How about I not rail against the downtown street closures? How about I just present some facts and let you all draw your own conclusions?
1. I NEVER CLOSE. I'm a workaholic. I hate the idea of losing any possible sales.
A.) I'm open on New Year's.
B.) I'm open on the Fourth of July.
C.) I'm closed today.
2. SALES. Sales last week during the Cascade Criterion (which used to be called the Twilight Criterion and started at 7:00, but which has been moved to 2:00) were fine until 2:00, after which they dribbled to a stop. I left at 4:00, as did most everyone else on the street, at least those who bothered to open at all.
A. My sales in the 4 hours on Sunday following (no street closure) exceeded my
Saturday sales.
3. CARS AREN'T MY BAG. Yesterday, sales were half my average. I sold very few comics or books to the car folk, and since those are 70% of my sales... After the yellow tape went up, sales again dribbled to nothing. I closed at 5:00.
4.) ANOTHER? BIKE RACE? Today's closure is a NEW event. I repeat, another NEW street closure, although I was under the impression that they had already filled the quota of allowed closures.
It runs exactly into my normal store hours, and after my experience last weekend and this Saturday, I'm just not bothering to open up. This has been more or less a lost weekend.
But, Hey!, I've been assured over and over again that it's good for me.
Of course, this benefit -- like all advertising and promotion -- can't be quantified. Never mind that I CAN quantify the actual loss of sales on the day of the events, I should just take the promoter's assurances.
But you know what? I finally figured out that if all the customers are "coming back later" then I don't actually need to be there today.
Meanwhile, there are still a couple of peak weekends we haven't filled yet. Think of the events we could still bring in.
Since Cars and Bikes work so well for me, what else could we have?
Pro Wrestling?
A Rodeo?
Monster Trucks?
Video Game Championships?
Body Building?
Film Festival. No wait, we already have that. Don't we?
Come on, Downtowners -- there are still a couple of weekends left where I'm allowed to be a business. We can't have that. Get with it, Chuck!
Since this is so good for business, why stop at the 13 peak weekends of summer or the 5 peak weekends of Christmas?
We storekeepers pay high rent all year long, so you should just maybe close the streets every weekend. People will assuredly come back in twice the numbers on weekdays to make up for it. Right?
I'm sure all us stores are just the sort of quaint backdrop that the weekend vendors in the middle of the street need.
Be sure and block all access to the stores, though. Lots of fences and stages and circling spandex and straw bales and big refrigerators and signs and canopies -- make sure the traffic flow isn't directed toward the sidewalks and stores but toward the center of the street and the visiting vendors.
Every once in a while, I might actually see a 'future' customer look away from the events toward my store. They look a little confused and disoriented to see an actual store there, but they quickly take a sip of wine and get over it. Their kids are running through the hay bale maze, afterall.
Why stop at the weekends, we could have a full time festival/carnival/flea market. Think of all the people that would draw!
And it's worked so well for Eugene and Coos Bay. Who needs the feeling of activity that actual traffic brings. The kids who hang out in the "dead zone" (city manager's words) near the river can spread out all over town.
We won't need parking, because I'm certain all the public spirited attendees of the year long festival will be happy to walk and bike long distances -- for a good cause.
Actually, come to think of it, you don't really need the stores at all. They just get in the way. I'm sure Hollywood has lots of real looking backdrops they are willing to unload.
Think of the fun everyone will have in a year long festival! Party on, dudes? I'm not important.
DEEP BREATH. O.K. I railed. But dammit, it's my livelihood.
Before anyone says, "if you don't like it, leave!" -- why should I? I was here first. I'd like to see a fully functional downtown.
I was very willing to accept a 'grandfathered' event scenario, where all current events continue, but no more are added.
I repeat: I was WILLING TO ACCEPT the grandfathered events, though I think there are too many. But, as far as I'm concerned, the compromise was immediately compromised...
But add, they did. And they also expanded the hours of the current events. (Nice loophole, that.)
They can't seem to help themselves.
I know I'm in the unpopular minority, here.
THE LOBBY: Look at the lobby for these events.
1.) The media, who reap advertising dollars as well as a good story. Sometimes, they are even the sponsor.
2.) The City of Bend, who reap the glow of an active town.
3.) The Downtowner organization, who justify their existence by creating these events.
4.) Event organizers, who sometime make a profit, and who sometimes contribute to non-profit. (How can I be against non-profit?)
5.) Vendors. Who benefit from a vibrant downtown without having to pay that pesky high rent all year long.
6.) The downtown businesses who actually do benefit, however many there are.
7.) And you. The biggest lobby of all. What am I trying to do? Take away your (FREE) fun?
What chance does the every day sales of a small business have against that?
And why should they pay any attention to us retailers? Other than to butter us up just enough to get the event, but not actually try to help during the event. (I still need to post pictures of the garbage pile the Summer Fest left in front of my store all day Sunday...)
After all, us retailers are mostly Mayflies, here today, gone tomorrow.
You've got:
A.) The Newcomers, who I guarantee you ALWAYS believe the assurances that it's good for business.
B.) The Oldtimers who don't like the events (I guarantee you I'm not the only one) but who see no percentage in taking on an unpopular opinion, especially since it probably won't change things.
C.) The True Believers, who actually do believe it helps, and since it truly can't be quantified, their guess is as valid as mine in the eyes of outsiders.
D.) The Doomed and the Clueless, who have never actually crunched the numbers or thought about it. Mayflies.
E.) The Go-Alongers. Probably the biggest group of all, who figure its a small plus or a small minus, who just close and take the time off, and who go along to get along.
So I'll ask only one thing of you all. Watch what happens over the next few years.
