he original store built in the 1880s, Stone’s Building Center on Bridge Street, was the first in the city to benefit from electricity when generators first sparked central Wisconsin. Stone’s family, starting with his great-grandfather, has been working with lumber in the current building since 1926.All in the name of progress, no doubt.
At the end of this month, though, Stone will lock the doors of the Stone’s Building Center and close the business forever, his last 2-by-4 sold, final plumbing advice dispatched.
“There’s a very sad side to this,” Stone said. “It’s just, regretfully, the end of an era.”
Stone said the collapse of the housing industry and general economic doldrums led him to decide earlier this year to shut down the business. Now, if the city doesn’t take action to move and preserve the historic building, a CVS pharmacy interested in the property could tear down the landmark and begin selling toothpaste and aspirins from a new store on the property.
Who needs a building or a family supporting jobs when you can have can have a big box store and a crappy part-time, McJob, right?
Posts
You'll save big money, you'll save big money, when you shop....
ReplyDelete....And give big tax breaks!!!
It's still working!
ReplyDeleteCHIPPEWA FALLS – Plastics manufacturer Pactiv announced Tuesday it will be closing its Chippewa Falls plant sometime in January.
The plant, located at 1500 W. River Street, has 170 employees. City records show the plant is valued at $2.95 million, with another $415,000 in personal property. The company pays about $75,000 annually in property taxes.
Big companies have no ties to communities.
DeleteJust look at Royal Tire.
The powers at the top of the food chain don't care about you.
Stone Building Center, longtime serving the local building industry. No more.
ReplyDeleteThe collapse of the housing industry is what happened due to Alan Greenspan's policies, leading to a financial meltdown.
The general economic doldrums now and for the last several years is not being helped by Scott Walker's job creation schemes. They obviously didn't help Stone.
Probably not big campaign contributers, either.
Meanwhile, according to the S&P/Case Shiller index of values in 20 large metropolitan areas, the median home price has increased 3.6% over July of 2011.
ReplyDeleteThat's good news, right? Not if you live in Wisconsin. According to the Department of Revenue, the median home value in Cheeseland has actually dropped 4% over the same time period.
It's just more of that Walker magic we've all come to expect. Tax cuts for the rich and austerity for the rest of us does it every time.
Gareth- And combine that drop in home values with Walker/WisGOP defunding schools and cutting state shared revenue. What does it mean? A MAJOR INCREASE IN PROPERTY TAX RATES.
ReplyDeleteSo either your home value has tanked, or your property taxes will be going up, way up. And you got NOTHING in return for it. Don't you love Fitzwalkerstan?