Do You Think Pittsburgh Can Avoid A BOOM (Philadelphia, Sharon: 2013, buying)

[bethany12]

Originally Posted by Copanut

Mom and Pop stores are dead or dying. They simply can't compete with the big boxes that get tax breaks from local government or the discounts from suppliers. I try to support small biz as much as possible, but it's very hard to do.

It would be much better for townships/cities to give tax breaks and incentives to mom & pops instead of corps.

[Copanut]

Originally Posted by bethany12

It would be much better for townships/cities to give tax breaks and incentives to mom & pops instead of corps.

Won't happen, they don't have enough money to grease the palms.

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by Copanut

I try to support small biz as much as possible, but it's very hard to do.

It is hard to do! When I find a good local store, I try to tell everyone I know about it so they don't go out of business!

We should start a thread and share our favorite locally owned establishments---retail, restaurants, etc.

[TelecasterBlues]

malls and whatnot are the plague...just ugly concrete prisons without any personality. I can buy the same things online that I can get from a chain store sitting in a random mall. Give me the little hole in the wall stores any day...especially for things like music and musical instruments. Food too, there's nothing fun or creative about taking your date to Eat n' Park or Ruby Tuesday's on a Saturday night, you know?

[Tallysmom]

Originally Posted by Hopes

It is hard to do! When I find a good local store, I try to tell everyone I know about it so they don't go out of business!

We should start a thread and share our favorite locally owned establishments---retail, restaurants, etc.

Not to keep harping on it, but trust me -- a quilter doesn't want his or her only choices to be JoAnns or Wal Mart. WalMart is phasing out fabric and JoAnn's quality isn't that good.

Gotta support those little fabric stores that are local.

[BrianTH]

A few random comments:

(1) It is a fundamental mistake to think that development and population patterns in the United States necessarily reflect underlying preferences in any simple way. That is because a lot of factors can end up distorting the process in favor of certain results, including subsidies, regulations, tax policy, the distribution of political power, and on and on.

(2) That said, there are undoubtedly some people who prefer "sprawl"-type development. So the better way of putting the point is that those people have been oversupplied with more heavily-subsidized options, and meanwhile people who would prefer other types of development have been undersupplied with less heavily-subsidized options, leading to lots of people effectively being priced out of their ideal sort of development (in one way or another). But even if a level playing field was restored, it wouldn't end up eliminating all sprawl-type development. It would just slow way down in relative terms.

(3) Locally-owned and operated stores can succeed, but they can't compete on providing widely-available interchangeable products (aka "commodities") at low prices. Instead, they have to offer more unique/niche products (aka "differentiated products"), or provide higher levels of service, or so on. And in fact I think it is fine to have both sorts of dynamics going on: big chain stores offering commodity products at low prices, and local stores offering differentiated products with higher levels of service.

[Fiddlehead]

Originally Posted by Copanut

Mom and Pop stores are dead or dying. They simply can't compete with the big boxes that get tax breaks from local government or the discounts from suppliers. I try to support small biz as much as possible, but it's very hard to do.

Very honest post, and true in my experience.

I am generally for Mom & Pop, wherever feasible.

One thing that the little folks could do to help their cause is to not gouge the customer. Many of the small stores in our area use the "boutique" (read snob) model and cater to an upscale market. I know they have smaller volume and need larger incremental margins, but It is insulting to the intelligence to be sold a pair of socks for $20,or work boots for $200, unless they are truly out of this world. Usually, the small store stuff is 25% better and two to three times the price. I really look for value, and it is suprisingly hard to find in a world of Wal-Mart/Dollar Stores (cheap crap) and local boutique (overpriced hype) shopping. Just give me a decent value somewhere in the middle, fer chrizsake!

[LivingCollect]

Originally Posted by BrianTH

Just an aside, but my first roommate in Pittsburgh was a fellow grad student who happened to be from Texas. He is a perfectly decent guy, and in fact was later a groomsman in my wedding. He eventually moved to NYC with ambitions to be a professional musician, and became a lawyer instead in order to be able to afford living there, but I don't hold all that against him considering I also followed a similar path (albeit swapping failed screenwriter for musician and deciding to settle in Pittsburgh after living in both Chicago and DC instead of NYC).

Originally Posted by BrianTH

Anyway, joking aside, I really have no problem with people from anywhere moving to Pittsburgh.

First post here.

That's good to know then because I was born and raised in Chattanooga (23 years) and have lived in Huntsville, Al for 6 (which I don't like) and have been looking to move to Pittsburgh.

My wife's family is from there and still lives there and even though she has always lived in this area she has visited them a few times a year her whole life so it's kind of like home to her and her father also grew up there too.

I'm taking everything I have ever known in life and trying to change i.e. get out of my shell, comfort zone - whatever you would like to call it. I've always had this fascination with tradition and old time values and I just don't feel it here in Huntsville. What are your thoughts on a potential 'transplant' such as myself?

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by LivingCollect

I'm taking everything I have ever known in life and trying to change i.e. get out of my shell, comfort zone - whatever you would like to call it. I've always had this fascination with tradition and old time values and I just don't feel it here in Huntsville. What are your thoughts on a potential 'transplant' such as myself?

Well first, Pittsburgh is a great place for people who are interested in tradition, history, old time values, and so on.

Second, any big transition like this will have its ups and downs, but my experience as a transplant to Pittsburgh is that as long as you are friendly, most people here will respond in kind. I think that helps smooth the transition, and as long as you are here for solid reasons I think it will likely work out well.

[Hopes]

A willingness to step outside of your comfort zone will go a long way regardless of where you move. IMO happiness is 20% percent location and 80% attitude.