The Observation Deck

Check out the Letter that I received today via email....for all LIA tries to do for the Community on a volunteer basis--- I am shocked that someone would actually criticize!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Is it true Mel Page owns the hearts and souls of the business owners of Madison Avenue...does she speak for all???? Keep in mind that this is a FREE walk--businesses have committed to the season--we have committed to these walks--it's just a very mean spirited letter. Who turns away a group that is trying to create some excitement in the section of the community. It is truly a sad day. But rest assured the walks will continue!!!!!!!!!!!

Ruthie Koenigsmark
President, Lakewood is Art

The Letter:

Dear Ruthie:

I am a fan of yours and wish to present this letter to you with the upmost respect for LIA. I hope that you ascertain that I am being as sensitive as I can to LIAs needs while also upholding my duty to Madison Ave. As Madison Ave. has limited time and resources I feel it is necessary to make immediate adjustments for the benefit of our Madison businesses and Lakewood community. I have had numerous one-on-one discussions with the businesses and we had our regular MAMA morning and evening meeting sessions on Monday.


MAMA wishes to stay committed to supporting and hosting a Spring and Fall LIA/MAMA Lakewood ArtWalk on second Saturday’s of June and October. However, MAMA won’t be able to continue supporting LIA’s recommended Lakewood ArtWalk for the three months in between of July, August, and September.



Five consecutive monthly Lakewood ArtWalks are not in the best interest of Madison Ave. and its businesses as a whole at this time for several reasons. A couple of items of importance: upon agreeing to the LIA artwalk effort it was understood that more businesses could be involved because LIA would find guest artists for many of our storefronts; We also expected that since LIA was coming to MAMA with higher artwalk aspirations and would be chaired by LIA committee members we needed (and expected) LIA to be hands-on in the pre-event planning with the businesses on how an artwalk can be successful on Madison and to Madison businesses.



Though this was not the case, we are greatful to LIA that you raised the bar for Madison businesses by striving for a monthly commitment and for longer hours. Hence, building from this I will be leading MAMA to begin establishing a very general label of “Madison Walk” events for the July, August, and September second Saturdays. This more general theme of our Walks will allow us to balance and attend to all the needs and interests of the diverse Madison businesses and neighboring community.



MAMA will continue to support LIA by assisting with the following:

Especially at the upcoming July 11th second Saturday, we would love to host any guest artists that LIA has received applications for to see through the commitment of giving any interested local artist the opportunity to showcase their work in a Madison business.
MAMA will help in any way we can to help promote the July 11th LIA Afterwood ArtSwap in which funds raised will benefit LIA.

Five Madison businesses contributed $125 to LIA for the LIA/MAMA Artwalks. I know of only the cost incurred of printing the postcards. If there are additional expense burdens as a result of MAMA pulling out of July through September Lakewood ArtWalks please let me know.


Thank you for all the great art-related contributions to the Lakewood community and your devotion to Madison Ave. We look forward to working with you on an October art walk.



Fondly,



Mel Page

Madison Ave. Merchant Assoc. President

216-233-3157 or melissabpage@sbcglobal.net

Objectively, while I understand and appreciate your disappointment, I don't find the letter especially mean-spirited. In the spirit of a public forum, I would like to hear Mel Page explain her point further here, and discuss plans for the Madison (non-Art) Walks. I am curious to know why MAMA feels "five consecutive monthly Lakewood ArtWalks not in the best interest of Madison Ave. and its businesses as a whole at this time." I do believe that wasn't adequately explained in her letter.

What's wrong with consecutive Art Walks? Last time I checked, Tremont has art walks every month which are successful.

So let me get this straight.

A person sends you a personal letter.

And you publish their personal phone number
and private email in a public forum, where people
do not need to register to read.




.

Jimmy, if you look at the inside cover of the Madison Business DIrectory, which you underwrote and paid for, her phone number is on the inside cover, along with her personal email and is identified as the MAMA contact info.

Sharon

sharon kinsella wrote:Jimmy, if you look at the inside cover of the Madison Business DIrectory, which you underwrote and paid for, her phone number is on the inside cover, along with her personal email and is identified as the MAMA contact info.

Sharon

Sorry

Mel Page did all the work on that directory for MAMA. Gathered the information, got
the sponsors, found the printer, distributed them, now in the second printing. I really
did not have to read them or anything.

I guess you and I just handle things differently.



.

I guess we really do.

Remember what I told you about making sure you know the facts before you accuse?

Case in point.

sharon kinsella wrote:I guess we really do.

Remember what I told you about making sure you know the facts before you accuse?

Case in point.

Sharon

I would still not post someone else's contact information.

Especially if it was in a private email.

Dems are my factz.

Not to mention I read the private email many times, and still do
not see where she spoke for anyone but MAMA.

I see no claim of owning Madison, speaking FOR ALL businesses.

I see a sincere person trying to recalibrate the support of her group.
So that LIA would know full well what they could deliver on in
Mel's estimation.

She did not post THERE WOULD BE NO MORE ARTWALKS.

.

I didn't say anything about the email that was published, except about the phone number and email.

If it's private it shouldn't be publishend anywhere. That's why they have private number service through the phone company.

It's not private if it's published. Simple.

Or do you want to argue semantics with me on a simple objection I posted?

I couldn’t sleep so thought I’d attend to this topic sooner than later.

