This is not exactly in my neighborhood. In fact it's just over a far hill.
Call it a Sisters city.
And Bi-Mart is not what I'd call a big-box store...just a neighborhood business...that is employee-owned.
Well, some folks said it would never happen (and some Sisters purists wish it never had), but the town's first discount retailer opened its doors today. And judging by the hefty crowds at the new Bi-Mart, plenty of folks in Central Oregon couldn't wait to see this new addition for themselves.
Even before Ray's Food Place moved into its new location next-door last November, speculation ran rampant about what would happen to the former Ray's mammoth storefront. Soon, Eugene-based Bi-Mart was mentioned as the front-running candidate. Many locals had a hard time believing that was possible.
Certainly, the regional big-box discount retailer -- which boasts everything from a pharmacy, photo/sound department, housewares, sporting goods, automotive parts, hardware, health and beauty products, toys, clothing, furniture and shoes to beer, wine and food -- is a dramatic departure from the norm for our fair town (for one, shoppers are required to "join" via a $5 lifetime membership).
Sisters is most known as a quaint frontier-themed tourist town, dotted with locally stocked art galleries, antiques shops and upscale clothing boutiques. Here, the installation of the town's first fast-food restaurant was a hotly debated controversy for a good long while. Not surprisingly, some residents weren't too keen on the arrival of Bi-Mart.
But those budget-minded folks who live here year-round who've had to drive 30 miles to Bend or 20 miles to Redmond to find competitively priced household goods (many of which weren't available in Sisters at any price) finally have a local alternative, which is a good thing. So is the repurposing of an abandoned 20,000-square-foot storefront that anchors a once-vital shopping center and the creation of some much-needed jobs.
So, welcome Bi-Mart. Let the bargain-hunting begin.
Below are a few photos from today's opening:
About the Author:
Lisa Broadwater is a Central Oregon-based real estate professional who specializes in listing and selling homes, especially in Sisters, Tumalo, Redmond and Bend. If you'd like to learn more about real estate in Sisters or Central Oregon, please visit www.CentralOregonHome4You.com.
***********************
Jim Hale
Principal Broker / Owner
Graduate, REALTOR Institute e-PRO
2012 Member, Million Dollar Club of Lane County
2012 Member, Real Estate Brokers Million Dollar Club
actionagents.net
1715 Linnea Avenue
Eugene, OR 97401-1962
Office: 541-484-0219
Direct: 541-543-9991
Fax: 541-485-8068
Eugene Oregon Homes / Real Estate jim@actionagents.net
All statistical market data is based on information from the RMLS of Oregon for the dates indicated.
© 2012 All Rights Reserved / Licensed in the State of OREGON
Jim - That's a whole lot of stuff on those shelves for that little town:-) The citizens will either love it or hate it. I must say I groan and moan about Walmart, and some of the other big box stores, and their impact on smaller business in the area.
However, awhile back, I wanted to buy a particular kind of dutch oven. I went to a local hardware store known to carry a lot of cast iron products. The dutch oven would have cost $59.99 there. I ended up not purchasing it. Later in the week, I walked into Walmart for something different, and on a lark checked to see if they had a dutch oven for sale. Lo and behold, they had the very same brand, model and size, for just $32.95. I bought it feeling a tad guilty about the little local hardware store. . .but it was either purchase at Walmart, or do without.
Sisters is a great little City....but already a bit of a touristy place. The tourists will still shop Sisters "downtown". The locals will enjoy having a better place to by their stuff. No Walmart prices. Not Walmart size. But not Walmart wages either.
I don't think of Bi-mart as a big-box store. It is employee-owned.
And in this case, they are just moving into a building space abandoned by a regional grocer who moved to a bigger store just down the street.
But I have a bias:
I paid my fee to join Bi-Mart when I was 18.
It was started and still operates just in the Northwest.
It is headquartered here in Eugene.
My son is one of their IT employees.
Employee owned! Now that's a wonderful concept! I worked for a software development company that started off being employee owned, and then went public. It was all down hill after that:-)
Bi-Mart went employee-owned after being in business maybe 40 years.
Interesting concept-wonder when they will open here? Looking at your photos makes me want to go shopping! :)
Cathy:
You are too far South for their "Northwest grown, Northwest's own" marketing concept. Or is that:
"Northwest grown, Employee-owned"?