News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Former mayor Steve Wilson was the first customer through the door.
They started lining up more than an hour before the doors opened at 9 a.m. on Wednesday.
It was a day eagerly anticipated by many Sisters Country residents: Bi-Mart was opening a new store at the former location of Ray's Food Place in the Three Wind Shopping Center.
At the head of the line was ex-mayor Steve Wilson.
"I got here at 10 minutes to 7," he said. "Why? I'm not going to be aced out in the ammo department again."
About half of the people in the front of the line were there for the same thing. Ammunition has been extremely scarce since last fall, and many were hopeful that the new Bi-Mart would allow them to replenish their low stock. They would not be disappointed.
Others were excited to have a broad range of products not readily available in Sisters.
"We may never go to Wal-Mart again," said one young customer. "They have everything!"
"It'll be nice not to have to go to Redmond," said Raelene Sweatt. "I also think it's going to be great for the community - more business, more opportunity, employment for the locals."
Meanwhile, inside the store, Bi-Mart executives were giving a pep talk to dozens of blue-smocked employees.
"This is going to be a great store," said Bi-Mart President John Harris. "When you're in the building you're part of the family. That's just the way we operate."
After a brief ribbon cutting ceremony, customers streamed into the store, scooping up everything from ammunition to paper towels to chairs. New cashiers struggled to keep up with the stream of customers.
Patty Vandiver, president of the Sisters Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, watched the proceedings with a sense of satisfaction.
"This is what we've been looking for as far as bringing family wage jobs in," she said.
Once the initial rush settles down, Harris says the store will employ about 45 people, all with benefits.
Vandiver sees the store as a boon to the community.
"They're going to stop people just shooting through town," she said.
Vandiver also noted that without a store on the scale of Bi-Mart, the former Ray's site would likely have sat empty, with a barren parking lot and no traffic for the other businesses in the shopping center.
She acknowledged that some longtime local businesses will now be competing with a big rival with much deeper pockets than they have.
"It's a valid concern," Vandiver said. "However, I think our downtown will benefit from these people. It remains to be seen how we'll be affected, but I think the whole town will benefit from Bi-Mart being here."
Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.
Reader Comments(0)