Downtown Night Life

[Towntalk]

Steve: While I agree with you that the city's planning commission hasn't done a good job historically the fact is that there is one whether you like them or not, and it's up to City council to see to it that they do the job they're paid for, no excuses accepted. Do it or tender their resignation.

By the way, city planners extend beyond the City Planning Commission and extend to City Council and the Mayor.

[AllanY2525]

I would like to see some of the "big box" stores try something innovative in the
downtown - perhaps with help and incentives from the city, the county and the
aid of the university's business school:  Smaller, "satellite" stores downtown. 

Corner grocery stores have to mark up their merchandise considerably just to survive
and make a profit.  The vast majority of people who patronize these small neighborhood
stores likely do so for one of two reasons:

a) They don't have convenient transportation to drive to the suburbs and shop at the
"big box" stores - so they walk to the corner store in their neighborhood and pay the
higher prices because they have no viable alternative.  Many low-income people fall
into this market segment - they cannot afford to own a car, and fall victim to corner
store prices, thereby wasting a lot of their already-scarce financial resources buying
food items, etc in these stores.

b) They might live in the neighborhood and have transportation, but they don't feel
like driving all the way to the suburbs for just a few items, or because the neighborhood
store is open at a time of day when the big stores in the suburbs are closed, ie: the
"convenience store" model of 7-Eleven and retail chain stores like them who are not
just "ghetto liquor and cigarette" stores.

The big box stores can easily undersell the little, locally owned "corner" stores
because they make their profits by doing a large sales volume - but they must do a
consistently large sales volume to support their huge "mega stores" in order to remain
profitable.  This is due to the large overhead expenses involved with running stores
of this size and range of products.

What if a company like WalMart were to open a small, regular grocery store downtown.
A "satellite" store, if you will.  Their operating expenses would be significantly lower
because of small retail space, fewer employees, etc.  Think about it - a "Mini-WalMart".

WalMart could use its bulk buying power - the very lifeblood of it's cheap prices - to make
the smaller satellite store a sustainable, cost-effective venture without having to do a huge
sales volume to accomplish that goal.  The smaller store could specialize in just groceries
and general household items that you would find in any other grocery store, and get its
supplies from the nearest full-size, full service WalMart (Liberty Township in this case)
and perhaps be owned and operated by the same people - and use the larger store's
network of suppliers and transporters to contain costs.

The strength of the WalMart brand, combined with a low overhead and bulk buying power
could be a winning combination for a small store downtown.

Home Depot is another candidate for a mini-store in the downtown.  They could open a
small retail space, with a pared down selection of goods - which would be determined by
thorough and careful market research - to find out what types of items that people
within close proximity to the downtown area - and those who would be willing to take a
short commute via public transportation - would want to buy, in sufficient volume to
make a mini store viable.

Like WalMart,  Home Depot has the bulk purchasing power to get products for their stores
and offer them at retail prices that few small, locally owned stores could even hope to
match - let alone beat.  The mini store could be owned and operated by the nearest full
size, full selection store - ie: Boardman on Rt. 224 - and be stocked by the same suppliers
and freight carriers, etc that supply the larger store in the suburbs.

Close proximity to the University, and the Police station would give customers a better
sense of security, as public opinion generally favors the downtown as one of the "safe
areas" of the city.

I truly believe that enough people within reasonable distance of the downtown would
patronize stores like these, if they were to locate there.  Their brand-recognition,
combined with careful market research and incentives, cooperation, etc from the city
and county could make them successful.

New jobs could be created downtown, other "niche market" stores such as Ron E.'s
food store - which does not complete directly with the "big box" stores - could
flourish because of the clientele that would be attracted to the vicinity by the
name-brand stores like WalMart, Home Depot, etc.

