Cross-promote, reach out, organize

David McIntire, super webmaster of the neighborhood website, writes:

The only way those businesses will survive is if their customers survive - that is moderate and lower income residents of African, Central American and Vietamese ancestry. If those residents are forced out by rising housing prices then the businesses will be forced to close. The owners aren't going to suddenly switch from Salvadoran groceries to wine and brie shops. The resturants might be able to adapt, if they are lucky, but the retail establishments, never.

I responded:

If you read the food section of the New York Times and the articles are to be believed, it is possible for cuisines and food stores to be attractive to a great variety of people. I have an entry in my blog from last week called "Richard's Rules for Restaurant-Driven Revitalization" which is relevant to this. The problem with Park Road now is the desolation that's been around it for so long. (And the failure of traditional "community development" or "economic development" strategies to value uniqueness and independent experiences.)

William H. Whyte (founder of Project for Public Spaces) did a whole lot of observation of what people did in public spaces in the book Social Life of Public Spaces. One of the things he discovered is that when people come up to a "hole" (break in the street fabric) they stop and usually turn around. That's something the individual store owners have nothing to with.

Stores in the greater Capitol Hill area like Roland's and the two stores on the 400 block of East Capitol (one on north side the other on the south--demonstrating btw the value of competition, each store is different, both are successful) show that this can be done (respond to changes in the marketplace and make money). There are plenty of examples around.

The thing that I said in my blog about restaurants though is relevant in a way to Dave's point. I think it's hard for more specialized cuisines to be successful in an immediate neighborhood because people won't frequent the place multiple times in a month, and that's what you need to get the $ volume.

I don't know anybody who doesn't like Central American or Vietnamese cuisine, African though people have less familiarity with. (An advantage NYC has is its population density which provides so many people able to financially support niche stores and concepts.)

Note to William and Dave -- (1) do an ethnic festival (if we really did a serious evaluation of A-M day it has a great diverse attendance, but the stuff there isn't comparable to more substantial ethnic festivals, (2) do you provide these places with an opportunity for occasional presence at your farmers market? Have the store owners do some cooking demonstrations that will build familiarity among residents as well as increase familiarity with the cuisines? Etc. (I am not volunteering...)

We have nothing to lose but our chains (in our thinking). (That doesn't mean ignore the point you make about displacement.)