My downtown Norwich wish list
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve wished for a wider variety of stores to chose from in downtown Norwich. The selection isn’t quite what it used to be, and I could probably think of dozens of shops that I would love to see gracing one of the now empty store fronts on Broad Street. I know Commerce Chenango has a business wish list, and probably a lot of other organizations have created them as well, but here is my own business wish list.
• Shoe store – call me girlie or obsessive or whatever you want, but I enjoy the occasional shoe shopping expedition. I can’t count the number of times that I’ve broken a shoe or needed to find something to go with an outfit and the limited local offering has left me wanting.
• Clothing choices – No offense to McLaughlin’s or Fashion Bug – both stores have nice clothing choices – but Norwich could really use a little more selection when it comes to clothing stores. A little more variety would be a blessing in this area. Especially if we could attract a store with a bigger variety of children’s clothing.
• Music store – I know itunes has diminished the need for a real music store, but I still enjoy going in an actual store, picking up a CD and taking it home with me. Since I’m an adult, I think I should be able to buy a CD, even if it has curse words in it, and listen to the whole thing as the artist intended.
• Toy store – Downtown Norwich has food, ice cream, movies, books, clothes and jewelry, but unless you want to go outside the city limits to WalMart, you’re not going to find much in the way of toys.
• Crafts – Last year I tried desperately to find some last minute candy molds to make favors for a wedding shower I was hosting. After searching all over Norwich and the surrounding areas, I finally gave up and made the trip to Binghamton. It was then that I realized that Norwich doesn’t really have any type of multi-purpose craft store. While there is a fabric shop, there are many other craft items that are impossible to find in the area.
My list could go on and on. Electronics and computers, a bigger variety of dinning options, or how about a place to grab a drink on a Sunday afternoon? I don’t know if any of the stores on my wish list will ever actually make their way to Norwich, but it would make for a vibrant and exciting downtown shopping area.
October 11th, 2008 at 6:57 pm
Right on target – now why is this never going to happen??
My personal opinion is the city does not want it. Before the chorus of no’s come out of the bleachers, let me clarify. There are organizations in this area that need a cleaning out. Let’s take Norwich BID as an example …
Norwich Business Improvement District has been granted funds to improve the business environment downtown. The track record so far in recent history has not been the greatest. Is the gazebo coming down for a stage to be built because we can’t get volunteers to come down to downtown events? But the money wasn’t around to hang flags from the downtown poles – because it would cost too much to care for the flags. But that’s okay the city workers won’t have to worry about the flags on the poles – they will have to be concerned with keeping the (locked?) bathrooms with the stage clean. The city police will enjoy the extra duty of protecting the stage from vandals. Is that before or after the slate in the sidewalks are removed – wasn’t there someone around to say that was a bad idea because the stone will crack? That’s okay – if I am shopping downtown I will find a parking space somewhere near Perry Browne School and walk in admiring the extravagant flower tubs. Maybe I can swing by the new office at the Eaton Center – since the office in downtown Norwich across from the post office was not sufficient. We will leave out that downtown is in an Empire Zone – but it seems no one takes advantage of that flawed state program. We will continue dressing the economic “pig” even though any smart business entity looking at downtown for a place of business will still smell the stink of economic depression. There is some excellent places of business downtown (the ones that have not left – read disappearing places like Brightman’s, Hirsh’s, All-American, AAA, Corner Cigar, etc.) – I wish they can get out of paying any “BID tax” for some of these antics.
I feel that the goal of the Business Improvement District (or corporation or whatever the new name the director has a whim to call it) has gone awry. I thought the primary goal of BID was to improve the business environment in downtown Norwich. To this casual observer, that is not happening. I would think I would hear about the tax credits businesses would be eligible for. I would like to hear about grants being pursued for businesses to expand. I thought I would see over time the disappearance of empty store fronts downtown. Whoever is running BID – do they have a degree in microeconomics or any knowledge about economics to improve the area? When it comes to helping businesses get true economic grants – BID is clueless. I really feel whoever is making money from the extra tax burden placed on downtown businesses should be arrested for fraud.
Jessica you want to know why your wish list will probably remain just a wish list. Take a close look at the “business improvement organizations”. You will see more businesses disappear – or head just outside city limits – before you see the businesses you list move into downtown Norwich.