Politics & Government
A Dollar Tree Store in Moraga Would be Welcomed – By Some
The electronic switchboard that is Lamorinda Patch lit up like a Christmas tree in August as people weigh in on the issue of a Dollar Tree store setting up shop downtown. Here's the lowdown, right from the street.
Folks at the Rheem Valley Shopping center had a lot to say about the prospects of a new Dollar Tree store opening in the up-and-down retail center. Although most people were reluctant to give their names and few were brave enough for the camera (thank you to those courageous souls), everyone had an opinion.
"It's better than nothing," said Gretchen of Lafayette. "Just to have a dollar store would be great," agreed her daughter, Holland, 10, and ready to shop.
Their point is made with a quick stroll along the center's storefronts, many bearing "For Lease" signs. Empty stores are no boon to the tax base and these two were supportive of any action at the center.
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"It's hard to imagine it in Moraga because it's an affluent community," said Itzik Goldberg, while taking a break at Starbucks. "I'm surprised … although I'm sure they did their homework to make sure it would work."
Joy, working at a nearby restaurant, stopped just long enough to share her thoughts: "Anything coming into the town would benefit the town." Asked whether she'd shop at the store, she said, "I might."
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David Hornyak, declining a photo but making it crystal clear he wanted his words quoted accurately, entirely, or not at all, said "A Dollar store?! Now I've seen and heard it all. That'll show the tidal wave has hit. This breaks the myth when the Obama Administration says everything's A-OK."
Hornyak, a resident of Moraga since 1976, said he's seen the area change from a remote rural community to one with million dollar homes to this, a place with a potential dollar store. He was still shaking his head as he walked away.
Kristen of Orinda didn't offer an opinion as much as a position. "I've heard this is a big story," she said, explaining that she lived "over the hill" and wasn't really involved. "People are not really liking it, I hear."
But Daniel Warner, 10, having lunch with his sister and his mother, differed. "It would be convenient to have a store where it's cheap," he said. Celeste, his mom, said she goes to the Concord store twice a year, for small birthday items and for donation gifts at the end of the year. Still, she says, "My concern would be that it's not in keeping with the upscale nature of the neighborhood."
Jake Kisner of Lafayette paused long enough for a picture, then climbed into his truck, saying, "I think it'd be good. Because it's cheap."
