New Trader Joe’s Run Off Amid Fears of Prosperity

Once upon a time, we raised our children in the quintessential Midwestern town of Atwood Illinois.

Just as you would imagine, mom and pop businesses lined Main Street, which of course ran through the center of the town. Only the local bars rivaled the number of neighborhood churches. Even the police department closes up shop on Sunday nights. To this day, it’s still a close-knit community. But it’s been fighting a slow death of poverty for years.