Is it all to the good? To the good of everyone?
Does anyone care?
1. I NEVER CLOSE. I'm a workaholic. I hate the idea of losing any possible sales.
A.) I'm open on New Year's.
B.) I'm open on the Fourth of July.
C.) I'm closed today.
2. SALES. Sales last week during the Cascade Criterion (which used to be called the Twilight Criterion and started at 7:00, but which has been moved to 2:00) were fine until 2:00, after which they dribbled to a stop. I left at 4:00, as did most everyone else on the street, at least those who bothered to open at all.
A. My sales in the 4 hours on Sunday following (no street closure) exceeded my
Saturday sales.
3. CARS AREN'T MY BAG. Yesterday, sales were half my average. I sold very few comics or books to the car folk, and since those are 70% of my sales... After the yellow tape went up, sales again dribbled to nothing. I closed at 5:00.
4.) ANOTHER? BIKE RACE? Today's closure is a NEW event. I repeat, another NEW street closure, although I was under the impression that they had already filled the quota of allowed closures.
It runs exactly into my normal store hours, and after my experience last weekend and this Saturday, I'm just not bothering to open up. This has been more or less a lost weekend.
But, Hey!, I've been assured over and over again that it's good for me.
Of course, this benefit -- like all advertising and promotion -- can't be quantified. Never mind that I CAN quantify the actual loss of sales on the day of the events, I should just take the promoter's assurances.
But you know what? I finally figured out that if all the customers are "coming back later" then I don't actually need to be there today.
Meanwhile, there are still a couple of peak weekends we haven't filled yet. Think of the events we could still bring in.
Since Cars and Bikes work so well for me, what else could we have?
Pro Wrestling?
A Rodeo?
Monster Trucks?
Video Game Championships?
Body Building?
Film Festival. No wait, we already have that. Don't we?
Come on, Downtowners -- there are still a couple of weekends left where I'm allowed to be a business. We can't have that. Get with it, Chuck!
Since this is so good for business, why stop at the 13 peak weekends of summer or the 5 peak weekends of Christmas?
We storekeepers pay high rent all year long, so you should just maybe close the streets every weekend. People will assuredly come back in twice the numbers on weekdays to make up for it. Right?
I'm sure all us stores are just the sort of quaint backdrop that the weekend vendors in the middle of the street need.
Be sure and block all access to the stores, though. Lots of fences and stages and circling spandex and straw bales and big refrigerators and signs and canopies -- make sure the traffic flow isn't directed toward the sidewalks and stores but toward the center of the street and the visiting vendors.
Every once in a while, I might actually see a 'future' customer look away from the events toward my store. They look a little confused and disoriented to see an actual store there, but they quickly take a sip of wine and get over it. Their kids are running through the hay bale maze, afterall.
Why stop at the weekends, we could have a full time festival/carnival/flea market. Think of all the people that would draw!
And it's worked so well for Eugene and Coos Bay. Who needs the feeling of activity that actual traffic brings. The kids who hang out in the "dead zone" (city manager's words) near the river can spread out all over town.
We won't need parking, because I'm certain all the public spirited attendees of the year long festival will be happy to walk and bike long distances -- for a good cause.
Actually, come to think of it, you don't really need the stores at all. They just get in the way. I'm sure Hollywood has lots of real looking backdrops they are willing to unload.
Think of the fun everyone will have in a year long festival! Party on, dudes? I'm not important.
DEEP BREATH. O.K. I railed. But dammit, it's my livelihood.
Before anyone says, "if you don't like it, leave!" -- why should I? I was here first. I'd like to see a fully functional downtown.
I was very willing to accept a 'grandfathered' event scenario, where all current events continue, but no more are added.
I repeat: I was WILLING TO ACCEPT the grandfathered events, though I think there are too many. But, as far as I'm concerned, the compromise was immediately compromised...
But add, they did. And they also expanded the hours of the current events. (Nice loophole, that.)
They can't seem to help themselves.
I know I'm in the unpopular minority, here.
THE LOBBY: Look at the lobby for these events.
1.) The media, who reap advertising dollars as well as a good story. Sometimes, they are even the sponsor.
2.) The City of Bend, who reap the glow of an active town.
3.) The Downtowner organization, who justify their existence by creating these events.
4.) Event organizers, who sometime make a profit, and who sometimes contribute to non-profit. (How can I be against non-profit?)
5.) Vendors. Who benefit from a vibrant downtown without having to pay that pesky high rent all year long.
6.) The downtown businesses who actually do benefit, however many there are.
7.) And you. The biggest lobby of all. What am I trying to do? Take away your (FREE) fun?
What chance does the every day sales of a small business have against that?
And why should they pay any attention to us retailers? Other than to butter us up just enough to get the event, but not actually try to help during the event. (I still need to post pictures of the garbage pile the Summer Fest left in front of my store all day Sunday...)
After all, us retailers are mostly Mayflies, here today, gone tomorrow.
You've got:
A.) The Newcomers, who I guarantee you ALWAYS believe the assurances that it's good for business.
B.) The Oldtimers who don't like the events (I guarantee you I'm not the only one) but who see no percentage in taking on an unpopular opinion, especially since it probably won't change things.
C.) The True Believers, who actually do believe it helps, and since it truly can't be quantified, their guess is as valid as mine in the eyes of outsiders.
D.) The Doomed and the Clueless, who have never actually crunched the numbers or thought about it. Mayflies.
E.) The Go-Alongers. Probably the biggest group of all, who figure its a small plus or a small minus, who just close and take the time off, and who go along to get along.
So I'll ask only one thing of you all. Watch what happens over the next few years.
Is it all to the good? To the good of everyone?
Does anyone care?