RECENT COMMENTS
What would be good in this storefront?
There will be a community meeting on Saturday, January 23 at noon at the East End Library to discuss the use of the storefront at the corner of 22nd Street and Fairmount Avenue.
At the New Visions Civic League meeting on Saturday, January 9th, Mr. Joyner, owner of this property, came before the members to inform the membership that he has parties interested in opening a convenience store at this location. Mr.Joyner has previously refrained from renting the property to groups without the support of the civic league, and he came before the group this past weekend seeking input and support for the new venture.
Members of the civic league expressed their concerns, but felt that this matter needed to be presented to the entire community. The civic league has organized the meeting for residents to discuss and voice concerns, and to give suggestions or ideas of use for this location.
For further information, contact Mary Thompson at (804)648-7915.
All who live within a few blocks of “Wally’s” should definitely come out, even if just to hear what’s being said.
And others in Church Hill should come out too, because what happens here could one day come about in other locations throughout the neighborhood.
We have an incredible opportunity here to shape our already transforming neighborhood.
Baseball stadium.
Medical Marijuana Clinic
fairmount does not need another store so that people can loiter around all day
Why would anyone object to any business that wants to be there? More business is more tax base is more money for schools, roads and police in your area.
The cornerstores bring in headaches. I prefer that it sit vacant than be another beer market. Is there a cornerstore anywhere in the East End that the neighbors like having around?
Many residents of the Fairmount corridor are leery of the traffic, loitering, litter, and corner activity around the market at Fairmount and Mosby. Since the store at 24th and Fairmount burned and was demolished, the litter, loitering, drug dealing, and prostitution in the area have all dramatically decreased. Folks complain about the corner traffic outside the Family Market at 24th and Jefferson. The Blue Wheeler has the reputation as a negative attractor. The store at 23rd and Venable was a long-time nuisance. The Ocean Grocery on 25th is notorious.
With all of that said, Mr.Joyner wants to rent his building and these guys want to rent it and open a corner store. Unless someone steps up with a more wholesome alternative, I think that we have to accept this as inevitable and work to see how much influence we can exert to make them the best neighbor possible.
The recent conversations between Union Hill Civic Association and the Family Market are a model. If this is going to be a corner store, how can we work to make this a positive for the area? What can we encourage the owners to do to NOT make this as negative as it could be?
Does anyone know when/if/how the community would have input on what kind of ABC sales would be allowed at the location?
John, when a business wants an ABC license, they have to post legal notice somewhere – it may be in Style, Free Press, Times Dispatch, and/or on the building, I’m not sure of those details. The WHEN is when they apply (there’s a certain period after the application during which the ABC is open for comment); the IF is yes, the community has input; the HOW is what I’m not sure of – again, contact ABC, it might be by way of a hearing, it might just be letters and/or email. I know for sure the immediate community does have input. I remember neighbors in years past fighting permits on Jefferson Ave. and elsewhere.
The phone book has a gazillion phone numbers for the ABC board, info is 800-552-3200, web site seems to be http://www.abc.state.va.us for what that’s worth. Your explanation as to why corner stores can be a problem is very succinct and well put, thanks as always for all you do.
PLEASE GOD, no more corner stores, i am sick of picking up the trash, and having panhandlers in the area beg for change so they can get their “morning 40”. there is no reason to flood the neighborhood with these kinds of stores. we need more things like coffee shops, retail (the good kind), sandwich shops, bagel stores. I’m with John_m, let it sit. what is the condition of the place inside? is it restored or rundown, that may be a deciding factor as to what good could come out of it.
He’s restored it. He’s been holding out to make sure he only opens it to something that’s in the best interest to the community. We definitely owe it to him, and to ourselves, to take these comments and voice them at this meeting. It is very important as many of us as possible go to that meeting.
Also, I don’t think it’s enough for us to say what we don’t want; we should brainstorm what we do want. While it’s better dormant than detrimental, it’s better for the community that we find a positive use, rather than simply shake our heads. We can get ideas rolling here, and bring them to the meeting.
Plus, of all the people that read this, there have got to be connections to individuals that can make good things happen.
There needs to be a successful business model here. If the community wants a high-end wine and cheese and coffee and sandwich shop, you’ll have to be able to show that you will support that concept at a rate where the profits will be greater than a low end market would generate. The “corner markets” are there only because they make a profit. BTW, if there is public consumption outside these places, that’s something you can work with RPD and the ABC Enforcement division to resolve.
Where I grew up, before the day of the “big box” store, we had a downtown shopping district populated by:
A barber shop
A health food store
A 5&10
A hardware store
A dress store
A shoemaker
A butcher
A baker
A tailor
A candy store
A pet store
A deli
Etc!
It’s always been my dream to have a bookstore where we could have community meetings, literacy tutoring and a children’s story hour. I know that’s not realistic for here, but yes, there are businesses to support the community that DON’T sell single beers in paper bags!
Oh yeah…and for myself, I’d ask for a nail shop where I could get a decent pedicure without driving to Forest Hill.
I feel the last poster is on point. I would love to see a Bakery or a Restaurant of some kind. A corner store would work but it would have to be managed in a very different way. If you set a standard and maintain that standard the patrons will conform to it or they will not come back. To many times the owner surcomes to the will of the community around them and you wind up with another “headache” on the corner.
I would love to open a Cajun restaurant but my wife doesnt want to do that much cooking so to bad for the rest of the city.
For once, I agree with Christo.
I hope a lot of folks attend the meeting tomorrow/Sat 1-23-2010 at the East End Library.
This is a rare opportunity for the community to influence the future of neighborhood businesses throughout Greater Church Hill.