In spite of the many people who live and work on 13th Street, we could not be more ecstatic about the Gainesville City Commission’s vote to allow Walmart to abandon the old location and move forward with a supercenter on 34th Street and U.S. 441.
Just look at the place. Its façade is passé, all the fluorescent lighting has yellowed and the tile is so dingy that those welcome mats might as well scoot themselves in front of the exit. It’s time to knock it down and pave over it, or better yet, keep it standing as a reminder of how antiquated life was before the supercenter.
Never mind that it’s the anchor in the neighborhood’s economy, and forget all the customers it brings to all the businesses surrounding it. Those stores have had plenty of time to learn how to fend for themselves, and the training wheels had to come off someday.
We just wish other businesses would follow Walmart’s example and let their buildings slide into dereliction until it becomes convenient for them to cut and run. After all, we cannot expect them to keep the rollbacks coming if they have to factor in renovations and basic maintenance.
All kidding aside, closing down the 13th Street Walmart will do immeasurable damage to the area and will likely cause a few other businesses to shut their doors as well. Yet it could easily outperform a supercenter at that location if they slapped a new coat of paint on it and opened a third register once in a while.
