Peter King from CNNSI and Downtown Coffee

[Bill Hoff]

There's multiple places to buy coffee in Downtown, even early.

[thelakelander]

What about if you were downtown after 6pm or on a weekend?

[I-10east]

Oh I'm distraught, Peter King couldn't find any coffee!!! Screw the sports national media, they'll find a way to hate us in Jax anyway, even if we had fourteen Starbucks downtown.

[thelakelander]

A brief unedited clip from my upcoming book about Cohen Brothers and changing retail demographics in Jacksonville since the Civil War.....

By 1976, Morrison’s Cafeteria, which faced May Cohens on the other side of Hemming Park, had closed and neighboring Ivey’s had shuttered two floors in their six story building.  However, Don Ingram, executive director of the downtown development authority pointed out that the Ivey’s closing was based on a company policy throughout the Southeast, not the downtown business environment, and that while Morrison’s closed, two new restaurants opened.  According to Ingram, things were looking up for downtown, “Since 1968 there has been a 25% increase in the number of people working in downtown and Jacksonville has one of the most stable downtown areas, for a city of its size, in the nation.” In an editorial to the Florida Times-Union, Michael Lissner, president of the Downtown Merchants Association, proclaimed

“Where do women go when they want to buy quality fashion merchandise? Downtown.  Where do men go when they want to see a selection of suits?  Downtown.  I could name a lot of other areas where downtown is the only place to really get a selection.  Jewelry, luggage, home furnishings, ladies shoes, are just a few of the obvious ones.

There’s been a rash of sensationalized articles about Downtown.  You know, there’s no place that you can’t find a little dirt if that’s what you’re looking for. You’ll find a roach in the most immaculate house. I’m sure there was plenty of poison ivy in the Garden of Eden”

When it comes to downtown, the topics being discussed today are eerily identical to what was being said 30/40 years ago.  A part of me feels that if we didn't downplay obvious signs of stress over the last quarter century, we wouldn't be having some of these conversations today.

[Captain Zissou]

Starbucks downtown from 2 to none.  That's sad. But even sadder is the parking guy has no clue about downtown where he works. I find it surprising that so many people who live in Jacksonville know nothing about it. And that is true of so many in every neighborhood.
BTW, Chamblins coffee is way better than Starbucks anyway.

He could have hopped on the Skyway at Centeral Station (right behind the Omni) and got off at Hemming and walked over to Chamblins.

This is just as much of an indictment of the lack of knowledge of the downtown workers as it is not having more choices. If you work in the service industry - and especially at a Downtown hotel - then you need to be able to offer informed suggestions when asked. Come on Omni you can do better.

Seriously?  You're going to fault the visitor for not being able to find coffee in a CBD???  GIVE ME A BREAK.  Is that how we want visitors in our city to feel?  "Welcome to Jacksonville, good luck".

[Captain Zissou]

Oh I'm distraught, Peter King couldn't find any coffee!!! Screw the sports national media, they'll find a way to hate us in Jax anyway, even if we had fourteen Starbucks downtown.

We don't have to make excuses every time someone doesn't find our downtown to be everything they have ever dreamed of.  I see this very awkward moment as a good thing.  We deserved to get called out for being the largest city in America without a DT, because it's absolutely ridiculous.  Maybe the mayor's office will be embarrassed enough to act on it.  Maybe they will start talking about how we can either inform DT employees of the various amenities downtown or entice more service providing companies to come downtown.  If I was in office, I would at least be making a few phone calls to let DVI and others know this was a BIG missed opportunity. If not Starbucks, maybe Bold Bean will open a second location, maybe Dunkin Donuts, etc...

This was a very obvious and public missed opportunity for Jax and downtown, but it is nobody's fault but ours.  We need to quit pointing fingers and start working to ensure that it doesn't happen again.

[fsquid]

Oh I'm distraught, Peter King couldn't find any coffee!!! Screw the sports national media, they'll find a way to hate us in Jax anyway, even if we had fourteen Starbucks downtown.

While maybe you hate the sports media, don't you think other business travelers might have had the same experience as Mr. King did last week?

[Non-RedNeck Westsider]

Oh I'm distraught, Peter King couldn't find any coffee!!! Screw the sports national media, they'll find a way to hate us in Jax anyway, even if we had fourteen Starbucks downtown.

We don't have to make excuses every time someone doesn't find our downtown to be everything they have ever dreamed of.  I see this very awkward moment as a good thing.  We deserved to get called out for being the largest city in America without a DT, because it's absolutely ridiculous.  Maybe the mayor's office will be embarrassed enough to act on it.  Maybe they will start talking about how we can either inform DT employees of the various amenities downtown or entice more service providing companies to come downtown.  If I was in office, I would at least be making a few phone calls to let DVI and others know this was a BIG missed opportunity. If not Starbucks, maybe Bold Bean will open a second location, maybe Dunkin Donuts, etc...

