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Downcity/Providence Retail

AriPVD

By AriPVD
in Providence

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Liamlunchtray Burg

Liamlunchtray

Posted
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Also, perhaps a completely dumb idea, but is there any talk of making Weybosset a 2 way and closing a couple blocks of Westminster to traffic?

The Weybosset 2way thing is already in the works. As for closing any of westminster to traffic, I doubt they would try it after the Wesminster Mall debacle of the 60's/70's.

RKOAlbee-ProvidenceRI-1967.jpg

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basachs Burg

basachs

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The Weybosset 2way thing is already in the works. As for closing any of westminster to traffic, I doubt they would try it after the Wesminster Mall debacle of the 60's/70's.

Not originally from the area, and certainly not in the 60/70s, why was this a debacle? The picture makes it look like a nice place to walk/shop.

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Griswald Whistle-Stop

Griswald

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How is it that people are just discovering these lights, which have been hanging up for some time now. I'd say for at least two months. At first I thought is was part of some street festival where they close down Westminster St as they had done previously this summer. And no, I don't like 'em.

I think they've been there for a lot longer than that actually. Also I've had a bunch of friends visit from out of town, taken them to waterfire, walked around downtown, and everyone seemed to like the lights a lot. It's festive, and it probably makes it seem as if a lot must be going on since the whole street is lit up. But i agree that there is a better lighting solution - people may like what's there now, but there's nothing to compare it to. Maybe they could string lights around lamp posts or something, so as not to block the view of the building facades. Either way, more lights and signs will help bring people there, if not just for curiosity.

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Liamlunchtray Burg

Liamlunchtray

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I guess I naively thought it was taken in a rare moment of emptiness? :whistling:

So it was always empty? Any particular reason?

It does look very nice, and theoretically I like the idea a lot, but it just didnt work. It cut off the area from the rest of down town and became kind of dark and unsafe at night. People stopped coming (this was also greatly due in part to the advent of suburban shopping malls at around the same time). The lack of customers caused all the stores to close and it became a vacant wasteland. There is some footage of it from the mid-late 80's in the movie Complex World. It was a complete ghost town at that point. It's just like Cathedral Square - It may seem like a nice concept, but when was the last time you were actually there on foot?

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basachs Burg

basachs

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Thanks for the info. These types of areas do work in other cities though. Downtown Crossing is vibrant and somewhat closed to vehicular traffic. I definitely see the isolation issue.

And I cant wait till Cathedral Square is demolished to make way for Westminster to reconnect to our side of the city Liam. I never walk around there as you say. In fact I curse it everytime I go all the way down Westminster from my house and SMACK! there is it. I entertain visions of just going straight and crashing right into it.

I'll have to check out that movie...

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DaveRPI Whistle-Stop

DaveRPI

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actually cotuit, back in the 50's, 60's and early 70's the westminster mall and the other department stores downtown are where my whole family and their whole neighborhood [fed hill/armory] went shopping for everything back then. they lived on federal hill and would go "downcity" all the time to shop.... the late 70's and 80's spelled the doom for that area. i've heard all the stories about what it used to be like... i should have you sit down with my lil' old italian grandma and let her tell you some stories to catch you up on the local history... great stories, plus they used to stay stuff like "going to the mill" which meant going to the department store or something similar, always confused me when i was a kid, oh well

not that this is saying much either, but i think my mom and dad met as each other as young adults while 'hanging out' with friends downtown...

have a good weekend, spend your money downtown...

peace

i'm outta here

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Garris Town

Garris

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the westminster mall and the other department stores downtown are where my whole family and their whole neighborhood [fed hill/armory] went shopping for everything back then. they lived on federal hill and would go "downcity" all the time to shop.... the late 70's and 80's spelled the doom for that area.

This is what I don't understand... These neighborhoods (Federal Hill, the Armory, College Hill, Wayland Sq, etc) didn't go anywhere in the last 20 years, yet all their traditional retail options evaporated. It's not as if the population moved, and you could say, "Oh, yeah, downtown retail dried up when the West side's neighborhoods went downhill..." The people were still there, but their shopping options weren't!

Am I nuts to think that, even without all the new people who will be living downtown, that there's a market for people who live in Providence and want to shop in Providence? I'm going to be doing some holiday shopping this weekend, and I'll certainly be doing it in the city only!

- Garris

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ruchele Hamlet

ruchele

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Am I nuts to think that, even without all the new people who will be living downtown, that there's a market for people who live in Providence and want to shop in Providence? I'm going to be doing some holiday shopping this weekend, and I'll certainly be doing it in the city only!

