Title: Store Wars: When Wal-Mart Comes to Town
Director: Micha Peled
Release Date: 2002
Run Time: 56 mins.
“Wal-Mart opens a new megastore every two business days and has expanded on average into one new country every year. A truly global company, Wal-Mart has redefined the shopping experience for the American consumer. Every day a new megastore opens somewhere in America. But in Ashland, Virginia (population 7,200), a group of citizens takes on the world's largest retailer along with the town's establishment. STORE WARS follows the controversy that tears the town apart, examining in the process the impact of big-box stores on small town America. STORE WARS follows the events in Ashland from the first public hearing that galvanizes residents' opposition until the town council takes a final vote one year later. Arguments for the store include increased tax revenues, low prices for shoppers and new jobs. Those adamantly opposed, including local business owners and transplants who came to Ashland for its quality of life, feel the store will destroy the small-town atmosphere, increase traffic and provide only low-end minimum-wage jobs. Hot debates ensue in churches, on sidewalks and in the local coffee shop.”
Screening Date: June 11th, 2008
Where: Downtown Latte, 44 S. St. Clair St. Toledo
Time: 6 -8 pm
