Paper or Plastic

The downtown grocery store will finally open in October according to this article in the Post-Gazette. The location should be fine for downtown residents -- it's an easy walk from most of the new buildings that are opening, and manageable from the residential buildings in Gateway Center as well. I can't imagine this will do much business with workers picking up something on the way home. This just won't be on the way for most people who work downtown. The issue will be whether downtown residents can provide enough business to make this venture viable. One thing that's encouraging is that Robin Fernandez is backing this venture. Fernandez is the one who saw the potential for the Strip District as an entertainment destination, then was smart enough to get out before it came crashing down.

One problem solved

The problem parking lot at Liberty and Smithfield is no longer a problem. The entire lot has been fenced in, presumably so they can start construction on the African American Cultural Museum. Also gone are the planters, which had been serving as de facto park benches.

So the guys who have been running drugs and hookers out of that lot will have to find a new spot.

Do Boutiques fit in Downtown retail?

Read this story in the Tribune about boutique stores and how they fit into the Downtown retail scene. That's obviously worked in other places like Walnut Street in Shadyside and Murray Avenue in Squirrel Hill. Would it work Downtown?

Obviously the parking issue is big. Then there's the matter of whether stores would be clustered to create a zone of boutiques. I don't think it works if there's one boutique amid the usual clutter of fast food places and office buildings.

The obvious market for Downtown business is people who work in the area, and those who live Downtown, once that gets up and running. Is it enough to sustain a business? We know that Downtown can't simply duplicate what people get in malls that offer free parking and a multitude of stores under one roof.

Remember Lums?

Lum's was a chain restaurant that had a location on the corner of 7th and Liberty. It opened in the middle 1970s. Not sure when it closed. It was one of those sit-down places with a wait staff that was an alternative to fast food, but still with fairly modest prices.

The house specialty was a hamburger called the "Ollieburger," named after the chain's founder. The key to the Ollieburger was the secret sauce. On the way to looking up something else, I stumbled across the recipe for the Ollieburger. It's available here:

http://www.cyber-kitchen.com/ubbs/archive/SANDWICHES/Beef_Lums_Ollieburger.html

for anyone who might want to create the Lum's experience. It appears the whole chain has gone out of business.

Downtown used to have a bunch of those "middle" places which were a step above the fast food locations with plastic trays, but a notch or two below the spots that gave you concern about the cost. Some of the others I remember along those lines were Palmer's, Stouffer's and Sweet William.

Market Square

Good to see them shut down a barber shop in Market Square that was believed to be a site for drug dealing.

Now what else can they do with the Square? It's been suffering for some time, mostly because the homeless congregate there. It should have places to sit and relax, but that becomes an open invitation for people who have nowhere else to go and nothing to do. There are still some businesses hanging in there, like the Oyster House, but the whole area is very fragile right now. How many places have tried and failed in the space that used to be G.D. Ritzy's?

Not sure what the plan to re-route buses away from the Square will do. It's clearly an area that depends on foot traffic and some of the businesses that used to help generate that -- like G.C . Murphy and the National Record Mart -- are long gone. Sad to see salvage stores and their downscale wares occupying what used to be solid retail spaces.

Hookers and crack

If you're looking for either, there's an open air market every night at Liberty Avenue and Smithfield Street. Just look for the parking lot on the corner and the independent businessmen who operate there.

This goes on in full view of everyone. Meanwhile, Mayor Luke Ravenstahl is out stalking Tiger Woods.

Is this any way to run a city?

Be careful

Here's a story that comes from a tenant in the Clark Building.

There was an early evening not too long ago when a fight broke out among some of the kids who congregate in front of the Wood Street T station. Nothing huge, just usual teenage stuff. A security guard from the building stepped outside to see if he could do anything to help.

One of the kids lifted his shirt far enough to show the guard he had a gun. That's the degree of the problem the city has there, and it isn't being addressed by anyone.

Someone wake up Mayor Luke's puppeteers and tell them that quality of life issues matter. People don't go where they don't feel safe. Clean it up.