The Frederick News-Post Online – Frederick County Maryland Daily Newspaper
“There has been a renaissance in Brunswick over the last few years,” said Amy Quillen, a Brunswick resident and an industrial engineer for the Department of Navy in Washington.
People have taken older homes and refurbished them for exorbitant amounts of cash, she said.
“We are seeing a gradual emergence into an artsy town,” Quillen said. “A Goodwill store would not reinforce that image.”
“We have a vision for Brunswick and have built up downtown,” said Catherine Tynan, who owns Phoebe’s Travel Trunk at 6 W. Potomac St. and is president of the board of directors for the Brunswick Railroad Museum.
“We want to change the image, have an eclectic mix of businesses and bring a certain demographic into Brunswick,” Tynan said.
Tynan says Goodwill is an excellent program but she prefers a Goodwill donation drop-off location and training center for Brunswick. Tynan, an information technology trainer for the Department of Commerce, has offered to volunteer her training expertise.
“I think we’re an awfully small town to try and host one of their mega-retail stores,” she said. “I can’t imagine where they’d find the square footage they need or the parking.”
It’s not your concern about where they will find parking or space. Still running scared are we? I say bring them in. If they really are going to buy a place in downtown even better..i’ll be able to WALK there and save the highly expensive fuel even more. This is a huge boon to Brunswick and just because it doesn’t fit the mold of the vision of a few doesn’t mean it’s a bad thing. I know my family will be looking there for things many times due to the reduced costs AND be sending stuff there way to boot. A goodwill is not the sign of a depressed or blighted community. Take a look at my earlier post for how easily that argument is shot down. Mayor Jones steps forward with a great quote, “”Anyone can start a business. Prospective owners prepare surveys, and if viable, they open. Government has no role in legalizing entrepreneurship,” Jones said. One final thing, 6000 square feet is not a mega store..it’s only three times the size of my house..that’s not a mega store. They are looking to BUY and EXISTING property not build a new building. Main street says they want to get more business to downtown..I can’t think of a better thing to jumpstart Brunswick nacent used clothes market than a Goodwill. This means anyone else needs to distinguish themselves from Goodwill(there are higher-end used clothes available) instead of fearmongering take advantage of the opportunity.