Wear and tear is doing what a 1990s downsizing couldn’t — close March Air Reserve Base’s exchange.
After more than 50 years, the March Main Exchange, or “BX” as it’s known in military circles, will close permanently Aug. 31, shutting down the only exchange in Riverside County, which is home to more than 100,000 veterans.
“Safety and operational issues” are forcing the exchange — essentially a private department store for service members — to close, Julie Mitchell, vice president of marketing and customer engagement for the Army & Air Force Exchange Service, said in an email.
The exchange, which has operated out of a roughly 86,000-square-foot building since 1973, “needs a new costly fire suppression system, in-depth roof repair, new plumbing, updated security and more,” Mitchell said.
Foot traffic and sales at the exchange dropped 20% since 2020, reinforcing the need to close, Mitchell added. About 35 people work at the March exchange and they’re being offered “transition assistance,” severance packages and help with retirement, she said.
For many veterans, the closure ends not only an affordable and convenient shopping center, but a place for camaraderie and a sense of belonging.
“When I first got in, it was great to go because as a young airman at the time … it was great to meet veterans (and) network,” said Aja Smith, an Air Force veteran from Moreno Valley who served at March, which borders Moreno Valley and is just east of Riverside.
“That’s where we kind of, like, hung out, being kind of, like, mallrats.”
Before she joined, Smith, who enlisted in the Air Force after 9/11, visited the BX with her grandparents — both served in the Air Force — to buy appliances, electronics and Christmas gifts, among other items.
“That was a staple growing up and especially (for a) military family,” she said. “You meet all kinds of great people there and everybody shares their story.”
In a statement, Air Force Col. Bryan Bailey, commander of the 452nd Air Mobility Wing at March, said the exchange “has been a cornerstone of our community, providing essential goods and services.”
“We are deeply saddened to see it close, but we remain committed to supporting our personnel in every possible way during this transition,” Bailey said.
The closure does not affect March’s commissary, which sells groceries and is a separate facility.
The exchange is only open to active duty and retired service members, their dependents and certain government employees.
For qualified shoppers, base exchanges offer tax-free shopping on a range of goods — name brands at prices cheaper than civilian stores, according to a defense department website. An optometrist and barber are among the services offered at March’s exchange.
The exchange used to be on land controlled by March Air Force Base, which dates to World War I and was home to nuclear-armed B-52 bombers during the Cold War, before it downsized to an air reserve base in the early 1990s.
Once that happened, the store sat outside the base proper, leaving the exchange service responsible for its upkeep. The Air Force “wasn’t legally allowed” to help, Mitchell said.
Riverside resident Ralph Isaacson said he and his wife shop at the exchange every couple of weeks or so.
“There’s a lot of availability there,” said Isaacson, a Marine Corps and California Air National Guard veteran who served in the Iraq War. “We enjoy going there because it’s a safe place to go for us.”
The exchange offers online shopping and Isaacson recalled the time he ordered a new TV online through the exchange.
He opened the box and the screen was busted.
“It’s fortunate I was able to go to March because they had the same model and replaced (it) without having to go through all the red tape,” Isaacson said.
Once the March exchange closes, the nearest Air Force exchange will be the one serving Los Angeles Air Force Base just outside Los Angeles International Airport — more than 70 miles from the March location.
“Who in their right mind wants to drive there?” Isaacson asked.
The Marine Corps bases at Camp Pendleton in San Diego County and Twentynine Palms in San Bernardino County both have exchanges, but they’re at least an hour’s drive from the March exchange.
Retired Army Col. M.E. “Mark” Johnson lamented the exchange’s closure in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“Vets depend on (the exchange),” Johnson wrote. “(The) average age of the vets using the March Exchange is mid to late 70’s. These are Vietnam vets. I see them pushing carts and waiting for haircuts at the Barber Shop. Many assisted by their wives because they don’t get around too well.”
The Base Exchange at March Air Reserve Base is closing August 31, 2024.
Riverside is a huge county of 7400 square miles. Population wise, we are the 10th largest county in the US. Over 130,000 veterans live in our county and March is our only Army Air Force Exchange Service… pic.twitter.com/glAGvkfAbu
— M. E. Johnson Author (@MEJohnsonAuthor) July 3, 2024
The suggestion to shop at the LA Air Force Base exchange ‘“is ridiculous,” he added. “These vets belong to a generation that largely does not shop the Exchange by the internet.”
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The exchange is closing despite a bright future for March Air Reserve Base.
This summer, officials announced March would be home to 12 of the Air Force’s next-generation tankers, an assignment expected to keep the base open for decades and pump more than $2 billion into the local economy.
Smith remembers vendors selling barbecue, bejeweled hats and other crafted goods at the March exchange.
“I still see a need for it,” she said. “There’s always a need to keep that significant culture still relevant around here … You’re kind of losing the tradition and that place where we can go and (say) ‘We’re still part of the culture here.’”
Staff Writer Erika I. Ritchie contributed to this report.
