Listen to Grapple: Life after Sears in a small Pennsylvania community

What happens when a major source of tax revenue picks up and relocates from a small borough?

What happens when a major source of tax revenue picks up and relocates from a small borough? On episode 11 of Grapple, we take you to Millbourne, a tiny inner-ring suburb outside of Philadelphia. The borough was hit hard when Sears moved a few blocks down the road to Upper Darby in 1988. Millbourne relied on the department store for about a fifth of its annual budget.  Nearly three decades later, the borough still feels the impact of the loss. Although borough leaders have been able to recover financially, the former Sears lot remains vacant today.

 

As Millbourne struggled financially, immigrants primarily from Southeast Asia, increasingly moved into the borough because of its affordable housing and convenient public transportation. Episode 12 of Grapple focuses on changing demographics in smaller communities like Millbourne and beyond with journalist Maria Hinojosa and University of Pennsylvania political scientist Dan Hopkins.