I have problems with many of the economic presumption underlying this account, but that aside, the most depressing line is definitely “perhaps best known as the hometown of American fashion icon Tommy Hilfiger.” Poor reporting.

> On Sep 28, 2017, at 2:11 PM, Steve Hoffman <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> 
> Don't know if folks will be able to access this or 
> whether it's behind Wall St Journal's paywall (I 
> subscribe to it) but there's a big article in 
> today's edition about how our beloved Elmira NY is 
> hurting from decline in brick and mortar sales. 
> see link below. The huge area shopping mall is 
> just one large anchor-store closing away from 
> going out of business.  Sales tax revenue is way 
> down, depriving the city of revenues and forcing 
> cutbacks in municipal services.  And so on ..... 
> As the article describes, with Elmira having lost 
> its manufacturing base, the large shopping mall is 
> one of its major employer, and now those 
> brick-and-mortar retail jobs are disappearing as 
> well. T
> 
> There is no mention in the article of the College 
> or the Twain connection ....
> 
> Btw, during this summer's conference in Elmira, I 
> went to that mall and it was depressing as hell!
> 
> https://www.wsj.com/articles/retail-stores-made-elmira-n-y-an-unlikely-successnow-theyre-gone-1506525802
> 
> Steve Hoffman
> 
> Takoma Park MD