There is life after Wal-Mart, according to some business people at Skyline Shopping Center.

The mall is in the midst of changes that could either benefit or hurt business. The most recent occurrence is Wal-Mart’s change in location last week.

&uot;We’re just fine,&uot; said Linda Pownell, manager of Jo-Ann Fabrics. She said that her business delivers about 1,500 flyers to area residents that highlight their merchandise and is confident that sales will not be hurt by Wal-Mart’s move.

The owner of a dollar store in the mall, Carlos Kramer, said, &uot;I don’t need Wal-Mart.&uot; He thinks that people who went to Wal-Mart will now come to his store for their consumer needs.

But Don Sorensen, owner of Cafeteria Don’L in Skyline, has already noticed a change since Wal-Mart’s move. He said that business is down 15 percent. &uot;There’s no question that Wal-Mart leaving pulls people from that side of town&uot; to the other side.

And according to Assistant Chief of Police Duane Winkles, traffic in the Skyline area is down. He said, &uot;It should be obvious, with Wal-Mart being gone, traffic will decrease.&uot;

Yet a few days after the opening of the new Wal-Mart location, the Skyline Mall was lively. Even before many of the stores had opened, people were chatting over coffee in the entrance. Others were perusing corridors or the stores that were open.

Two future additions to the Skyline Mall will be a pharmacy and a bank in Nelson’s County Market. According to Jay Nelson, co-owner, the pharmacy should be open in a week and the bank should be open by January 1.

One reason for the business operators’ optimism is the belief that Albert Lea area residents get what they want, where they want it. Marge Hamersly, director of the Chamber of Commerce thinks that both Wal-Mart and the Skyline Mall will be profitable. &uot;Consumers will end up seeking different things at different stores,&uot; she said.

A customer outside of the mall verified Hamersly’s theory. She said that she had just come from Wal-Mart, but needed to go to the Skyline Mall for something that she could not get at Wal-Mart.

Another reason for high spirits is the distance of Wal-Mart, now located by Highway 35. Pownell said, &uot;People are not going to go all the way to Wal-Mart.&uot;

Richard Burkart, owner of a mall gift store agreed. &uot;People will go to Wal-Mart to check it out, but once they realize how far they have to drive, they’ll come back.&uot;

Resident Katie Jacobsen said that the new Wal-Mart is the same distance from her house as the old one. She said that even though she has shopped at Skyline stores, she probably will not go to the mall as often.

Sorensen said that it will take about two weeks to see the full effects of the move, after people have visited Wal-Mart’s new location.

(Contact Benjamin Dipman at ben.dipman@albertleatribune.com or 379-3439.)