On the day the new Simi Valley Town Center opened I went by the intersection of Erringer Road and Alamo Street.

It was packed with a line of cars waiting to get into the parking lot.

Is Simi Valley ready to be just another city that destroys the mom and pop shops? How thoroughly was the mall idea really thought out?

As the manager of a mom and pop shop, our concern is the loss of business.

Between Wal-Mart and the mall, will people shop anywhere else? Will other businesses survive?

I think not.

We are already suffering a bad economy; now we have to deal with new competition.

Let's hope our community doesn't forget that there are other places to shop.

Support our mom and pop shops by spending your money where you've been shopping for years before the mall. Sharon Rosinski Simi Valley