City Subsidizes Dollar Store to “Revitalize” Downtown
There are so many things wrong with this, I don’t know where to begin:
AZCentral.com: “In 1926, many Phoenicians were buying their daily bread from markets. But a new J.B. Bayless grocery store was working on changing that. Today, the owner of that downtown building hopes the structure at 825 N. Seventh St. once again becomes a leader in downtown Phoenix’s business community.
Joseph Lewis, owner of the 9,000-square-foot building, bought the building 20 years ago and has wanted to renovate it for years. Lewis was able to do the work after receiving the Neighborhood Revitalization Award from Phoenix.”
Never mind the hundreds of thousands of other business owners in Phoenix being taxed out of existence (”devitalized”) to fund this, how about the irony of adding another dollar store to the wasteland of retail Phoenix and calling it progress?
“The Phoenix Neighborhood Services Department recently honored Lewis for his revitalizations of the building. Ten local businesses were honored part of national Community Development Week.
There is now room for two businesses in the building, although one side is a dollar store, the other half remains empty and Lewis has high hopes for it.”
To me, an authentic restoration of the Bayless Grocery would have included, oh, I don’t know, AN ACTUAL GROCERY STORE…! After all, downtown has sorely needed one for many years, and now more than ever if all these “revitalization” efforts work out.
Maybe some people think slapping a façade on a dollar store is “preservation”, but I don’t. I know that history, like beauty, comes from within - so if they don’t put something in there with some kind of pioneer soul, it’s just not going to work. In a space like that we could have a wonderful “General Store” atmosphere with food and sundry for residents and tourists alike. Am I missing something?
It could be the libertarian in me, but maybe I’m looking at it all wrong. Maybe all I need is to get my own grant, so I can be revitalized too. Apparently there is a wide array of them just an application away. And they even give awards to the people who got the money, for spending it.
So who cares where the money comes from? I hear they need a check cashing store in the historic district. Where do I sign!?
Yes, so true Mikey.
The powers to be really had their heads up …. well you know.
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