Value Lakewood Or Unique Lakewood?

[Bill Call]

But the single most popular store in town, hands down is Value World. Packed with people raving
about it. young folks love it like Avalon.

I was in Value World the other day and bought a leather belt for $4. The place was packed. I wonder if the success of Value World will hurt or help the Rockport Housing development. I suspect it will hurt. A lot. Was it wise to trade Rockport for Value World? I guess if it was me I'd have closed down all the City parking lots surrounding the old Drug Mart until we had money in the budget for "repairs".

My wife and I went to Stem the other day to buy some soap and check it out.

http://www.stemsoaps.com/about/

A very nice store.

It got me thinking about the death of retail, big box stores and shopping malls. It seems to me that Lakewood has an opportunity for some niche marketing not available to a lot of other cities. Stores like Stem that have an existing on line presence that can add value to their product line by opening a small store front can be the first of many. Madison is the perfect street.

I wonder if the repaving project on Madison will build on that possibility by changing traffic patterns, adding larger street side patios for restaurants and creating boutique streets along Madison.

Or will we settle for a fresh coat of asphalt?

Lakewood can't compete with the taxpayer supported shopping malls like Crocker Park or the taxpayer supported downtown restaurants or challenge the Cleveland Clinic's neighborhood destruction polices but we can compete in the internet/retail store market. I think Lakewood can own that market.

And...

Will the Plain Dealer ever do a story on the success that City had in revitalizing Detroit Avenue? Does it matter?

[marklingm]

Will the Plain Dealer ever do a story on the success that City had in revitalizing Detroit Avenue? Does it matter?

Bill,

Is the story of this so-called "success" predicated upon tax abatements, tax increment financing agreements, and/or the apparent booming dollar and drug store market?

Does it matter?

Does anyone care?

Matt

[Bill Call]

Is the story of this so-called "success" predicated upon tax abatements, tax increment financing agreements, and/or the apparent booming dollar and drug store market?

Does it matter?

Does anyone care?

Matt

We are in the post democratic age. One of the results of Progressive politics is a less engaged citizenry.

It does matter but who cares?

I don't criticize the efforts made to bring business to Detroit because I see empty shopping centers and store fronts and office buildings all around town. One of our clients just lost a building he had for 30 years.

Of course lost is a relative term. He was collecting rents on the 35% of the building that was rented but hasn't made mortgage payments in a few years.

Which reminds me of the brother of friend who lost 5 houses in Florida. He invested heavily and held on too long. People were kind of sympathetic until they found out he was collecting $10,000 a month in rent and not paying his mortgages or property taxes. His biggest concern was how to avoid the IRS finding all of that rental income. A true American Tragedy, a victim of the Evil Banks.

Anyway...

I suppose it would have been better if the General Dollar Store was a Five Below and that the new Value World was a vacant lot but sometimes you have to take what you can get.

Or Create.

Which brings me back to Madison Avenue. If the City doesn't rush things along there might be a chance for something great. Of course if we don't get something great that doesn't mean the City didn't do what was humanly possible. They are up against the entire ruling class in Cuyahoga County. It's pretty hard for a City to overcome such odds.

This region continues to lead the nation in job losses

http://www.cleveland.com/business/index ... great.html

What will it take for our so called regional leadership to realized that their development model has failed?

Cleveland ranked 48th in upward mobility:

http://obs.rc.fas.harvard.edu/chetty/we ... ummary.pdf

Appalachia here we come.