A letter writer recently made the claim that city officials are “trying to pretend Marshall is the regional center of southwest Minnesota.” The big complaint was building new facilities when the city is “almost $100 million in debt.” The writer also argued that most of the residents go shopping somewhere else at least once a month.

Meanwhile, a Minneapolis Star Tribune report earlier this month suggests there is more going on in Marshall than suggested by the letter writer. The report used a retail measuring formula called the “pull factor.” The pull factor measures retail sales that are more or less expected for the county’s population. A pull factor greater than 1 means a county is taking sales from elsewhere. A factor of less than 1 means sales are being lost to other areas.

Lyon County was ranked No. 4 in top Greater Minnesota counties in the pull factor rankings with a 1.33. Only Douglas (1.70), Crow Wing (1.69) and Blue Earth (1.65) ranked higher.

Most of the Lyon County pull factor is luring traffic right down the main arteries of traffic within the city of Marshall. The Star Tribune report mentioned the outdoors-oriented retail chain Runnings based in Marshall. While Runnings has been expanding its footprint throughout Minnesota and other states, it plays an important role in luring shoppers to Marshall.

Recently, Aldi’s grocery store opened up shop right down the road from Menards to join Hy-Vee and Wal-Mart as quality grocery options. Walk inside any of these stores on any given day, you will find the aisles full of shoppers.

The new facilities the letter writer mentioned probably refers to the Red Baron Arena — a favorite target of those critical of city decisions. But the arena continues to draw event after event. It was made to hold two sheets of ice for hockey, but it’s also drawing weekend events such as gun shows, craft shows, trade shows, billiards and darts, etc. These events are drawing people from miles and miles away to eat at Marshall restaurants and sleep at Marshall motels.

Marshall still lags behind Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and Mankato in shopping options and will never catch up to those major retail centers. But Lyon County, with Marshall leading the way, is a growing regional retail center in southwest Minnesota with endless potential.