Editorial: Do we need another pizza place or liquor store in Morinville?

SimCity is a fun game that’s been around for a long time. You get to be the mayor of a community that consists of a road and a couple of houses.

As your community hits population markers, you are permitted to build a variety of businesses – usually, a hardware store to start, working up to theatres and casinos and other places for your Sims to spend money.

The real world is not SimCity.

In the real world commercial land is zoned for a variety of business types and uses. So for example, if a zone has among its permitted uses pizza joints – you could conceivably have several of them in a row. Same applies to liquor stores, nail shops, hair salons or gas stations.

The decision on what types of businesses open rest solely with entrepreneurs willing to take the often huge financial risks to go into business.

Entrepreneurs open the types of businesses they believe will give them a return on investment. They open shops where they think they can offer a better price, better product, or better service.

They are not swayed by naysayers commenting, “We don’t need another pizza place, nail salon, gas station, etc.”

It would be wonderful to wake up with every big store and national franchise we all have on our wishlists, but the reality is that entrepreneurs are not going to invest their money on a sock store on the basis and hope that the occasional customer will trickle in to buy one pair of black socks for a wedding.

That won’t cover the expenses, and the expenses of running a business are large.

Businesses need customers

Businesses need constant and steady traffic of people willing to exchange their cash for products and services.

Without it shopkeepers sit twiddling their thumbs on a Saturday afternoon, while we’re all shopping in St. Albert or Edmonton

And let’s not even mention the fact that UPS, Purolator and Canada Post trucks regularly flow in and out of town with the stuff we buy on Amazon – further reducing potential customers for local businesses.

Without sales – businesses go bust.

Variety isn’t cheap

So why so many pizza shops, liquor stores, nail salons and gas stations?

Everyone has fingernails – a good chunk of the population have them manicured. Most of us have cars and trucks, and they need regular feeding. So do our families, many of whom apparently like pizza. The number of liquor stores tells us our alcohol consumption is sufficient to keep the liquor flowing and the businesses going.

There is enough business in a community – many communities – for multiple versions of these businesses to survive.

A pizza shop here can draw from 4,000 households, more if you add in the surrounding area.

A clothing shop gets only those attracted to the gender, age group or style to whom the store caters. Likewise, a bookstore, toy store, hobby store, or any other speciality store.

But variety would be nice, and MorinvilleNews.com would also welcome more businesses in town.

Here are a few suggestions for would be entrepreneurs looking to bring value and variety to Morinville and area.

Press’d the Sandwich Company will set you back an investment of $300,000 to $400,000.

Edo Japan is an investment of $300,000 to $500,000.

Boston Pizza will cost you $1 million to $3 million, and you need capital of $550,000 to $850,000.

If you wanted more conventional retail, an M&M Food Market would set you back $300,000 to $500,000 to start up.

Any takers?

If anyone is interested in opening one of the above businesses, please contact us, and we’d be happy to do a story on your business start-up.

Until then, please shop local when you can and support the businesses that have taken the risk.

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39 Comments

    • Ya I read it. I don’t like pizza to be completely honest and even though I don’t really go to the liquor store all that often, there is 5 (I believe) in town which to me seems like a lot for the size of town. But People got to work and make a living and have dreams and so I get it. Just my thought on it.

  1. To answer the question; Need? No. Want? Yes. Some pizzas are better than others, so we try them all and settle on our taste buds. Do not turn away business in town from opening. This is how our taxes will not keep rising. The bigger the commercial base, the lower the household tax base. Welcome new businesses and let the pizzas fall where they may. Just a reminder: this is a bedroom community where people work elsewhere. It is a grand little town with nice people. Support the local businesses that are here and check out new businesses when they open. We have good pizzas, excellent hair stylists, good Asian cuisine and numerous other small-town opportunities. Keep Morinville quaint.

  2. I personally don’t think we need anymore of those …. I do love pizza , my kids don’t and I do like my wine but it would be nice to see a better variety of food places such as a sandwich place or something that offers healthier choices so that we don’t all end up obese drunks lol … jk . But something different other than pizza would be great !

  3. Well i love morinville pizza. Its not cardboard tasting like dominos or panago. And not expensive like pizza hut. Great people great taste. Gas stations….. We do not need anymore. Liquor stores…..nope.

  4. Awesome article! ❤️ Would love to be an entrepreneur myself. And we do not need any more pizza or liquor stores. I’m diabetic and can’t consume either.

  5. The service we really need here was removed . The Alberta Works employment center that helps struggling people is what we really need ! We had this when we were merely a town , but we are a city now & have mostly fast foods & Booze ! So thank goodness for the skatepark & Spray park , we need more tor kids , & I think the Swimming Pool would be great !

  6. Yes we need more businesses in Morinville don’t care how many other pizza joints there are it’s by ones choice in where they spend their money it employes people and helps the tax base

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