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Show V I. I One Store for Every 65 Persons in Iron County Competing for the consumer dollar In Iron County at the present time are no fewer than 162 retail establishments. In terms of the local population, popu-lation, it means that there Is a store for every 65 residents, resi-dents, which is more than in many sections of the country. The average in the United States is one store for every 114 persons and, in the Mountain Moun-tain States, one for every 106. The facts and figures were derived principally from a na- Irrespectlv of the changes In the store population, retail business in the local area has been on the increase. During the past year, retail sales in the county reached an estimated $26,293,000.00 about 3.2 better than in 1966, based on preliminary reports. re-ports. Despite the risks involved in starting a new business, many people take the plunge each year. For a large proportion propor-tion of them, the chances for success are not good. Less than 60 survive the first full year, the records indicate, and only one in five lasts five years or more. I 1 tlonal survey of retail businesses, busi-nesses, conducted by the Department De-partment of Commerce. The survey lists a total of 102 retail stores in the county that employ one or more persons. per-sons. There are also a large number of smaller stores, family fa-mily owned and operated, with no employees. Their total is estimated at 60. ' In general, throughout the nation as a whole, there has been a steady decline in the number of small businesses, the reports show. The butcher, the baker and the candlestick maker are getting scarcer and the chain stores and self-service supermarkets more numerous. num-erous. The net result is that there are 160,000 fewer stores now than were in existence ten years ago. The total has dropped drop-ped from $1,897,000 to 1,737,-000. 1,737,-000. Notwithstanding the competition compe-tition from the big stores, however, some 700,000 Mom and Pop stores still flourish in the United States. Among the retail outlets in Iron County that have sales help, the Commerce Department Depart-ment lists a total of ten food stores, 15 eating and drinking places and 28 automotive dealers dea-lers and service stations. No such figures are available for the family-run stores. |