To the editor:

Much has been written lately about our drop in sales tax and about the Wal-Mart that is going to be shoved down our throats.

I’ll bet if research was done, it would be clear that much of our retail sales are being lost to the Legends in Wyandotte County. It’s not far, and many of our out-of-town shoppers are probably going there instead. So our answer to that is to build another Wal-Mart? I’m real sure this is going to tear shoppers away from the Legends. People will drive from miles around for a unique shopping experience.

We need to lower the property taxes on buildings downtown, and even (I can’t believe I’m saying this) get more corporate stores to come in, but still encourage a mix of unique locally owned stores. Then advertise the shopping experience of downtown Lawrence in the surrounding cities. More events like the Film Noir series will help.

Also, has anyone considered opening a children’s center where people can leave their children with caregivers while they shop? There are better ways to increase our retail sales than building a duplicate of a store that already exists.

Even a Costco or a Lowe’s would be better than Wal-Mart.

Dorothy Hoyt-Reed,

Lawrence