This was a very obvious and public missed opportunity for Jax and downtown, but it is nobody's fault but ours.  We need to quit pointing fingers and start working to ensure that it doesn't happen again.

Or maybe DVI will come out with another 'Jaguaring' video...

[fsquid]

There's a trolley stop at the Omni. He could have hopped aboard and been dropped off right at the Starbucks on the corner of Margaret and Riverside. Couldn't have taken more than 10 minutes.

I'm thinking those who are here on business aren't interested in a 20 minute round trip to get coffee.  I know I'm not when I'm traveling.

[peestandingup]

Starbucks downtown from 2 to none.  That's sad. But even sadder is the parking guy has no clue about downtown where he works. I find it surprising that so many people who live in Jacksonville know nothing about it. And that is true of so many in every neighborhood.
BTW, Chamblins coffee is way better than Starbucks anyway.

He could have hopped on the Skyway at Centeral Station (right behind the Omni) and got off at Hemming and walked over to Chamblins.

This is just as much of an indictment of the lack of knowledge of the downtown workers as it is not having more choices. If you work in the service industry - and especially at a Downtown hotel - then you need to be able to offer informed suggestions when asked. Come on Omni you can do better.

There is literally only one coffeeshop in all of downtown.  The Omni employees didn't cause that to happen.  And the man asked for a Starbucks.

To be honest, there's really zero straight up coffee shops downtown. Chamblins is a bookstore first & foremost with a small cafe inside it (that has self-serve coffee), & then there's Einstein's, which is a bagel place with the same self-serve setup. Plus they're all open, what, like 10 minutes a day??

Not to discredit those mentioned, but there's only places to get coffee downtown, no real coffee shops. When Starbucks left, that was it. The guy was right to criticize.

[I-10east]

But don't you approve of not having anything going on downtown at all?  you know, to save the suburbs?

What an original comment, did I say anything about the suburbs? No. They tried to put two Starbucks downtown, but they didn't stand the test of time, so what do you want? Why beat your self up over it like a scorned wife, just because some national hack makes a comment? I know, because you love the negative stories concerning Jacksonville because it somehow makes you feel non-complacent. I tell you what, why do you invest in a downtown Starbucks.

[I-10east]

While maybe you hate the sports media, don't you think other business travelers might have had the same experience as Mr. King did last week?

True, but they tried to bring Starbucks DT, and they failed. The bigger story is the lack of residential DT.

[jcjohnpaint]

You know I had a friend from Germany, who was at the time living in NYC come to town on business.  She was staying at the Omni.  We had dinner at the hotel and she asked me where the downtown was?  I said you are in it and she said:  really?  There is nothing here!
I had another friend from LA visiting and he looked at the downtown from 95 and said wow you have a real city here.  We got into downtown at 6 pm and he said:  "What the hell is wrong with this place. . where are all the people?"

If someone cannot see that our state of downtown is a problem.. go somewhere else for a while and come back and you will see a major problem.  I think one of the real problems is our leaders don't see a failure downtown as a problem.  When people visit Jax from any other place in the world, they want to see downtown.  Most people stay in downtown on business- and from what I have experienced, are always let down.  We have got to stop letting the world down.  Downtown is and will be our city's face to the world.   

[blizz01]

Why didn't he just walk down to Maxwell House - where there's all the coffee any man could possibly handle; do the free tour, visit the gift shop & hit up the cafe?  Oh. Wait.....

- At least he could smell it. 

[Captain Zissou]

This is another example of where an underlying problem exists, but when some outsider does something to expose it, we get all up in arms to defend it and act like it isn't a problem.

The lack of coffee options downtown is a huge problem and has been for almost a year. This would be the case even if the guy didn't mention it in an article.  However, when he does we act like he is just trying to slam downtown and he is making up the huge problem.  "Oh! He should have taken a half hour and ridden a trolley to 5 points", "If he really cared he would have traversed our deserted downtown to get coffee that is no better than what is offered in the lobby", "he should have kayaked over to Ortega, docked his kayak, and walked to the shop on Roosevelt.  Gee! What a lazy complainer" Is the guy supposed to brew coffee himself if he wants a cup downtown? 

As a city with a tourism board, DVI (again, what do they do?? ...besides make youtube videos), and dozens of other orgs who are marketing our city and our downtown to visitors and tourists, is anyone thinking about the tourists experience? Is there any need more basic than making sure that tourist knows where they can get a cup of coffee in the morning and a beer in the evening?  They should have quarterly seminars where downtown service employees are educated on what options are downtown and where they are.

The other instance where this is the case is Mellow Mushroom and the parking situation.  The parking problem existed well before MM. Now that MM istrying to get people talking about it everybody is acting like this is the first time it's an issue.  Let's own up to our mistakes and start fixing them instead of just trying to pin the blame on someone who doesn't deserve it.  In both situations we should be thanking them for bringing this to our attention, but we are doing the exact opposite.