Chris Steele proposed the idea of a ‘cash mob’ in Newton last week. Here’s a video about an attempt to do the very same thing in Brookline.
Brookline holds ‘cash mob.’ Could it happen in Newton?
by Greg Reibman | Apr 9, 2012 | Newton | 6 comments
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Ok, three thoughts off the top of my head:
1- No way am I wearing that hat or anything like it
2- My understanding is that a successful cash mob is organized in advance
3- Again I say, no hat!
Could it happen? Sure. Will it make anything but a very short-term difference? No.
We have serious structural problems.
The US has something like 20 sq. ft. of retail per person. Canada has 15. The next highest country is Sweden with 3.5.
Into the mid-60’s, the US had something like 80% of retail in a downtown setting. Now, it’s 2%.
All the cash mobs in the world aren’t going to overcome the fact of the Mall at Chestnut Hill, the Chestnut Hill Shopping Center, Needham Street, Chestnut Hill Square, and the acres of mall in Framingham/Natick.
No, Sean. This is distinctly not a long term or structural fix. It’s not intended to be. But when done well it can help get the community begin to at least recognize that these stores are still there. (and yes, it does give a little short term cash blip to the stores)
Then, it’s up to the community as a whole to decide whether these areas are worth saving. It’s a debate worth having, but the stats you cite are very real, and a very large threat to the viability of our centers. It’s actually even more difficult in our case due to the decentralized Village nature of our neighborhood centers.
Nonetheless, these centers do contribute the the fabric of what we think of as “Newton.”. Put another way, I’m sure a lot of people either remember and value these places from their past, or we’re drawn to them when they made the decision to move here in the first place. Whether and how that means they will support them financially is another matter.
There are good ideas which have been tried and succeeded around the country and elsewhere (such as the Mainstreets program) which we can learn from. And, I do think it’s worthwhile to help these places transform and survive.
Chris,
We’re agreed that villages are what make Newton, Newton. But, as your post reflects, it’s more a matter of nostalgia than current vitality. We are complete agreement that there are significant challenges because the villages are decentralized. And, though you might doubt it, I would also like to see the villages flourish.
But, you (and many others) don’t seem to want to take on some of the fundamental changes that are most likely to make a difference:
* Significantly greater density in the immediate vicinity of the village centers
* An explicit effort to consolidate revitalization on a few of the village centers, even if at the expense of others
* A radical rethinking of what activities a village center might support, with a significant shift of emphasis away from retail
Ultimately, the problem is that we are all too aware that the stores in the village centers exist. There isn’t a book-buying adult in Newton, I would venture, who wasn’t aware of Newtonville Books, yet it was failing in Newtonville. The problem isn’t visibility or a lack of interest in successful village centers. The problem is that our village centers can’t compete.
A couple of years ago we did do a cash mob, only we didn’t have that terminology. We parked a couple of bikes in a metered parking space in front of Newton Centre JP Licks (and duly paid the meter); this drew another dozen bikes and the occupation of another parking spot (this is legal, by the way). Lots of ice cream was purchased, the festive atmosphere drew more customers, and the JP Licks business manager was thrilled.
Sean,
To further your thoughts: Though you may doubt it, I agree that we do in fact need to take on the fundamental challenges that the village centers face. They simply cannot compete as is. They do require some form of restructuring, both economic and physical. Those conversations are happening, but we also need to continue to promote along the way.