The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Since opening nearly two years ago, the Flintoba Shopping Centre has been a double-edged sword for Main St. While some businesses have felt either no effect or even a boost to their bottom line, others admit they're hurting going up against the retail giants on the outskirts of town, Wal-Mart, Canadian Tire and Extra Foods. "The biggest impact is fewer people are on Main St.," said Marg Faktor, owner of Faktor's Fashions and Sewing Sales. Faktor and other business owners estimate that foot traffic on Main St. is down 20-25 per cent because of the shopping centre. But she noted that doesn't necessarily mean sales are down by the same figure, though she acknowledged there's "definitely been a fair loss" of her business. "We're hanging in there," she said. Since Wal-Mart opened in Nov. 2002, at least six uptown businesses have either closed or moved to a smaller venue. Among them was Super Thrifty Pharmacy, whose co-owner flat out said that "the abrupt changes in buying habits [have] basically made the store unviable." That does not necessarily mean each of those businesses shut down because of increased competition, but it is clearly taking a toll. John Wolters, who recently closed the Flin Flon Bakery and Coffee Shop, said that while the main reason for his decision was a desired career change, slowing business also played a role. Meanwhile Rhonda Scott, owner of The Bulk Bin, a bulk foods outlet, said the shopping centre has put her business on the ropes, though she remains hopeful things will turn around with the new product lines she is introducing. See 'The' P.# Con't from P.# Dave Kendall, past-president of the Flin Flon and District Chamber of Commerce, said it appears that the businesses which compete directly with the shopping centre "are having a pretty tough time." On the flip side, he said he has spoken with business owners who are doing as well as they were before the shopping centre opened. Some of them, like Dave Gunn, are doing better. The owner of Gunn Sound and Light said his sales are up thanks to increased traffic from places like The Pas, Pelican Narrows and Deschambault Lake. "I think the pie for the whole town is bigger because people are coming from surrounding communities more than they used to," he said. "We're doing better because of the extra traffic in town, so I'm happy about it." But when he talks to fellow members of the business community, he said he doesn't always find agreement. Chamber of commerce president Doug O'Brien concurred. "I think generally speaking, they're not pleased," he said. "A lot of them are feeling that if the retail shift in the community seems to be going to the mall, and if they want to continue to be involved in the retail business, it's something they have to consider- to move there." O'Brien suggested the solution to bringing more people uptown is to diversify Main St. with more services and recreational opportunities. And the businesses themselves may need to reevaluate their operations, he said. "You have to diversify and you have to sort of find your niche as to how you can serve the community," he said. "I'm not saying it's easy because the whole philosophy has to change. But if you're going to survive, you have to think of ways you're going to survive." An example of a business that has persisted through the change is Home Hardware, where management has actively replaced product lines and tried to become more service-oriented. Though the past two years have been challenging, manager Darren Ward said the business has been holding its own. "We realized that there had to be a change for us to continue doing business in Flin Flon," he said. Diversification is also the word from Wal-Mart when it comes to smaller businesses trying to compete. "We very publicly admit that there are many features of smaller businesses that we can't match," said company spokesman Kevin Groh, citing retail aspects such as more intimate customer service and specific product lines. "I think there is no question that Wal-Mart is a popular store and there is no question that we do many things really well. But there is also no question that there is room in the market for many, many operations even after our arrival."
