Businesses boom in Middlebury Store openings and closings change the small town we know

Author: Sarah Shaikh

Recently, as Americans have realized the necessity of empowering the American worker and small private businesses, an ever-disapproving attitude towards large corporations has emerged. Here in Middlebury, many have noticed that the influx of corporate America has been intruding on the local economy of the town. With chains such as Hannaford, TJ Maxx and Marriott moving into Middlebury, some feel that local businesses are being pushed to the outskirts of the town not physically, but economically. A recent occasion was the closure of the Middlebury Wine Outlet, as well as the recent closure of Dada, the eclectic boutique that stood on College Street.

However, this could be the wrong attitude to take toward the new corporate additions to the town of Middlebury. It is true that throughout the country, corporations have bought out small, local business as seen in the vastly publicized articles involving the Wal-Mart phenomenon. However in Middlebury, the situation is different. Large stores as well as small ones enter and leave Middlebury constantly.

Middlebury Town Planner Fred Dunnington said, "I have been in Middlebury just 24 years now, and have seen several changes in tenancy of stores. Old-timers in Middlebury remember many more changes. Newcomers and students regard a store closing as a major change - longer term residents see individual businesses come and go - the 'mainstream' stores are simply the current popular spots and they will someday change as a newer hot spot comes along."

The recent closure of Dada and the Middlebury Wine Outlet brought this question to the forefront again. Were these stores pushed out of Middlebury and replaced by mainstream corporations?

Andy McCabe '83, owner of Vergennes Wine and Liquor said the entrance of large companies did not force him to move. "I was not looking to get out of the Middlebury market but Hannaford gave me the opportunity to work less. More than Hannaford," McCabe joked, "I've been more concerned with the growth of the Williams College alumni in the Middlebury area." Instead, McCabe noted, "The town is doing everything it can to facilitate local ownership. As Middlebury continues to grow there will be more pressure for chain stores to move in, but that doesn't mean that the town wants to replace the chain stores with the locally owned businesses." This is shown through the town's support of the Middlebury Business Association and the Middlebury Downtown Investment Program, which works to promote the cultural and economic vitality of the downtown.

Dunnington added, "In a longer term view, it seems to me that there are actually fewer retail business shops, bars and restaurants in Middlebury now compared to a few years ago. I think this is not a result of just the latest tenants - Hannaford or TJ Maxx - but a reflection of other societal market forces."

So will more commercial stores soon be entering the Middlebury market? Dunnington does not see this in the near future. "The Middlebury market is quite small, compared to the Burlington area. People assume that stores like Target can be enticed by the town to come to Middlebury just by asking. The businesses decide whether there is a market here. Target has yet to come to the largest market in Vermont, and little Middlebury probably does not even come up on their desktop survey of possible new locations at this stage. Perhaps, like TJ Maxx, and after they have penetrated the Burlington area and Rutland area, then Middlebury will come up on their desktop."

As for now, the town of Middlebury in their 2005 Town Plan provides more evidence to the retention of the local businesses and preservation of the town's individuality. The plan calls for the preservation of natural resources along with the maintenance of the small town atmosphere in an attempt to maintain the intimacy of a small town.

This is also seen through its understanding of the importance to maintain local businesses along with being able to accommodate the entrance of more corporate organizations. The recent arrival of commercial stores in Middlebury is not and should not be seen as a threat to local stores - rather it should be seen as Middlebury's ability to accommodate the needs of the community. As stated by Dunnington, "Middlebury does not want to be just a tourist town, nor just a college town - instead our economic strategy seeks a diverse mix of businesses."