Springfield Business Corridor

[jbm32206]

I too, only go there in an 'emergency' which is pretty rare. You're absolutely right, in that it's the low lifes from that work pool that hang outside, beg for money or cigarettes and just make walking into the store annoying. I just have real issue with walking past a bunch of drunken, annoying people that are curisng and loud.

I also agree about the new BP station....if their prices are competitive, then I won't gas up there.

[sheclown]

8th and Walnut is rough.  As is the one on East 1st.

But, I think they are changing, slowly, as the neighborhood changes.  3rd and Market is so much better than it used to be.  I go in there now whereas years ago, I wouldn't have dreamed about it.  There was a funny little store on 6th and Market.  I used to go in there, even though it seemed rough because the clerks seemed concerned about my welfare.  And I think that it the key.  I can deal with trouble makers outside if I know that inside the clerk is paying attention and the place is not loaded down with trouble.

I remember going to this wonderful restaurant called Denmark's on 21st Street and Moncrief.  That place was packed and when I walked through the door, all activity stopped and everyone stared at me.  Although I was a bit nervous, I walked up to the counter, was greeted kindly, ordered and ate the best chicken, greens,  and cornbread.  After I had been there several times, I was told that first time, that they thought I was from the Health Department

That is what is exciting about living in a city, rose-in-tubes or not.  Unlike going into chains (which could be anywhere USA) going out is an adventure, a crap shoot which sometimes means moon pies and sometimes wonderful little places like Momma Mary's for example.  

We really need to celebrate this.

[uptowngirl]

She Clown you hit it on the head !

As for the competiveness... BP is always a little higher, but at $1.99 they are in the market and it is worth an extra couple of cents a gallon to buy local, at least to me. If we want clean businesses, and especially a decent gas station we can use without all the rif raf harrassing us, we may need to accept the small increase in price.

reds comments bring me back to the "Has anyone from SPAR or SAMBA reached out to the BP owner"? He may not even know about SPAR or SAMBA and catching these places early one, supporting them so they don't decline is the key, it is easier this way, then after the steel wool is moved to the counter... A little blurb in the next newsletter could help too...

[thelakelander]

I do know that SAMBA has reached out to him.

[downtownparks]

I seem to remember Louise saying she had talked to him while he was building the place out.

[02roadking]

I thought I saw a blurb about both A-Z sandwiches & the BP in the latest newsletter or it may have been the Womans Club Blossom. Maybe a biz directory of sorts for all of the greater Springfield businesses would be in order.
Nothing fancy. A few page flyer, front & back, with ALL the businesses listed, what they offer and the hours they are open, at least.

[thelakelander]

Great idea.

[uptowngirl]

That is awesome news guys!

Hopefully he will join the fold.

Roadking... I thinkthatis a great idea, I would be willing to help out on that.

[fsu813]

02roadking,

A Springfield business directory has been talked about and will be addressed...

[downtownparks]

Well, then you should be able to solve all of the neighborhoods problems, as you know everything. That was easy.

[thelakelander]

Stephen, at the height of the district you remember, what were the establishments operating at the same time along Main Street?  What buildings did they occupy?  Also what year was this?

I think this is an important thing to visually understand.  Nothing is new under the sun.  Something caused a number of things to cluster together in a relatively short time period and they died for a reason.  So there are good and bad things to learn from this experience.

If we all can put personal feelings aside, we may be able to expose methods of urban redevelopment that need to be repeated and others we need to avoid.

[RiversideGator]

Being the owner of Boomtown, and the former roomate of the guys who own TSI, and having shared a few employees with Jim from the Main Street Bakery, and having gone to high school with Steve Warren who opened the Maxx Pizza Factory, a twenty year associate of Christie Clark who owns The Pearl (enough to have produced a two hour musical theater peice with her as one of the main characters) I have to say that the above described timeline in no way resembles either the truth or what happened.

Also, having learned from Carl how the facade program worked, having shared employees and retained the produce services of Epicurean, and discussed the situation on main street many times with the owners of Chans, having rented from one of the Pawn Shops, and done extensive business with the different branches of the Bateh family which owns Premier Pharmacy is a cousin of the A-Z sandwich shop guy, and a branch of which owned the building that Boomtown was in, hung out extensively with the Eritrean guys who own the convenience store on Hubbard and 8th and having loved Anita and Carlos who own the salon for the better part of the past 8 years, and having worked on several projects with Oak Sun who owned Kemet House before it converted into the Epicurean, that none of the SPAR opinions expressed on this thread have even the barest resemblance to what has actually happened in the retail district or what any of us actually think or have experienced.

There is a lot of talk about 'business models' on the part of people who could not accurately describe an urban business plan if they needed to.

Does anyone have a broom I can borrow to sweep up all the names Stephen is dropping?   

[RiversideGator]

BTW, what is the second half of the story?  Specifically, why are none of the aforementioned businesses still around?  Can you please give us some details, Stephen?

[sheclown]

Amen.

[thelakelander]

So Lake, what is the common element you read in all of these articles that caused businesses to open in a cluster formation?

From the articles and knowing the landscape (in no particular order):

1. availability of existing buildings
2. affordability for urban pioneers to move start up businesses in
3. a common vision or brand - a district with the arts as a major theme
4. a compact cluster - most of this stuff was between 6th & 9th Streets.

Ten art houses are scheduled to open in Springfield over the next two years. What's more, a growing number of artists and musicians are living and working there.

Springfield's proximity to downtown and cheap real estate have lured hopefuls to the area. But it's a new vision for the arts that keeps them there.

The things that caused these businesses to locate there in the first place are no different than what caused Five Points, Ybor City (Tampa), Deep Ellum (Dallas), E. 6th Street (Austin) and a host of other urban entertainment districts to come alive.

Its important to design/fill in according to the existing landscape conditions.  The area around 8th & Main sets up perfectly for some type of themed district because of the available buildings.  The area around the 3rd & Main project is probably better for higher end clientele because it contains large vacant lots that require the investment of new buildings. 

Time wise, if we want instant improvement, its better/easier/cheaper to focus on filling the existing vacant storefronts with businesses that complement one another.  We already have anchors like Chan's, the bike shop, Shantytown, Carl's and even the pawn shops that we should build around.  The vacant storefronts are there and businesses like Uncommon Grounds have been begging to move in.

As for the higher end niche, 3rd & Main should help in this area and spur additional development nearby.  Its just going to take longer, given the economic climate and the need for new building construction.  Again, there's room for all in this community.  The key is to find a way to let our different market segments co-exist without either side trying to kill the other.