EDITORIAL: A store that's good for all

June 25, 2008 04:00 am

— We're pulling in a big way for the success of the Saranac Lake Community Store. This is a project that can make the village a beneficiary of its own hard work and sacrifice.
Saranac Lake, like most communities in America, has endured the loss of commerce and closing of stores.
It collectively decided it didn't want a Wal-Mart there and successfully deflected the giant retailer's efforts to establish an outlet.
But what were the residents to do when they needed things established merchants didn't or couldn't offer? Most likely their best option was to drive 45 minutes to an hour to Plattsburgh. But that was never regarded as a good option, even if it was the best one. It has become an even worse option as the price of gasoline has soared.
Besides, a community that has pride in itself wants to be self-sufficient to the extent possible. It would have a hard time abiding the need to drive two hours, both ways, to fetch necessities.
The Community Store concept was born of this yen for self-sufficiency, as well as frustration at attracting a significant retailer. The idea was that donations and investments by residents, and perhaps others, would be collected and put toward creating a store with goods the community needs at prices it can tolerate. The depth of the residents' commitment would be measured in their willingness to provide cash toward the project.
The store would be run by a board motivated by an eagerness to see the community thrive and be served by a retail enterprise that would be the best in every way for the residents.
It could actually enrich the community in ways private commerce probably couldn't. It would be answerable to the board and residents, rather than stockholders for whom the bottom line is king. It could carry goods that would serve the customer needs, even if they weren't the most lucrative to the bottom line.
As for creating competition for existing merchants, the board could take that situation into account in running the operation. If it were deemed wise to withhold a particular product because it was offered down the street, that could be a decision made locally and not based solely on whether it was good for business.
Community merchants have apparently been enthusiastic about the project. They have donated prizes to be won in fundraising raffles, for example. Remember that an anchor store that draws customers creates a market for all merchants in the area. When downtown Plattsburgh began to give way to the then-Pyramid Mall in the mid 1970s, the final blow was the loss of the anchors, which fed the specialty shops.
The Saranac Lake Community Store is about three-fifths of the way toward its start-up goal of $500,000. We wish the enterprise continued success and look forward to the time when the entire area is buoyed by this creative operation.