--- Mark Snyder <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: Again, the local models everyone likes to point to are Grand Ave. in St. Paul, Eat Street in south Minneapolis and more recently, Central Ave. NE.
SAM: Mark, what you are describing is what Penn and Lowry was in the 1990s. Can anyone on the list update me as to what development (if any) is happening--or is it still a bare green strip? And why has it been for so long? At one time Penn had a bakery (Mr.Frank's), a florist, and a shoe repair/tailor. I walked to all these stores for my wedding and shopped regularly at them afterward. Mr. Frank's closed when the Penn Best Steak House next door burned down, and the bakery's insurance premiums were so high that the owner chose to retire early. Brooklyn Shoe Repair closed when the owner moved to Chicago. Anyone know what happened to Nancy's Flower Shoppe? Mark, I admire you for your convictions, and if your posts have convinced one or two or several people here that they too can and should follow your shopping habits, you can and should feel proud. But at times the tenor of this discussion has reminded me of the prolifers who harass women entering Planned Parenthood clinics. Please realize that not everyone can afford the purchases that you can and make the same choices that you can. I too was flush with disposable income 15 years ago. After several downsizings in the 90s there were times our family was living on less than $50 a week. (I am not complaining or saying poor me. In fact, I enjoyed the challenge, like surviving in the woods with nothing but a stick and a piece of string.) So when people don't buy organic cotton or $9 coffee, it's not that they don't care about the world and its workers. Many people simply can't afford it. No one is saying that Big Box alone will revive north Mpls. What will revive north Mpls. is a diverse economy of living-wage jobs. I was astounded to read that there was once a defense plant, Onan, where the farmer's market is now. (The book was "Overcoming," the autobiography of Harry Davis, which a list member recommended a few months ago.) Besides his amazing drive, another thing that contributed to Davis's success was locally based, independent business owners taking an interest in him. In the 1940s Davis was refused service at a Mpls. bar. His employer, outraged that a valued employee and good person would be so disrespected, filed a suit. When Davis and others were laid off after World War II, he was hired on at Broadway Motors (which Dyna has spoken of) while the head honchos at Onan tried to find a place for him (which they did--the suit and tie job Davis had always dreamed of.) Dyna or anyone: what happened to Onan Industries? In this age of acquisitions of local companies by out-of-state corporations, there are fewer and fewer employers who have the ability and desire to advocate for their employees. What can be done to get north Mpls. to where it once was? Susan Maricle formerly of Folwell Bruno MN __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? SBC Yahoo! DSL - Now only $29.95 per month! http://sbc.yahoo.com TEMPORARY REMINDER: 1. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. 2. If you don't like what's being discussed here, don't complain - change the subject (Mpls-specific, of course.) ________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
