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So today I'm reading all the opinions on the newly announced Mercantile Exchange project and I've discovered I'm over other people's opinions.
Oh sure, as someone who writes a blog all about his own opinion on things, I'm totally aware that what I said in the previous paragraph makes me a hypocrite, but I'm OK with that, honest. I know I've contributed some negativity recently, but geez, the bad vibes that even "City Boosters" direct towards any new development these days is super annoying me.
As someone who actually spends a lot of time downtown, I was thrilled to hear that some retail was being planned down there. I'm done with all the high-end furniture stores and boutiques whose demographic is people who make more money that me and my co-workers combined. I'm all about local shops, but have no problem throwing a chain store into the downtown mix. Give me a downtown where I can walk from work and buy a nice sketchbook, a book, a plant & some pictures for my desk, a cheap salad...give me a walkable downtown that offers goods & services to the people who live and work there! Give me a downtown where the locals and the big guys all compete in harmonious bliss and all their cash registers are ringing. Give me a downtown where I can fucking buy everyday things...something other than food. Give me some stores that I can actually walk into and purchase something without feeling like a complete poor ass screw up.
I'm not about shoving my head in the sand and I do have many questions, but for fuck's sake, even I try to be a little optimistic. Someone want to follow my lead?
Oh sure, as someone who writes a blog all about his own opinion on things, I'm totally aware that what I said in the previous paragraph makes me a hypocrite, but I'm OK with that, honest. I know I've contributed some negativity recently, but geez, the bad vibes that even "City Boosters" direct towards any new development these days is super annoying me.
As someone who actually spends a lot of time downtown, I was thrilled to hear that some retail was being planned down there. I'm done with all the high-end furniture stores and boutiques whose demographic is people who make more money that me and my co-workers combined. I'm all about local shops, but have no problem throwing a chain store into the downtown mix. Give me a downtown where I can walk from work and buy a nice sketchbook, a book, a plant & some pictures for my desk, a cheap salad...give me a walkable downtown that offers goods & services to the people who live and work there! Give me a downtown where the locals and the big guys all compete in harmonious bliss and all their cash registers are ringing. Give me a downtown where I can fucking buy everyday things...something other than food. Give me some stores that I can actually walk into and purchase something without feeling like a complete poor ass screw up.
I'm not about shoving my head in the sand and I do have many questions, but for fuck's sake, even I try to be a little optimistic. Someone want to follow my lead?
1 comments:
By
Bill Streeter, at
2:59 PM
No shit. I'm no fan of Walgreens, but when I first started working downtown there were 2 Walgreens here. Which doesn't sound all that great really, except now there are NONE. And nothing has moved in to replace them. If I need to run out on my lunch hour and grab some cold medicine or a new fan for my desk, I can't. There isn't anywhere where I can do that down here any more. The problem I have with Walgreens is that there are too damn many of them, but downtown we have exactly the opposite problem.
Now don't get me wrong, I am pleased as hell at the progress that has been made, but you are exactly right, there isn't enough ...um any regular shopping downtown at all.