Posted on 04/06/2006 11:40:59 AM PDT by JZelle
NANTUCKET, Mass. (AP) -- Nantucket joined several other historic tourist towns across the country in approving a measure that would ban chain stores from the island's downtown, a move endorsed by more than 480 residents at a town meeting.
The rule would bar any new chains with more than 14 outlets that have standardized menus, trademarks, uniforms or other homogeneous decor from opening downtown. The ban would not affect gas stations, grocery stores, banks and other service providers.
"I'm extremely gratified," said independent book seller Wendy Hudson, who proposed the ban. "I guess it feels validating ... people saw the balance and need to protect our character rather than this amendment just being another new regulation."
The measure passed by a unanimous voice vote Tuesday night, but still needs to be approved by the state Attorney General's office.
(Excerpt) Read more at ap.washingtontimes.com ...
Darn, there goes my Slurpee at 7-11
Protectionism. :-)
When they find out they have to provide employee health insurance, they probably won't want to come there anyway!
This is funny. First they make it near impossible for small businesses to have any employees by requiring health insurance on top of minimum wage, then they ban the corporations that can have health plans. Will they have any business at all at the end of the day?
Nope and that's the point.
How validating for them. I'm sure all of the merchants aboard ole Nantucket are terribly, terribly pleased with themselves. Oh Gawd, yes.
Putzes.
Sounds as if Nantucket is a prime location for a number of newly-minted, wholly-owned subsidiaries of several major stores!
More than 14 chains?
Why not reduce it to two?
Seriously. This isn't about protecting small business owners.
Downtown's gonna complain next that the Target or Best Buy or Wal-Mart or Barnes & Noble down the road is "stealing" their customers.
Wonder if anyone in that town orders online from Amazon...
I was thinking of opening a limerick factory there, too. Oh well.
From what I recall, almost all the businesses in that part of Natucket are:
1. little shops/tax losses husbands buy their wifes to keep them from getting bored and gaving sex with the gardner;
2. Fronts for pot selling; or
3. Owned by a couple of gays who like to prey on rich, misunderstood, confused, and impressionable teenages full of teen angst.
No real commerce (except for pot and bodily fluids) goes on.
In other words . . . "No chain stores here, except for chain stores that we patronize regularly."
Looks like the Spring '06 buzzword is "corporatism."
You just signed up so you could try out a new word, right?
Given that Nantucket's a smallish island, I don't think there's any "down the road" to worry about. I've seen a few hip little shopping districts get taken over by chain stores until they're no longer interesting places to go anymore--they're just another mall. And it makes sense that a place like Nantucket, which REALLY relies on it's high "quaint" factor and tourist dollars, would want to prevent having it's downtown become indistinguishable from any other.
Looks like Walmart just got voted off the island.
There is a grocery store downtown. Is it an A&P or a Stop & Shop?
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