This writer now understands Mayor Harding’s continual comments that the economy is doing well here, as he said in the Nisqually Valley News last week:
“Its not just Yelm seeing continued growth in the face of a troubling national economy.
Harding said areas in the county around Yelm are also growing and the city is working to accommodate that growth as well.”
The Olympian reported yesterday:
“The overall taxable retail sales data show: …
Yelm rose 8.39 percent to $37.4 million from $34.5 million
The retail trade data show:
Yelm rose 52.83 percent to $18.6 million from $12.2 million…
Still, there were some bright spots in the first-quarter taxable retail sales data.
Yelm’s retail trade sales soared more than 50 percent. Contributing to that boost were the more than 20 businesses that opened in the city between October and March, finance and administrative services director Tanya Robacker said.”
Omitted from the figures was the fact that between March and now, we have seen the closure of Two Friends Bistro and Arnold’s Country Inn, two of the more prominent sit-down restaurants. Alot of other local businesses are feeling pinched.
No wonder the Mayor says Yelm’s economy is growing — Yelm opened a new Wal-Mart on July 18, 2007, which skewed the numbers in 2008. The Mayor and city should list separate Wal-Mart figures for an accurate comparison.
Instead of looking at biased figures based on a Super Wal-Mart opening to pat ourselves on the back, we should be looking at the overall statistics and trends, as The Olympian reported about our county. Comparing Yelm’s year over year retail numbers with a Wal-Mart added this year is not comparing apples to apples.
Thurston county’s retail sales tumble
“In another sign of the slowing South Sound economy, Thurston County taxable retail sales have fallen for the first time in 13 years, dropping 1.3 percent in the first quarter of 2008 compared with the same period in 2007, new state Department of Revenue data show.
The county’s overall taxable retail sales declined, in part, because of fewer sales of new and used cars, motorcycles, boats and recreational vehicles, the result of higher fuel prices, the data show.
The news comes less than a week after Northwest Multiple Listing Service data showed that Thurston County home sales have fallen more than 20 percent in the first six months of the year compared with the same period in 2007.”
WHAT DO YOU SAY?
REGARDLESS OF BUSINESSES OPENING HERE LAST WINTER, SOME HAVE CLOSED THIS SPRING. SHOULD THE MAYOR & CITY STOP THEIR “SPIN” OF ALICE IN WONDERLAND TYPE OF PROGNOSTICATIONS ABOUT THE LOCAL ECONOMY?
THE SLOWDOWN IS HERE — ASK ANY LOCAL BUSINESS AND REAL ESTATE AGENT.
NEXT EFFECT — THE SLOWDOWN TRICKLES DOWN TO YELM, EVEN WITH A BOOST FROM A NEW STARBUCKS AND KFC…
PUT ON YOUR THINKING CAPS. THINK ABOUT IT…
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