Scheduled to be completed August 2008, Walgreens may bring some big changes to the surrounding Platteville community.

Platteville community planning director Joe Carroll said Walgreens had been actively looking into the community for the past five years. Outside developers needed to bid for Walgreens, who chose which location to go with. After coming up with a preliminary plan, Carroll reviewed and agreed to the proposal.

“I’m not sure what to expect here, or how it will affect anything,” Carroll said.

In the past few years, the growth Platteville has undergone has not gone unnoticed by the residents in the community. Ben Franklin sales associate Veronica Bingham said there was concern for the smaller stores along Main Street.

“It’s going to be hard to keep up, especially for the little mom and pop stores,” Bingham said.

Although Bingham never shopped at a Walgreens before, she notes the diverse population in Platteville. With the growth in the community, many outsiders are not used to the local stores and rely on the bigger names.

Hartig Drug Store manager Leta Bragg was concerned about the bigger store’s ability to buy at cheaper costs. Being a smaller branch, she has to buy a certain number of an item before getting a discount, and if it doesn’t sell it becomes a waste issue.

Hartig’s is one of four pharmacies within the Platteville area, and has reaped the benefit of a next-door location to Piggly Wiggly. Bragg said many customers drop off prescriptions, go shopping for groceries, then return to pick them up when they’re done.

“It’s like you see things pulled away from Main Street,” Bragg said of the development occurring on the outside of town.

Carroll said he liked seeing the growth occur in Platteville, especially with the addition of Walmart, Menards, and now Walgreens. It put Platteville on the retail map, and people are starting to recognize the area.

“I’ve seen a lot of change, but I would like to see redeveloping of existing buildings,” Carroll said. “I see that happening in the next seven years.”

Although Walgreens will draw in consumers from the surrounding area who may be used to the store, Carroll was unsure how that would affect Hartig’s, the local drug store.

Bragg already saw a hit when Walmart moved in, but she also prides herself on the friendly customer service and personal relationships from her store.

“One thing with our store, we provide friendly customer service that you may not always get at the bigger stores,” Bragg said.

Hartig’s provides free gift wrap, free delivery for prescription drugs, personal and friendly customer service, and a loyal customer backing, Bragg said. She hopes her customers will remain loyal to her store, and the smaller chains within the town, instead of going out.

“We also order items; I’ll find it and bring it in for people if they can’t find it in the store,” Bragg said. “We do whatever we can to help.”

Bragg said that she has seen more change in the last five years than her entire life in Platteville. She doesn’t know what that means for her business, or the other smaller stores in the area, but she hopes loyal customers will remain.