Big Box Stores - Case Studies and Examples

"About that Spirit Halloween Store You Always See Around This Time of Year..."

It’s back. But why?

"How Much Is Your Local Target Worth?"

A Strong Towns member did the math on the tax value per acre of his local Target in Fergus Falls, Minnesota.  The numbers and visuals tell a powerful story about what a bad investment big box stores are for our cities.

"The Talisman of Colerain"

This photo essay of Colerain, Ohio, shows that, while we may say we value history or community or prosperity in our towns, the space we devote to things like big box stores, points in a very different direction.

"The McAllen Main Library: A Model for Big Box Retrofit or Not?"

In McAllen, Texas, an old Walmart was turned into a public library. Is this a helpful model that other communities can follow when their big box stores empty out? It's certainly not one we should be counting on. Read this article to learn why.

"The Numbers Don't Lie"

A side-by-side comparison shows the tax value per acre of big box stores compared with more compact traditional developments in Kansas City, Kansas.

"Trader Joe's: Worth the Hype?"

Trader Joe's stores apply a different model than the typical big box grocery. This article explores the impact, and the writer even praises Trader Joe's tight parking lots in this related post.

"Main Street vs. Big Box Stores: A Western North Carolina Analysis"

Property taxes represent the largest source of revenue for most local governments, and data shows that even unglamorous downtown areas offer more value as taxable properties than big box stores.

"The Walmart Index: Results of our Big Box Data Collection Are In"

Back in 2016, Strong Towns invited its readers to research the tax value per acre of big box stores in their communities and compare them to the value of downtown buildings. The results are a telling lesson in why big box is almost always a bad investment.