When Rich's Department store closed some years ago, Macy's took over its spot leaving the Macy's building empty. In 2009, when Korean Retailer Mega Mart opens its Ethnic business, it will have been empty for 5 years.
First, the title of the article disturbed me.
"Vacant Macy's at mall will become Asian store". I found it completely insensitive...then I began reading.
The article was brief, cursory, and held no opinion or emotion at all. Yet in its lack of sentiment, I found a certain distaste for the idea. (It could be me, but this is the sensing I got). Curious as to what Gwinnett Residents thought, I glanced at the comments. I should not have gone there. All I saw was racist rants about how immigrants are ruining our country and state. "Welcome to the Third World", one comment said. "Gwinnett is turning into Asiatown" said another comment. "The only people excited about this are foreigners", says another.
Me, while I see some validity in the complaints of Norcross resembling a foreign land where few street signs and store signs are in English, I am overall, appalled by the blatant ignorance being portrayed.
In my opinion, if you don't like Asians opening up so many stores in a concentrated area, then get together with your buddies and open up a few stores yourself. But don't cry and moan that the Asians are doing business when you are not.
Let's take the Asian Farmers Market near Gwinnett Mall for Example. I used to shop at Harry's Farmers Market before it tucked tail and left for a bigger and better suburb. Now all that is left is the Asian Market. Where are the people that could have shopped at Harry's and kept if from going defunct? Where are the people who can take over the Harry's building and give them some competition? I would shop there. Not because the owners of the other farmers market are Asian, however, but because they sell rotten fruit. We need another whole foods type store, but instead of opening one, people are complaining that the Asians own one.
As I read through the comments of most of the people on this article (there were those who called out the racism and bigotry, but were shot down), I can't help but think back to a time when the term "blacks" could have easily replaced the word "Asians" in many of the remarks.
But that's just my opinion.
