After the City of Ames Planning and Zoning Commission approved the rezoning of eight acres of land for a new Wal-Mart Supercenter on Oct. 19, Ames business owners and city officials say the possible arrival of the new retail giant won’t drastically change local business.

Steve Goodhue, Ames City Council member, said because a Wal-Mart is already located in Ames, another one won’t have a significant impact, even if it’s a Supercenter.

“Any impact they will have has already occurred,” Goodhue said.

Having a Wal-Mart Supercenter in Ames could actually bring more customers to Ames businesses, he said, encouraging surrounding area residents to drive to Ames instead of Ankeny.

He said the new Wal-Mart would allow people within a 60-mile radius to eat and shop in Ames, instead of driving to Des Moines and its suburbs.

“Mall and store developers see the community as a place of opportunity,” Goodhue said. “Ames has been, and should continue to be, a retail center.

“It is obvious that Wal-Mart looks at Ames as a community of nice opportunity.”

Laura Jaeger, store team leader at Target, 320 Duff Ave., said the addition of the Wal-Mart Supercenter will only affect an isolated section of Target’s sales.

“The impact will be in the grocery section at our store, as well as at Hy-Vee and Fareway,” Jaeger said.

Gary Linahon, manager of Fareway Grocery, 619 Burnett Ave., said he thinks the Wal-Mart will have some affect, but not a tremendous amount.

“It’s something you work through,” Linahon said.

“We’ll handle it like we handle everything else. We’ll stick to our guns and do what we do best.”

Rita Houge, owner of Beverly’s Gift and China Shop, 209 Main St., said the quality of the products sold in her store will keep a new Wal-Mart from hurting her business.

As long as people continue to buy inexpensive items produced overseas, the market for stores like Wal-Mart will be there, Houge said.

“Their stuff is junk,” she said of the products sold at Wal-Mart. “I think they may lose business because of it. If you buy American products, you’ll pay a little more,” Houge said.

Buying products from local stores made in America, she said, supports the Ames economy through paying taxes and funding the city’s schools.

“It keeps money in the local economy,” she said.

Julie Craig, owner of Shoppes on Grand, 517 Grand Ave., said her business targets a niche market that a new Wal-Mart Supercenter wouldn’t be specialized enough to cater to.

“There’s no way possible they can provide the experience, customer service and ambiance we have here,” Craig said.

“It’s Wal-Mart.”

She said her business is more of a destination where customers can eat lunch, drink coffee and smell potpourri, whereas Wal-Mart is “wham, bam, thank you, ma’am.”