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11:33:00 AM EST
Hearing Opus 1 -- Billy Joel
Thinking Inside the Box
What to do with an abandoned Wal-Mart, K-Mart or other "box box" building after the former resident has up and left? This site shows some creative uses for these building, as communities revitalize failed commercial eyesores and turn them into churches, schools and even a museum commemorating Spam (the lunch meat, not the e-mail plague).
This is interesting, partly because I've seen it in action: Over in Greenville, the county seat around these here parts, a former supermarket was taken over by the local community college, which uses it to conduct classes in a place more convenient for many of its far-flung students. That's smart use, and a far better thing than simple letting the building stand abandoned.
Has a "big box" been converted into something besides a store where you live?
Written by johnmscalzi Blog about this entry |
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This site should be sent to the officals in Chicago and then maybe the crackheads can stop using these buildings in my hood!!
Amy
http://journals.aol.com/visionarydiva1/ABookClubforJLanders / -
Where I live a lot of the K-Marts have been taken over by Big Lots. One of our Wal-Marts has been turned into an upscale Flea Market that is only open on certain days. I haven't been there yet but intend to go because of all the high recommendations I am getting from friends. Another K-Mart still sits empty but car delearships utilize the grounds from time to time offering special deals on their used cars. Some of our other buildings have been taken over by HRS and this seems to be the trend here. Lately though, when a chain wants a corner where a restaurant is, they buy them out, tear down this perfectly good building and put up their own. Must be a throw-away-world mentality now.
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Where I used to live, they had converted a "big box" into a church, complete with community outreach center and preschool. That was in a suburban city. We now live in the boonies, about 20 minutes outside a small town which is growing like crazy. Our Safeway was recently relocated to a brand new store in a brand new shopping center. In their old building, rumor is that they are going to turn it into a 24 Hour Fitness. The young people in the community are all for that, for all it's trendiness and such, but those of us who try to give the majority of our business to our local "mom-n-pop" businesses are wondering what will happen to the small family-run fitness club in town. I personally would like to see the building used for something more viable...like expanding our local community health center, which has outgrown it's current location and could sure use the space, since it has a waiting list a mile long!!! tam
3/24/05 7:41 PM
~Julie~
http://journals.aol.com/jools