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SmartSherbet t1_j8ugjkv wrote

Reply to comment by legalpretzel in Why don't Worcester college students stay after graduation? by ocvictor

The lack of retail in Worcester is truly astounding. There are 200,000 people here and literally zero stores where I, a pretty normal sized person, can buy well made clothes that fit me right and look decent. There are also no places where I can buy camping gear, quality kitchen tools, or lots of other things. We have way too many barber shops and smoke shops, and not enough basic retail where stores sell the things people need to buy.

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AceOfTheSwords t1_j92hnjz wrote

Not really seeing the lack of clothing stores. There's a Marshalls, a Kohl's, a Burlington Coat Factory, a Gap Factory Store, and a T.J. Maxx, all in Worcester. All we're really missing is a J.C. Penney and a Macy's, and the latter mainly isn't here because there's one just up the road in Auburn.

Admittedly most of my kitchen stuff is from the Worcester Target and is cheap. HomeGoods might have some nicer things but it's hit or miss. For what it's worth since Sears died I haven't really known a brick and mortar store that was great at kitchen supplies anywhere.

And the Dick's Sporting Goods was basically the only place for camping stuff and that closed down, yeah.

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SmartSherbet t1_j93lxaq wrote

Haha, your list is exactly why I specified well made clothing. Those places all sell junk that wears out after one season at best.

Lots of similar sized cities to Worcester have kitchen stores, whether chains like Williams Sonoma or better yet, independent shops that carry similar products. I really wish Worcester had one of those, an REI or similar, and a couple clothing shops that sell higher quality items than the kohls, tj maxx, and millbury outlet stores do.

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AceOfTheSwords t1_j93v5eq wrote

Hah, maybe I just live a more sedentary life than you, then. That said, if that's a failure on Worcester's part it's also a failure shared by most American cities or towns. Higher end clothing stores than that tend to be limited to actual metropolitan areas and some wealthier suburbs.There are independent clothing shops in Worcester but they tend to cater to suits specifically.

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