Everywhere U.S.A.

...News report from 2020: >"WARREN, Pa. – Bluestem Brands announced Monday, in a letter to employees, it would be discontinuing warehousing and fulfillment operations at the Irvine Distribution Center by the end of April 2021. In the letter, obtained by Your Daily Local, the company said it would be moving operations to its Eatonton, Ga. location. The move means positions in Irvine will be eliminated. “This was a difficult decision based on reduced inventory levels that have been years in the making and an expensive lease with limited options,” the letter said. The company went on to say that termination dates are likely to begin in March and that employees would be provided at least 60 days advance notice of their termination date as required by the WARN. Bluestem filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in March, and a plan was approved in a Delaware court in August that would allow the company to continue operations." ...

...This abandoned warehouse is about 8 miles west of Warren where clothing used to be distributed. The Blair corporation was originally in downtown Warren where the distribution of clothing manufactured around the world was processed. It was one of the large employers in the area, of which there are a few remaining-including a manufacturer of crankshafts for heavy industry also located in Irvine. The latter has defense and aerospace contracts that insure continuing employment. I walk around these buildings sometimes where a few of the loading docks now warehouse Cummings engine material and a local manufacturer of plastic cups. This empty warehouse is representative of many similar losses around the country,well documented in the media. If some of the environmental and energy problems could be addressed, this facility would offer an isolated location for an AI data center. It is next to the Allegheny river and railroad tracks, and probably could overcome whatever local resistance would arise from the poor, Republican citizenry dominating this part of America. ... "The Bluestem Brands distribution center in Irvine, PA (located at 100 Murray Dr), originated as the fulfillment and warehousing hub for Warren-based Blair Corporation. Orchard Brands acquired Blair in the 2000s, and Bluestem Brands subsequently acquired Orchard Brands in 2015. Bluestem fully discontinued warehousing and fulfillment operations at the 240-employee Irvine facility in April 2021."