Whether you are “for” or “against” a Dollar General store coming to Grand Marais have you considered what may have caused them to set their sights on our town?
While we promote Grand Marais as the “Coolest Small Town in America” and Cook County as a mecca for a growing multitude of recreational activities, outside forces no doubt see the opportunity to get their slice of the area’s growing tourist economy pie. Dollar General sees their demographic as lower income people in service type jobs and our fixed income retirees. Corporate retailers in the fast food and lodging industries will likely follow in Dollar General’s wake as the so-called Cook County “brand” continues to reach for national notoriety.
As the volume of tourist visits increases, our capacity to handle that influx has already begun to show stress. In order to keep up we must add amenities and supply the often lower paid employees to provide those services. The local need for workforce housing, food and heating assistance, county social services will continue to rise. Additional tax-supported city and county demands for law enforcement, medical facilities, road maintenance and water/sewer upgrades will also be required.
The zooming helicopter shots of enthralled outdoor gear models skiing, golfing, hiking, biking, fishing, etc. under idyllic weather conditions, while an effective marketing tool, certainly doesn’t depict a realistic image of our area. Where are the mosquitos, black flies, vehicles circling downtown for a parking spot…the true Cook County experience?
The award-winning staff at Cook County Visitors Bureau deserves credit for their tireless efforts promoting Cook County, but are we unknowingly marketing the way out of our quality of life? Do we really want to primarily focus of our local economy on providing and paying for the needs of those who only visit here?
Can anyone envision a McDonald’s type kiosk on the harbor lighthouse?
Imagine the sign: 1,345,622 tourists served …Click!…and counting.
Bob LaMettry
Grand Marais
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