The data are not really in yet but there are going to be ongoing issues in the retail sector for Grand Forks, and North Dakota
Weekly Radio Summary
A summary of the discussions from my weekly appearance on the Jarrod Thomas Show (@jtknoxradio). The two main themes were evaluating local area economic performance and retail trade.
Sears and Irony
Perhaps the most amazing aspect of the seemingly imminent demise of Sears (story at the link below) is that this is the company that pioneered selling from a distance. The Sears Catalog was an iconic product making Sears a household name across the country in both rural and urban areas.
Grand Forks Economic Development (or the Chicken and the Egg Problem)
I am forgoing the typical numerical analysis for the purposes of the current post and just trying to reason through the problem that is economic development and economic development policy in Grand Forks. I got to spend some time in other cities over the last few days and so I have some fairly fresh points of comparison in mind.
Continue reading Grand Forks Economic Development (or the Chicken and the Egg Problem)
Is Grand Forks Retail Symptomatic of the Future for the US?
The recent announcement of the closure of Sears in Grand Forks brings up one of the tried and true topics for me on the Jarrod Thomas Radio Show (KNOX, 1310 AM Grand Forks): what is happening to the retail landscape in Grand Forks? I am sure this is a topic I will be talking about on the radio tomorrow (special time this week).
Continue reading Is Grand Forks Retail Symptomatic of the Future for the US?