“. . . I absolutely love The Plaza,” gushes the six-year-old titular character midway through Kay Thompson’s “Eloise” (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, copyright renewed 1983). This book “about a little girl who lives at The Plaza Hotel” has been a favorite of my children’s over the years. Eloise’s sentiment, however, brought our local Alliance Plaza to mind.
The mid-size shopping center along West Third Street (Highway 2) is experiencing a revival. Until relatively recently, the site hosted two storefront tenants: Sam and Louie’s and Verizon. The west end of the center now boasts Family Dollar/Dollar Tree and Goodwill stores. Crossroads Music is also moving in and plans to open soon. Although area residents and visitors always have their own wish lists, this economic development seems to fit our demographic, which could mean long-term investment by the respective companies.
My gauge of economic activity is not sales receipts or profit margin. As part of the crew responsible for picking up and processing businesses on Keep Alliance Beautiful’s list I look at the volume of recyclables each produces. The plaza dollar store (the newest of three in Alliance) hosts one of our large, green trailers for cardboard – usually filling it more than once a week. Goodwill produced a significant amount of cardboard in the months prior to its recent opening and continues to recycle.
Looking at the other (smaller) storefronts, there is also a “green” bent. A couple years ago, while our trailers were still parked in the northeast corner of the lot, I know that a manager at Sam and Louie’s was dedicated to recycling. He would rinse the gallon tin cans of sauce, plastic jugs and containers and break down their boxes then walk a loaded wagon across the lot every day.
Crossroads has not been one of my pick up calls since they began setting up though the music store owner did contact the center on my shift a few months ago. It was the usual dispatch with a business name and where to load. The quantity is often unknown. Upon arrival I soon learned the venerable downtown business was selecting what to pack, dispose or recycle. We carted off two pickup loads of everything from Styrofoam to office paper and cardboard. Deb brought a forklift to heft a white container filled to the brim with hundreds of pounds worth of music magazines spanning decades.
Recycling may not be the only – or even most significant – way the current Plaza occupants show regard for the environment. The combined Family Dollar/Dollar Tree is one of more than 300 in the U.S. bringing together both brands. Environmental Stewardship is addressed in the corporation’s 2021 sustainability report. None of the statements under that heading offer any specifics, of course, about the Alliance store. I do know that the manager and available employees have helped us load boxes that have been thoughtfully broken down and organized.
The Goodwill thrift store is part of Goodwill Industries of Greater Nebraska. Like The Mission Store and The Collection Basket that have served Alliance for years, Goodwill accepts and sells clothing and other wares that could have gone to the landfill. That fundamental “reuse” side of the triangle is huge. Donations made at this store could end up on the racks here or find their way to another Goodwill. Helping people “living with disabilities or barriers” is accomplished through sales of donated items. Like KAB, Goodwill also collects and diverts e-waste from landfills.
Our trailers no longer occupy the Plaza parking lot though the site is now a regular stop on the weekly challenge to gather tons of cardboard from Alliance businesses. I hope recycling becomes the norm at the site as the empty stores continue to fill and people come to “absolutely love The Plaza.”