To the editor:

Kennebunk can celebrate another downtown vacancy with the May 1 closing of the Garden Street Market, as the big box store, Hannaford, buys the popular market and shuts its doors.

Honestly, is anyone surprised? Did town leaders really think it would be any other way when they jumped for joy at the news that Hannaford would be buying the former Stop & Shop store on Portland Road and moving to town? What about those 150 jobs Hannaford promised as well? Seems that was just another big lie, too as most of those positions will be filled by former Garden Street Market employees, at least I hope they will be. Adding insult to injury would be Hannaford tossing favorite market managers and employees out on the street at a time when jobs are difficult to find.

Seems like the bad deal the town got from Stop & Shop isn’t over yet folks, so sit back and see where this goes from here. What happens to Main Street now that it’s losing its anchor store? How about town leaders start thinking about local businesses and stop trying to bring in more businesses from away?

Steven Burr

Kennebunk