Weathering Wal-Mart storm

SPANISH FORK — Janice Orr sells specialty items shoppers could never buy in a big-box retailer — but her sales still suffered when Wal-Mart opened in nearby Springville two years ago.

"There's a perceived idea that Wal-Mart is cheaper," said Orr, who owns Orr's Gift Gallery and Electric on North Main. "It isn't always."

Wal-Mart will open another store in nearby Payson early next year — and many merchants are hopeful the store won't have much effect on their sales.

"I don't think it will hurt us like the Springville store did," Orr said.

And this is what could help even more: specialty stores along Main Street.

Such a presence could help Spanish Fork survive yet another Wal-Mart store opening within minutes of downtown, says Richard Bradford, an economic development consultant who is writing a plan to attract more businesses and jobs to Spanish Fork.

Most specialty stores — art shops, antiques, music, gifts and other specialties — should weather the competition, according to some business owners.

"This is quite a cultural sidewalk we have here," said Lisa Millman-Brown, who owns Millman Legacy Gallery, one of the newest businesses on Main Street. It carries original art and professional art supplies and offers custom framing.

Mike Boothe says he hasn't stepped inside the Springville Wal-Mart as a matter of principle. Boothe, who owns Boothe Brothers Music, wants locally owned firms — not the national chains — to flourish.

Wal-Mart has affected small businesses across the country, he said.

"They've changed the pricing structure," he said. "It's the lowest price wins. The margins have disappeared."

A few stores have closed recently on Main Street. Some closed after Wal-Mart lured away their clientele. Yet the town has one of the lowest vacancy rates in Utah County, with only seven stores out of 130 empty, or 5.4 percent.

"I don't think (Spanish Fork's sales) saw much of a dip when the Springville (Wal-Mart) store opened," said Bradford, the consultant.

However, a general economic downturn hurt sales, just as it affected other Utah County towns with populations in the 20,000-resident range.