Remembering Liberty Plaza

For those in their early 40s like me, remember when the Liberty Plaza was a destination?

The Hills was the place to go for back to school clothes. The National Record Mart was the place to go for the best and latest music. There were also good restaurants around the plaza and Belmont Avenue was studded with other places -- the KMart was one of them as well.

And if you're a yuppie or a yuppie wannabe, who could forget Jimmy Buffet nights at the Boatyard? I think they were on Wednesdays. That was the one night I stayed away. I guess I am one of those rare animals who can care less for Jimmy Buffet and whose stomach churns at the first chord of one of his songs.

Aw, but I digress. Liberty officials think the new Wal Mart may help bring Belmont Avenue and Liberty back to the days when a trip there was something to look forward to.

I've lived in towns where a Wal Mart has come in and business and traffic does pick up. Wal Mart gets a bad rap about some things, but if you're a business owner, you will suddenly see thousands of more cars and people passing by and you should be ready to take advantage of it.

There will be some headaches for the next couple of weeks, in terms of traffic. But when you're a destination spot, that's the least of your worries.