More Bad Local News - A&K Going Out of Business

The Herald Bulletin published A&K falls into foreclosure; property to be auctioned off Friday:

"The A&K Wholesale store and its properties are up for auction Friday, part of a list of 115 properties in the sheriff’s sale.

According to the official listing of businesses up for auction, A&K’s store at 2530 Broadway, and another property at 3841 N. Indiana 9, are both selling at a minimum bid of $633,687.09.

Terry Ancil owns the A&K Wholesale store and said the business will close its doors for the last time on Jan. 31.

While a typical sheriff’s sale listing for the month includes homes across the county that have fallen into foreclosure, this month’s listing also includes a second business foreclosure.

Two properties listed as Gardner Floor Care Inc. owned by Rick Gardner are also up for auction, with a minimum bid of $163,165.81.

All four of the properties up for auction, according to the owners, are the victims of a failed economy."

I do not know about Gardner Floor Care but I have to wonder if A & K is a victim of a failed economy Or maybe we need to take a different slant on the meaning if economy. I remember when A & K was a private club shop. Then it seemed to moved back and forth from one location to another. Then I heard nothing and saw nothing about the store. The last time I remember being in the store, I bought Graham Parker's Squeezing Out the Sparks as a new LP. Yes, that long ago.

Since then we have Wal-Mart and Meijers open, lost two K-Marts, and have seen Mounds Mall change hands. What commerce remains on the northside of Anderson is our lone K-Mart, a Wendy's, a McDonalds, Captain D's, and an Arby's. Good's Donuts has an outpost there, too. Some small shops. The wasteland that was our Ford dealership is there, too.

Let us face facts. The commercial center of Anderson runs from the Mall south on Scatterfield to south of I-69. Survival anywhere else means extra effort in marketing or capturing those coming into Anderson from the north before they can get south of White River.

Improving the marketing skills of our northside business might be a goal of the City. (And while they are at that, they should include the westside businesses, too). More importantly, we need to take a look at zoning and land use.