If the city could attract enough mini-stores that were owned and operated by the big,
name brands they might even be able to eventually open another mini-mall downtown,
thereby paving the way for small shops such as shoe repair stores, dry cleaning stores,
taylor shops, music stores, school supplies stores, a "Micro" MicroCenter computer store
could receive a large amount of traffic because of the university - here in Maryland, Micro
Center stores are even teaching short term classes for people who aren't even college
students!

The mini mall would not necessarily have to be a single, large building - the same effect
could be accomplished by small, individual retail structures placed in close proximity
to each other - and in close proximity to a centrally located parking facility.

Federal Plaza failed - true enough - but who says that these stores would have to be
located on the same street, or that the street(s) would have to be closed to traffic? 
As long as they could be placed within a couple blocks of one another and close enough
to parking spaces to encourage pedestrian traffic,  I think the concept of name-brand
mini-stores could work for Youngstown.

Having more residential space in the downtown is another important, contributing factor
to a healthy and vibrant business district.  The condos in the Realty building are a good
start - but more is needed to convince would-be vendors that it will be worth their while
to invest in a downtown location.

I seriously hope that Y.S.U. reconsiders the Wick-Pollock Inn as a commercial venture.
This would contribute the "critical mass" that retailers look for when they are considering
possible locations in which to expand their business.  Having the Convocation center close
to the Wick-Pollock would contribute towards making IT a viable business.

It all goes hand in hand:  Venues like the Covelli Center bring the people downtown,
a hotel like Wick-Pollock could keep them downtown for an extended period of time,
and stores and shops can get some of their money - while they are downtown.

[Youngstownshrimp]

Wow, excellent Ideas and even better if it all moves forward.  The idea of a antique store is unique and can fit in if done right and doesn't try to mimick the old approach of the whole street being antique dealers.  I could see a classy antique store like the Joshua tree or an utilitarian antique store that has Ytown memoribilia.

John, you should be the chief liaison officer for YTown, you seem to be promoting it the right way.

[john r. swierz]

     Next up is a Bakery shop! I know of a couple of people that are very interested in opening a store downtown. Wouldn't it be nice to have a good antique store downtown?

[Youngstownshrimp]

I have to say councilman Swierz is  and has always been a public leader who has the interest of Youngstown in his heart.  I have known the councilman for many years and although we had our disagreements, he is an upstanding  person.

To get down to business, I invited John to "The Village Pantry" to see a business model that has spread like fire throughout underserved communities such as the Amish.  This business has and can compete with the big box stores because it has a niche, most everything is repacked, throwback to the old general stores.  Bulkfoods.com is at the beginning of spreading into urban areas and John is correct, a store like this in YTown will work.  Although it is not a health food store, it is a food store incorporating healthy food into it's inventory just as customers evolve into demanding healthy foods.

I told John, that I will help as much as I can to bring a bulkfood store to downtown, but here is where we need help.  Everyone who really wants YTown to prosper, must nudge investors or someone wanting to open their own business.  Let's see if the MVOC can bring business in instead of driving them away.

[john r. swierz]

Last week I checked out Ron E.'s Pantry store in Poland . I believe that it could work in downtown Y-town. It had organic and gluten free products. A expended product live would help those already liven downtown. All that is needed is and investor.
McAllisters Ice Cream Shoppe should be open in about 2 weeks.

[jay]

We have to patronize the existing businesses in downtown Youngstown to make them successful.  If they succeed, other businesses will follow.

----

The caption on the front page photo could have been "What not to wear while walking through the snow in downtown Youngstown."

[Towntalk]

Nightlife comes alive in Youngstown, Ohio

http://www.vindy.com/news/2010/mar/07/things-will-be-great-when-youre-downtown/

This is a good sign, but we simply can not sustain nothing but bars and restaurants in downtown Youngstown. The city planners are going to have to look to bringing retail trade downtown ... stores that provide goods that we need.

If every building downtown is a restaurant and there's nothing else how can they sustain themselves ounce the novelty wears off?

Some while back, Jay pointed out this need, and as yet we haven't seen much improvement. We still have to go to the suburbs for 98% of the merchandise we neen.