Letter to the editor
letters
to the editor
What happened?
To the Editor:
What is happening to the "best place I've seen" — Marion? There have been four natural stone buildings (dated in the 1800s) demolished, leaving vacant lots. That's bad.
When I was a young girl living with my parents southwest of Marion, every Saturday we would do our chores early so we could get to town to get a good place to park our car on Main Street.
We would buy our groceries early and shop in the stores, then spend the rest of the evening visiting with relatives and friends.
Now we have no trouble parking on Main Street at anytime.
After having our hardware store 25 years, we never thought in time there wouldn't be a hardware store left on Main Street, no grocery stores, or gas stations and many other stores.
To my knowledge, a number of businesses that were in Marion at different times are gone.
Would you believe there had been 12 grocery stores, now there is one; 14 restaurants, now five; eight ready-to-wear stores, now none; five stores that sold shoes, now none.
Four drug stores, one left. Six barbershops, two left. Four banks, three left. Four lumberyards, none. Five hardware stores, one left. Three bowling alleys, one left.
Two recreation centers for kids, none left. Four car agents, one left. Ten gas stations, three left. Three gift stores, one left. Two hospitals, one left.
Many more businesses and industries too numerous to list have come and gone over the years.
Our #1 priority should be to fill the many empty stores on Main Street and patronize the businesses we have left.
Hopefully our leadership in Marion will again make Marion "the best place I've seen." I love our town and I know we can do great things if we ALL work together.
Sadie Bernhardt
Marion
