Shop Talk: National chains help define our local identity

No matter where you go, a national retailer has the same concept, the same interior design, the same offerings. There are exceptions, but in general, you probably couldn’t tell the stores apart.

Locally grown businesses market their ability to identify with the community and the people who live there.

And those against big-box stores talk about how national retailers destroy the character of a community.

The irony, however, is that the perception of the Yakima Valley is partially shaped by the national retailers that are in it.

Nearly a decade after Nordstrom closed the doors to its downtown Yakima store, I still hear people wish for the store’s return.

It was a point of pride for Yakima Valley residents for decades.

On the Shop Talk blog, I tend to get more comments when I write about a new national retailer or restaurant that might come to town than when I write about a locally owned business.

I read comments saying that Yakima is lacking because it doesn’t have a Gap anymore or that Yakima’s restaurant selection would improve if there was a P.F. Chang’s or a Cheesecake Factory.

So why do these national retailers shape people’s assessment of the Yakima Valley?

Let’s state the obvious: These national retailers bring in tons of sales-tax revenue that city governments desire to efficiently run their towns.

But there’s a less tangible concept at hand here.

The one thing that national retailers have that many local businesses don’t is tons of people who spend hours a day to develop their identity. They sit around the conference room thinking, “How do I identify with the customer?”

So you end up with a retailer like Nordstrom that has built its brand on luxury.

They have the chic coffee bar, the clothing and shoes that are costly. They train their salespeople to constantly pay attention to you.

Put that in an area like the Yakima Valley — which is used to being the shadow of Seattle — and it’s easy to see why having a Nordstrom makes people feel better about the place they live.

Everyone knows that Nordstrom isn’t local, but they’re not thinking about that when they’re enjoying their shopping experience.

And that’s the same with many other national retailers and restaurants. They are designed to create an experience or a feeling. And when you think about it, people build their character assessment of the place they live based on experiences and feelings.

When a Yakima Valley resident has a good experience at a national-chain restaurant, having that experience in Yakima would only improve that person’s view of their hometown, whether that experience was created on Yakima Avenue or Fifth Avenue in New York City.

Craving Vietnamese?

In a few months, fans of Vietnamese food will no longer have to drive so far when they have a craving.

Pho Tan is expected to open by Aug. 2 at the former Los Camperos Mexican Restaurant at the Orchards Shopping Center at 420 S. 72nd Ave.

The restaurant is named for Pho, a popular Vietnamese dish made of rice noodles, meat and broth, and for Tan Bui, the 32-year-old who will own and operate the restaurant.

For Bui, who’s been cooking since age 15, the restaurant will fulfill a dream he’s had for years. Before moving to Yakima five years ago, he worked at different restaurants in the Seattle area.

“I like to bring something new to the community, give people more choices,” said Bui, who has spent the past few years as the owner of Hi-Tek Nails, a nail salon in Yakima.

Bui believes there’s a demand locally for Vietnamese food, and not just from the Valley’s small Vietnamese community. He often shares the food he cooks with his clients at the nail salon and has always received positive feedback.

And when Bui showed me the menu at the nail salon, it caught the eye of several people who were getting their nails done. A lot of them looked at the menu with eager eyes and expressed their love for the cuisine.

Bui also hopes to sell people on price: None of the items on the menu will cost more than $10.

“If I bring something good and the food is priced reasonably, (customers) will come out,” he said.

Can’t wait until next week’s Reporter’s Notebook? Check out the Shop Talk blog (www.yakimaherald.com/shoptalk) for more on what’s going on in the retail and restaurant world.

Until next week, happy shopping.

• Mai Hoang’s Reporter’s Notebook is published Mondays in the Your Money section. To reach her, call 509-577-7685 or e-mail mhoang@yakimaherald.com