A new store, Hobby Lobby, has recently opened in the Berlin Mall. I believe it poses a significant threat to at least three stores that have served the area well with similar products for many years.
Unfortunately, tax relief in various forms continues to support the Berlin Mall and the “town center” concept in ways that seem to me to be a classic case of capitalism gone bad. The state is supporting “big money” but the price that will probably be paid is the loss of existing local stores. And, meanwhile, Berlin’s other shopping area on the Barre-Montpelier Road continues to wither and is desperate for significant infrastructure improvements.
The other important information about Hobby Lobby is its stance on “family values.” Its definition, however, is not shared by myself and many, many other Vermonters. To them, it means no employee insurance benefits that include birth control (and they took this to federal court). They also continue to maintain a highly visible public stance against all things LGBQT, including punishing a trans employee who wanted to use the women’s bathroom. At the height of the pandemic, the company refused to comply with masking in its stores, endangering both employees and customers.
When I think of my friends and family who are LGBQT or who suffered Covid infections, I know they would want me to find other shopping options. The company’s positions on these issues are absolutely despicable.
I would also remind would-be shoppers that Hobby Lobby’s corporate executives knowingly and illegally imported stolen and looted artifacts from Iraq and Egypt to display in their version of a corporate museum, supposedly dedicated to Christianity; they were found guilty of these crimes and in the end were forced to repatriate the artifacts. I find their version of Christianity to be unrecognizable.
Do a bit of research and ask yourself if this is a place you want to prosper by spending your money. It is not a company that I can support in any way, and I have no intention of ever shopping there. I urge those who want the kind of goods they offer to look elsewhere, including on the Barre-Montpelier Road and in Montpelier, or to find some other less odious option.
John Snell
Montpelier
