On Friday, we stopped by a couple of stores in the Briarcliff shopping center, on the way to a friend’s house. I noted to hubby that it sure would be nice to have a little shopping center like that — grocery store, liquor store, dry cleaners, asian restaurant — at the entrance to our neighborhood. Or even anywhere on our end of town.<\/p>\n
He replied that neighborhood shopping centers have mostly gone away, with all the successful stores clustered in the center of town. But it wasn’t always that way; I remember when Oak Ridge’s neighborhood shopping centers were very much alive and well. As a young child, I lived off Delaware Avenue; we bought most of our groceries at the Piggly Wiggly, right there in Elm Grove Center. Now, I think it’s a karate school and a consignment store… but I’ve lived on the west end for nearly 40 years.<\/p>\n
Part of the reason might be that in the 1960’s, fewer families had two (or more) cars. Neighborhood centers thrived as a result. Now, with fuel prices jumping a dime or more overnight on a regular basis, might there be a revived need for these neighborhood centers?<\/p>\n
From the vicinity of the Roane County line in Oak Ridge, the nearest grocery store is Kroger, about five miles away. A new grocery store on the west end of town would draw customers from half the town! Maybe not everyone’s business in its entirety, but they would surely get some business from the majority of west-end homeowners.<\/p>\n
Given the rise in gas prices, most people I know are trying to combine trips and drive less. I know that I am. While it’s painful, it’s also an opportunity for someone.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
On Friday, we stopped by a couple of stores in the Briarcliff shopping center, on the way to a friend’s house. I noted to hubby that it sure would be nice to have a little shopping center like that — … Continue reading