May 14, 2008

New Business

Some have accused my list of not being fair. Lets work on a new business list then. Admittedly there have been alot of new restaurants/bars in the Shrewsbury Street/Canal area.

Please post here new businesses the past 2-3 years other then these restaurants and bars and I will list them here.

13 comments:

John said...

There is a new seafood market accross the street from the YMCA on Main Street.

John said...

Also, you can add Kangaroo Crossing to the list of former businesses

Bill Randell said...

John:

The market across the street from the YMCA has been there for many years. They built a brand new building behind the old location, tore down the old building and put up a new sign..

Great job by the Dangs but would not qualify as a new business.

Sorry,

Bill

PS I will add Kangaroo

Anonymous said...

Would an existing Main St bar......enhancing itself by adding strippers.....qualify as as new business?.........I'd have to say IMO......Probably not........but its coming soon from what I read.

What about a new group home, 1/2 way house.......it is new.......again prob. not.........should non profits count....I say no.........b/c they only draw dollars out of my pocket.....but if they did count...........then every new 1/2 way house = a new bizz

what about a new law school?/

we got to define a new business or an old one that's closed

The New Wal Mart?.....still on drawing board

The new Shop rite on Southbridge


Didnt Kangaroo crossing close yrs ago or did it just move

Anonymous said...

this is all so sad to be quite honest that we always talk about this stuff-just waTCHED A NEWS REPORT on coppah being stolen...I'm going to leominster

Bill Randell said...

I am dead serious please forward me names of businesses, other then bars/restaurants on Shrewsbury/Canal area, that have opened in Worcester the past two-three years?

Telling you I came up with Sullivan Metals on Armory Street other then that?

SIGN MAN said...

How about staying in Worcester... does that count? Planned Parenthood moving to the hood 2009.... Problem Pregnancy already moved here end of Dewey St on Pleasant St..... Anyone interested in two building??? Right between this continuing war... Find me a new home in Worcester I will Stay!!!

Gabe said...

Thanks for the weekend research project Bill. I will have a list for you on Monday.

By the way, I think it might be a disservice to what is going on in the city right now to discount the effect of all the new eating and drinking establishments. I know that when I moved to Baltimore and was choosing a neighborhood to live in all the neighborhoods I narrowed my choices down to had one thing in common, lots of restaurants, lots of bars, and lots of shopping.

We need to attract new people to Worcester (like Paulie) to balance out all of the old Worcester attitudes.

I have said it before and I will say it again, quality of life is huge. There are plenty of jobs in greater Worcester, jobs are not the problem with retaining college students after graduation. It is quality of life. After four years they cannot wait to get the hell out.

Remember:
1. They stay here
2. They start a family here
3. They move to Holden, Shrewsbury, Millbury, Auburn
4. The kids are raised as Worcester kids
5. The circle of life repeats itself

I think there isn't much talk given to the overall effect of changing Worcester from the kind of place it is now, which is the butt of a state wide joke, to a place where people want to live and stay. It's a city, so the things that are going to make people want to live here and stay here aren't the same as in a town. Jobs are not the cities problem, jobs are a regional problem and should be being dealt with by our state legislators, not our city government. Education is a priority sure, but when was the last time you heard anyone say, "I cannot wait to move to (insert name of large city here) because the school system is amazing." I've never heard that.

Crime prevention and aesthetics (an area Worcester is severely lacking in) should be the cities 2 absolute priorities. An urban core that looks good and feels safe will improve everything ten fold. This is the foundation.

Paulie is correct that we need more of Worcester's influence living in the urban core but we also need to figure out how to get the young home owners (25-35) to even consider buying in the urban core. Over the past 3 or 4 years most of my group of friends in the city have become home owners. 2 on the Westside, 1 at Indian Lake, 3 in Greendale, and 2 around Lake Ave/Grafton St. Closest to the urban core is one friend on Main near Webster Sq Plaza and two on Lincoln and Vernon repectively. I even have two friends who bought outside of town in Fitchburg and Oxford. I would say eight out of ten of these people are people who would love nothing more than to live right in the thick of it. People who if they lived in Somerville would live in Davis, who if they lived in Baltimore would live in Canton or Federal Hill. People who if they owned in a tight urban community might get involved with neighborhood watch groups and neighborhood planning groups. People who help shape a vibrant urban community. Instead we've got we have, which is subsidized housing alongside renters who are only there because of the price and can't wait to get the hell out.

So yeah, I have gone on for long enough. Restaurants and bars might seem insignificant to some, but to me they are a sign that people are spending time in the urban areas of the city again, and in my book, that's a reason to smile, because it could be a sign of good things to come.

Gabe said...

I thought I was done, but just one more thing to illustrate my point.

Over the weekend I was down visiting some friends in Providence. They are probably in their mid to late forties. They met in Providence, started a family, bought a house in Kingston, raised their kids and sent them off to college. As soon as the kids reached college age what did they do? They sold the house in the suburbs and got the the hell back to the city. They have an awesome place just off of Hope Ave. They were telling me how just the other night they strolled down to the Mexican place just down the street. It's something they do every week. They were telling me about the great bar around the corner. They were telling me about the baptist church next door and how everyone dresses to the nines for service every Sunday. They were telling me about the large hassidic population in the neighborhood. In short, they were telling me about the VIBRANCY of the neighborhood. And on the way in my buddy, who just bought a home up by Indian Lake, was asking what I liked so much more about Providence.

Anonymous said...

Platinum Premiere opened up in the Chrystal Palace's spot and Hurricane Betty's opened up in the Lamplighter 1's spot .... or so I have heard...

;-)

Harry Tembenis
Worcester, MA

Anonymous said...

Gabe, I enjoyed reading your post, however I really disagree with your position that state legislators (or any pols) are going to solve our jobs problem.....be it a Worc jobs problem, a ragional jobs problem or even a state wide or nationwide jobs problem.

People like McGovern, Murray, Deval, and our city council ARE THE PROBLEM.

Take a look at our electric rates, our water/sewer rates, our property tax rates, our city public school system, our inefficient city labor force, our police details, & our payroll tax rates and ask who is responsible for the high costs of doing business in Mass? The politicians. The problem is these pols are continually re-elected by the public employee job sector. We now have a system where cops, firemen, teachers, DPW workers, etc can indirectly vote themselves money form the public treasury via the voting booth. This will only end when the money eventually runs out.

Look at the cost cutting recommendations of the Worc Municipal Research Bureau that our city council or school committee will NOT touch, nor ever implement.

aNYONE WHO HAS ISSUES WITH the general types of people living in our urban core......need only look to the the policies of our pols for an explanation as to why in some hoods people are chilling on the front porch all day long.........people who BTW, dont work the nighshift

Sign Man, I am sorry, i dont think we can count Planned Parenthood (speaking of 'hoods) or Probelm Pregnancy as new businesses (if that's what you were saying) .....they were both previously on lower Lincoln st....just beyond Lincoln Plaza...does Planned Parenthood purposefully locate in lower income areas??....prior to Lincoln St they were in the Commerce Or Slater building.....but that was causing too much of a protesters ruckus on the sidewalk everyday.....put em back downtown and liven up Main st?

Anonymous said...

Gabe was also great in 'Welcome Back Kotter' ...

Bill Randell said...

Gabe:

Agree with many of comments note new post, but we can not wait for the Commonwealth to help bring jobs to Worcester. We need to do things here.

Sign Man, Jahn is correct. A business that moved within the city limits does not qualify as a new business.

Bill