Levine’s, a small, family owned store, provided Waterville residents with clothing for decades. Established in 1891, Levine’s attracted a loyal customer base during its 105 years in operation and was driven by repeat customer business. Sarah and William Levine succeeded in serving the immigrant populationin Waterville by communicating with their customers in Polish. The Main Street store catered to workmen, lawyers, doctors, professors, and college kids, which ensured that Levine’s was always in tune with consumer demands. More importantly though, Levine’s was a gathering place. Unlike the huge and impersonal environment that currently exists at Walmart, Levine’s provided consumers with a pleasant and friendly shopping experience. The people who worked and shopped at Levine’s were all from Waterville, and therefore all of the profit gained from Levine’s contributed to organic Waterville economic growth. Levine’s represented the idealized version of Waterville that had existed in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Until 1996, the beloved store proved that hard work and devotion could lead to honest and much deserved success.
Sadly, the last years of the twentieth century brought disaster for Waterville’s longest standing store. William and Sarah’s shop was ultimately squeezed out of business by the successful entry of Walmart and other large stores. The reach of corporate, capitalist culture had overpowered Waterville’s small business focus. The economies of scale Walmart achieved through integrated global production and distribution meant that it could sell a wide variety of goods at low prices. 
Although Levine’s was beloved among Watervillians, locals already struggling to support themselves could not afford to sacrifice bargains in order to support their neighbors.
Levine’s simply could not keep up with Walmart’s competitive entry in the Waterville marketplace. While Levine’s succeeded in the small-town business environment, the changing capitalist landscape and culture of Waterville led to the beloved store’s demise. While residents have enjoyed the new business’ convenience, their satisfaction has come at the expense of Levine’s and many other shops that had previously made their home in Elm City. Although corporate giants such as Walmart initially stood on the outskirts of Waterville, they now reside in the center of the Waterville economy.