry that they dont know what
theyre getting themselves into. Especially if the bypass goes through,
things are going to be rough."
My sisters are optimistic. Tbey plan to form a buying cooperative witb 31
Main Street childrens clotlfing stores in other towns and have already drafted
a customer survey to help them better understand local needs. "I think were
going to see a big increase in appreciation of the small-town atmosphere,"
Colleen says. "There are more and more people moving to Litcbfield from the
Twin Cities to take advantage of the small-town way of life. I think they might
even be more inclined to support the local businesses than people whove lived
here their whole lives and now take the tmvn for granted."
Small towns cannot return to the past, when families did all their shop- 32
ping and socializing in their hometown. Rural life is changing and theres
no use denying it. The most important question is, who will define the future? Will it be Wal-Mart, whose narrow corporate interests have little to
do with building healthy communities? will it be the department of transportation, whose purpose is to move cars faster? Will it be the banks and
suppliers primarily interested in doing business with the big guys? Or will
it be the people who live in small towns, whose hard work and support are
essential to any effort to revitalize Main Street?
In my hometmvn, there are at least two new reasons for optimism. 33
First, shortly before my deadline for this article, the Minnesota transportation department announced that it was dropping the Litchfield highway bypass project because of local opposition. (My dads Underwood will
finally get a rest.) The second reason is that a new teal green awning will
soon be hanging over the front of Boyds--a symbol of one familys belief
that Main Street, while weary~ is not yet a relic of the past.
Thinking Critically
1. Sarah Anderson makes it clear that WaI-Mart is just one of many causes of
the decline of rural Main Streets in her hometown and across America.
What other causes for the decline of Main Street does she describe?
2. Why does Anderson choose to draw from her personal experience and to
write in the first person? You know, from the headnote to this essay, that
she is a professional journalist and public policy researcher. Given that she
is an experienced writer and researcher, what does her choice of the first
person bring to her argument?
3. Anderson suggests ways in which Main Street revitalization projects can be
supported and made effective. What other reasons does she express-either implicitly or explicitly--for the revitalization of Main Streets?
266
Writing Critically
1. Several writers in Cl~apter 2, including Blake Hurst (see pp. 58-65),
Jedediah Purdy (pp. 66-77), and Bill McKibben (pp. 82-91), describe challenges to the values and lifestyles of small towns and rural communities. In
what ways do the problems that Sarah Anderson describes support the observations of Hurst, Purdy, or McKibben? What is the relationship between
financial and commercial support for small towns and the "values" of the
small towns community?. (For inspiration, rent a DVD of the great 1946
James Stewart movie Its a Wonderful Life, and pay particular attention to
the role that the bank plays in Bedford Falls as compared with the banks
role in Pottersville.)
2. Anderson describes the efforts made by Litchflelds Mayor Ron Ebnet to
"bolster community confidence and loyalty to Main Street." In what ways do
these efforts reflect the values of Litchfields community? What is the
"principle" that retired merchant Don Larson describes, and how does that
principle reflect community values? What is the "small-town way of life"
that people from urban areas, such as the Twin Cities, expect to enjoy
when they move to smaller communities like Litchfield? Is it reasonable or
fair to expect citizens of a small town to uphold certain communal values if
doing so means sacrificing certain personal benefits?
3. Sinclair Lewis described a fictional but quintessential Minnesota small
town in his 1920 novel Main Street, which is available online from the University of Virginia Electronic Text Center at <http://etext.llb.virginia.edu/toc/
moden~/public/LewMain.html>. What "Main Street" values described by
Lewis are reflected in Andersons essay? Compare the attitudes toward
those values reflected in Lewiss novel and in Andersons essay. You might
also include in your discussion one of the selections from Chapter 2.
Serving in Florida
RA EHRENREICH
This chapter from Barbara Ehrenreichs book Nickel
and Dimed. On (Not) Getting By in America (2001),
reflects Ehrenreichs extraordinarily engaged and compassionate approach to her work as a journalist. For
Nickel and Dimed, Ehrenreicb spent several momhs
working lo~v-wage jobs in Maine, Minnesota, and
Florida, attempting to live solely on her earnings from
her work as a waitress, a housekeeper, and a Wal-Mart
salesperson, among other jobs. Her chronicle of the
daily injustices faced by Americas working poor--and
her portraits of individual men and wmnen who maintain their dignity despite these obstacles--was a New
picture a fat
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RHETORICAL CONTENTS
PREFACE xxvii
Cover images:
New Citizens Say the Pledge of Allegiance S. Meltzer/Photolink
Amish Farmer Corbis, Royalty-Free.
Man with Flag The Olympian, Olympia, Washington
Antiques Roadshow Jeffrey Dunn for WGBH
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CRtDrrS 749
INDEX OF AUTHORS AND T1TL[