"The Talk of Maine" piece on size caps imposed on retail stores instituted by th

Jeff Clark

Source

Down East

Date

8-1-2006

Pages

19-25

Abstract

"The Talk of Maine" piece on size caps imposed on retail stores instituted by the towns of Damariscotta and Newcastle. The restrictions helped spark a loose coalition in midcoast Maine called Our Town, organized by Eleanor Kinney and Jenny Mayher of Bremen and devoted to preemptively barring so-called big-box stores like Wal-Mart. Studies show that big-box stores damage area businesses, reduce local employment, and often create new burdens on local services. Local businesses return 53 percent of their revenue to the local area, while Wal-Mart returns 14 percent. Only in Maine have all the towns in an entire region banded together to oppose Wal-Mart, and the involvement of the business community was unusual and pivotal.

Subjects

Wal-Mart Stores Inc, Damariscotta, Newcastle, Economic conditions

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