Downtown Berkeley
I read an article recently about Downtown Berkeley's future. I found myself a little more reactive to this than I thought I'd be.
I've worked in Downtown Berkeley for years. On again, off again. I am currently working there again part time for fun. I miss it down there. Compared to what I do for eight hours a day, five days a week, this is paradise. I'm surrounded by familiar faces, sights and sounds. I took a long break from Berkeley about a year ago, and when I came back to begin my new employment, I found a few surprises.
Across the street (diagonally) from the Blockbuster was a Pegasus Bookstore. Independent. Cool, very Berkeley-esque. Directly across from Pegasus was Barnes and Noble, staring Pegasus down. Staring at them hard. I mean come on, who could compete with B&N? Bathrooms, coffee, seating, discounts. We all know the story, little book store gets squashed by BigName Bookstore(TM), people cry, show a bit of fair weather local support and then 6 months later can't remember what was there before.
But no, not this time. I was strolling along and when I came upon this corner I was greeted by a lot of brown paper covering the windows of Barnes and Noble. They had closed down. What? How could this be I thought. I look across the street and to my amazement, there is Pegasus, standing, lights gleaming in boastful exuberance. You could almost hear the trumpet fanfare declaring their victory. This befuddled me greatly. But eventually discarded all thoughts as I walked on and consumed my Grande No-Whip Peppermint Mocha.
Businesses have come and gone, some I don't even notice. The music store by Becketts closed down a few years ago, now replaced by a struggling computer store. The Gateway Store is only warmed once a year when they throw in the trash they call the Halloween Store. The other 10 months of the year its an eye sore. That article then pointed out to me the growing number of businesses that are closing and opened my eyes to others I've never noticed because its become just part of the scene. All the closed up doors and windows all blend in. I've become numb. And this is not good. Though I have to point out that they are closing the STD of a store called Ross Dress for Less that sits directly across from my place of employment. Along with the Shoe Pavilion.
So what should we do? I would love to see more retail. I often complain there are not enough places down there to shop. Hell,
Sigh. This isn't good. If they don't put in more retail slots two things are going to happen. The existing retailers are going to get slammed which is good for business because there is no where for consumers to go. Then once the customers realize that customer service is dwindling because the employees are so stressed from the extra customers, they'll leave. Next thing you know its another retailer tossing in the hat.
Perhaps I'll try to attend a few meetings, voice my opinion, even though I'm not a Berkeley resident, my voice matters. My voice is that of a frequent Berkeley visitor that has to look upon the closed up buildings, that puts money towards, that would like to bring friends back to time and time again.
