Sayonara, Chiefs

[pats39]

say what you will about Johnstown, have been away for a few years as well, but still a great place to grow up/raise a family.

[The Ancient Enemy]

Its not so much groceries as it is "access" and "availability". You have neither in Johnstown.

Pats, I disagree. I think Johnstown was a wonderful place for my generation to grow up and all the generations prior. You had options then. If Hills didn't have it, Gee Bee might. If they don't, try Kmart. If not Kmart, try Value City or maybe even Woolworth's. None of those places exist. There is now ONE store where you have to hope they have what you need. And getting in and out of that one store is a complete and total nightmare. There's no options anymore. If you really want to teach high school for 18k a year, I guess more power to you, but is that really setting the bar high enough as a school or as a job hunter? When you advertise a job for 10 dollars an hour, guess what??? You get applicants who want to make 10 dollars an hour. Do you see what I am saying?

There's no money there. At all. If there was, people would spend it. If they spent it, more stores and more jobs would exist. There is a 7-bedroom newly furnished house in Cambria City (a former rectory) selling for 18.5. That's not a great deal, that's very sad and shows you what the property is worth.

Guys, we could not even lure Target into the city, and they knew Wal Mart was making money hand over fist in that market, where they were the only game in town. What does that tell you?

[Dirt Winston]

I'm not going to go back and forth with you since you're clearly mis-informed. Boscovs, Bon-ton, JCPenney, Sears, Giant Eagle, Rite-Aid, Dollar General, Big Lots, Bi-Lo, Eckard, Family Dollar, Ideal Market, Aldi, etc... there are a lot of choices other than Wal-Mart. And K-Mart, Valu-City, and Circut City closed because the companies went broke, not because the stores here were struggling.

And I'm sorry that the only job offer you received was from a parochial school, but most public schools pay double that for starting teachers.

I'm with you on the Pappy's Pizza though, probably second best next to Capri.

[The Ancient Enemy]

Sorry, that 18K was definitely at a public school in Johnstown.

Dollar General, Big Lots, Family Dollar, Ideal Market, Aldi. What do all these stores have in common? They sell things DIRT CHEAP. Why would a dollar store thrive in Johnstown, PA, Dirt? Is it because people dont have any income?

Really, you included Eckard and Rite Aid as places to shop?

The difference between Johnstown and better places is that they have all those stores you mentioned as well as the other stores. There are NOT 10 department stores in Johnstown. There is ONE, and its on the hill in Richland and is called Wal-Mart.

Listen: In a city where ONE store dominates everything... you still could not lure Kohl's or Target. How bad is it that those store won't move into an area with ONE COMPETITOR????

The rent in the Galleria is $5,000 a month. That is ABSURD for a store to pay that price. Is there a coorelation between Zamias' insane rent and an empty Galleria mall? In comparison... for a new vendor to rent a space in the old Value City, the rent is $325 a month. Does the Galleria really still have the customer base to be able to tell a new store they owe 5K a month?

Boscov's... How many dang times have we heard about Boscov's possibly going out of business?

Bon Ton... How this company even stays in business is beyond me. No one is ever in there, the prices are high, and the clothes aren't even that great.

What happened to all these Macy's rumors? The same thing that happened to the ones for Target and for Kohl's.

Here's an idea for a downtown revitalization. How about you knock down some of these gosh darn mills that will NEVER operate again, and offer Target free rent for 3 years? 5 years? Many shops will pop up around the Target, because ppl in Johnstown can afford to shop at Target, which is comparable to Wal-Mart only much higher quality.

I dont have all the answers. But I definitely know that city council sure as hell doesnt either. And now with Murtha dead... Good luck. There comes a time in any situation where loyalty is an issue, that loyalty becomes downright foolish. That's the point everyone has gotten to, and moved away.

[pats39]

everyone sounds like a bit of an exaggeration, and you sound like a bitter man. Don't hate, appreciate.

[raidernation]

keep preaching it tae

[The Ancient Enemy]

I am extremely bitter. I care about the area. I am VERY bitter that every city council member since 1985 has done jack**** except sit on their hands while those jobs flew away. Don't blame the mills for moving, blame the city who waved goodbye and were totally fine with it.

[El-Moldo]

With Murtha around, why didn't we have more Army/Navy Stores?

[Dirt Winston]

Let me summarize your argument - Johnstown sucks because we don't have a Kohls or a Target. Are you a 58-year old woman by any chance?

[The Ancient Enemy]

Not even close.

It's not about Target, it's about options.

There's no jobs. No jobs means no money and no people. No money and no people means no new businesses can exist.