I think you're right- but there will have to be a fairly big shift in what people expect from a shopping experience. When downtown Providence was booming, every-day items like clothes were comparatively more expensive than now, but also much better made. Now, the norm has become getting a lot of cheap stuff, cheap. People have also come to expect that their cars are the best way to get anything done. With those expectations, people have simply come to expect the big box/suburban mall model- it's what shopping has come to mean. So I think there needs to be a concerted campaign to show people that shopping can be better when it is not what they have come to expect.

I think the boom in farmers' markets in the past 10-15 years shows that people's shopping expectations can change, but will take a conscious effort on the part of downtown businesses to get people to put shopping downtown back onto their everyday radar.

Also- I think the success whatever happens downtown will depend on people who already live in the neighbrhoods of Providence, anyway. Even if 3000 wealthy folks were to move down there tomorrow, that just would not be enough shoppers/diners to keep things in business. There needs to be a lot of daliy activity, more than shoppers from out of town can provide, either. I think that's one reason a few of us on this board feel that it would really be a shame if the whole downtown was filled with really up-scale stuff- there's a much bigger market for a wider variety- people actually want and need stuff, as you point out Garris. I assume big fancy stores do a lot of thinking & market studies before opening, so that will probably be the saving grace (as long as landlords don't leave a store empty for years waiting for the maximum possible rent, a la Paolino)

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mr2448 Whistle-Stop

mr2448

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actually cotuit, back in the 50's, 60's and early 70's the westminster mall and the other department stores downtown are where my whole family and their whole neighborhood [fed hill/armory] went shopping for everything back then. they lived on federal hill and would go "downcity" all the time to shop.... the late 70's and 80's spelled the doom for that area. i've heard all the stories about what it used to be like... i should have you sit down with my lil' old italian grandma and let her tell you some stories to catch you up on the local history... great stories, plus they used to stay stuff like "going to the mill" which meant going to the department store or something similar, always confused me when i was a kid, oh well

not that this is saying much either, but i think my mom and dad met as each other as young adults while 'hanging out' with friends downtown...

"Going to the Mill" probably meant going to the Atlantic Mill Outlet in Olneyville on Manton Ave. That was a premier discount dept store at the time. In addition to Coats Field Shoppers in Pawt., Ann and Hope in Cumberland or some of the other early discount dept stores that began in Rhode Island.

Mark

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Cotuit Megalopolis

Cotuit

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I'm going to be doing some holiday shopping this weekend, and I'll certainly be doing it in the city only!

The December Providence Monthly is jam packed with info about Downcity Retail and neighbourhood shopping. It's really a terrific issue, one of thier best (The East Side Monthly people should walk to the other side of the office to see how it's done).

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JJK5 Hamlet

JJK5

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The December Providence Monthly is jam packed with info about Downcity Retail and neighbourhood shopping. It's really a terrific issue, one of thier best (The East Side Monthly people should walk to the other side of the office to see how it's done).

Thanks for the info! I had to google "Providence Monthly" but I found the article you were talking about. Gave me some good leads on where to get some Christmas shopping done.

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Cotuit Megalopolis

Cotuit

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Thanks for the info! I had to google "Providence Monthly" but I found the article you were talking about. Gave me some good leads on where to get some Christmas shopping done.

They are usually slow to get things online if they get online at all, I didn't even think to look.

Here's a link.

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Cotuit Megalopolis

Cotuit

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I'm curious to hear people's thoughts about Butterfield, our newest addition to Westminster.

I walked by tonight, I was on the other side of the street, and didn't go over to give it a close look, but from across the street, it looks great. I plan on checking it out in detail on Thursday.

I was hoping to get to the apparel design shop on Aborn before it closed (the reason behind my rush by Butterfield), but they never open on Mondays. :( Someplace else for me to go Thursday.

Here's the thing though, 'Butterfield' dumb ass name. :unsure:

PS. where the hell is Craftland going, and when's it opening? Did I walk right by it?

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Frankie811 City

Frankie811

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The December Providence Monthly is jam packed with info about Downcity Retail and neighbourhood shopping. It's really a terrific issue, one of thier best (The East Side Monthly people should walk to the other side of the office to see how it's done).

Just try to snatch a free copy of this publication when it hits the news stands. It usually gone within a few days. Not too sure if I want to subscribe, given the $ 30 a year cost.

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