New additions to the Village of Milan.
“It’s just good for the community. Good for us, good for the Quad Cities,” said Duane Dawson, Milan mayor. “Anything that happens in the Illinois Quad Cities is good for all of us.”
The latest addition: an AutoZone off of Andalusia Road. Soon to come, a Dollar Tree.
“Choice is good,” said Mark Hunt, Finance director and economic development director. “People like to have choices so when they come to town, they have places to shop, competition is good.”
Having an auto part shop in the area fills a need in their community.
“The village had 2 auto part stores back in the eighties and nineties that have left and when those were lost, it was a real loss to our region or our community because we didn’t have anybody that sold in that market of it all so you had to leave our town to go to another town maybe not even in the Quad Cities, somewhere to be bought online to get that part that you might need for your car or your truck, well now you can get it locally and you know that’s a big deal,” Hunt said.
Adding this brand name business, along with others, gives Milan officials hope for the future.
“You start getting this kind of ecosystem. Somebody comes to Hy-Vee, great retailer, we love having Hy-Vee in our town,” Hunt said. “They go, oh I need an auto part for something I’m working on at home, they combine that trip so when you start combining those trips, creating that ecosystem you know really helps attract a customer to your community.”