Let’s see if I can address all comments posted so far:

Concerning Ruthie’s charge that I am criticizing the good efforts of LIA resident volunteers - The two points I mentioned concerning expectations of LIA in the planning of the ArtWalks was feedback I felt was very important for you to know for assessing and making needed adjustments as Chair of the ArtWalk planning. I felt if I didn’t tell you these points, I would be doing more of a disservice to the future success of LIA ArtWalks. That’s the only reason. As the MAMA representative for LIAs planning of this event, I’m sorry I didn’t ask if these tasks were being done. As this was my first time and you have done this a few times I figured you had it taken care of. I do not discount or criticize these fellow resident volunteers.

Update on the organizing of MAMA that I have been doing for 7 months now! – we are up to 60 Madison businesses and services who for the first time are connecting and joining efforts to help increase activity to Madison businesses and resources. Businesses are encouraging me to continue on, get MAMA 501c3 status and to start charging dues so that we can do more. I would never say that I can “speak for all” of Madison but I do communicate with these 60 and more via email, visits, phone, and/or our regular MAMA meetings. I will admit that I most likely have the best gauge for what these businesses are looking to MAMA for.

On Brad’s interest of what the proposed Madison Walk would entail here is my email communication to the 60 businesses I communicate with on a regular basis: “a very general label of “Madison Walk” events for the summer’s second Saturdays (July, August, September). This more general theme of our Walks will allow us to balance and attend to all the needs and interests of the diverse Madison businesses and neighboring community. Each business will be able to focus on how to showcase your own unique goods, services, and expertise whether it’s art, hospitality, food, wellness, products, or pets! Meet the merchant/business storefront shopping will be from 12 to 6pm; dinner, drinks, and entertainment continue after 6pm! We can put as little or as much as we want into this, but unlike the artwalk, you stay focused on connecting what you do to potential customers. I know we will have a blast with this and it will turn into a huge statement and mainstay for Madison.” Just from sending this email out tonight to MAMA I have received two quick responses of: “GREAT IDEA!” and another who emailed me wanting to make sure her business walks along with MAMA in the 4th of July parade.

No one knows better than me how many of these business owners are struggling to sell their goods and services…and that many are working other jobs because income from their businesses aren’t paying all their bills. Or that they are tied to their business 6 or 7 days a week around the clock. And just the struggle to keep their spirits up because they are not getting much foot traffic.

So as David Lay suggests what’s wrong with 5 consecutive art walks? Nothing in that general sense. In fact, go to Tremont’s on the night before Madison’s, or I hear Lorain Ave. just south of Lakewood and Crocker Park had one on the same weekend as ours last week. Or hey, maybe you may come to Madison’s fall art walk. However, the businesses of Madison for the first time may have finally figured out how to best hold an event that best serves their needs so that those businesses don’t close and leave behind all empty storefronts.

Sharon, to clear up your charge that LO gave me money for the MAMA business directory printing – he was a fine partner in the design of the booklet however he doesn’t get the credit for printing the 3700 copies of it. Funds raised from the Home Fair Expo business registrations and from the City of Lakewood, Planning & Development, were used to print them. (And thanks to Adkins Printing of Madison for printing them.)

I will close with a plug for the fine work and effort of Lakewood Is Art. The following events are coming up that LIA is spearheading:

July 11th Afterwood ArtSwap & Blenko Auction from 7 to 10pm at Wobblefoot Gallery, 1662 Mars Ave. Huge thanks should go to Wobblefoot Gallery for hosting this event and numerous MAMA and LIA meetings. And further because Wobblefoot is truly a gem that I wish you all could discover for yourself, he is offering the absolutely stunning and brilliantly colored glass pieces hand made and signed by the artist to be silent auctioned with profits above cost going to LIA. (www.wobblefoot.com)

Friday nights in July – Band2gether at Sinagra Park
Friday nights in August – World Music at Sinagra Park
Saturday, August 15, 10 to 5pm - Car Kulture on Madison between Lewis and Halstead
I’m sure theirs more in the pipeline. Thanks to LIA.

Oh no, one more plug a huge thanks to Judge Carroll and the Lakewood Municipal Court who has been sending minor offenders serving community service to pick up litter on Lakewood's commercial districts! It's having a huge impact. But we have more very fundamental tasks to attend to before using time and resources for 3 more LIA ArtWalks.

Hmm..think that pretty much covers it. Thanks for reading...oh and thanks for the motivation to write my first post in a while!

Mel

Mel - Back to semantics. It wasn't a charge that I made, it was to diffuse the charge Jimmy made. Please re-read the post.

In addition, please don't accuse me of making a charge until I do. I'm very good at it, ask anyone on the deck, but I do try to make sure that I have my facts straight.

When I said Jimmy paid for the directory, it was because you told the LIA board that at the meeting I met you at, about a month ago.

Have a great day.

The silver lining to all of this is that there will be plenty to do on Madison Avenue on Second Saturdays through October-and that's exceptional news for Madison Businesses , artists and the Community! We will make it work.

Ruthie and Sharon,

That's how I see it. At last week's LIA meeting you said something about a LIA meeting tonight was it? Let's get together as soon as possible. I'll email you.

Mel Page wrote:Ruthie and Sharon,

That's how I see it. At last week's LIA meeting you said something about a LIA meeting tonight was it? Let's get together as soon as possible. I'll email you.

Mrs Page(?)

Why work with a person that published private emails for all to see and read. i sure look forward to your future emails, when she puts them on the internet as well.

Pat