Published: October 12, 2006 02:32 pm            

Kohl’s hopefully only the beginning of a boom

Hopefully the announcement that Kohl’s department store plans to build in Effingham will be the first of many to come.

Although everything is not yet signed, sealed and delivered, the landing of Kohl’s is sure to entice other large retailers to give Effingham a serious look.

Although the existing retail establishments are appreciated, shoppers want variety and numerous choices. That is why so many area residents shop in larger towns.

Most residents prefer to spend most of their money closer to home, where some of those dollars spent come back to make life here a little better. That doesn’t mean local shoppers will stop making trips to Champaign, Terre Haute and St. Louis, but it does mean a good portion of the millions of local dollars being spent in larger cities will stay right here in our community. And as the shopping districts grow, fewer and fewer trips will be made to larger cities.

Area residents have been screaming for the city to develop more shopping with large retailers (the smaller ones will follow) within Effingham, and finally, a step in that direction has been made.

It’s not easy to secure the large retailers who demand a specific return on their investment, especially for a town the size of Effingham. But this city is unique for its size — it draws people from a large outside circumference and is able to support more retail and service businesses than developers first suspect. Being at the crossroads of two major interstates also helps.

Kudos to all involved in securing Kohl’s — city officials, local developers and anyone else who had a hand in the wheeling and dealing.

We hope the prize of all that hard work will be an incentive to keep throwing out lines for additional retail fish.

Once the store — and any others that can be secured — opens next year, it will be up to the residents to do their part. Show the retailers Effingham officials were right — there is money to be made right here in this small town.