What's Not to Admire In Old Town, Wichita?
After taking the You Tube tour of Wichita last week and posting Patrick’s review of his visit, it’s time to take a closer look. First question: if Oklahoma City is bigger than Wichita, and Bricktown is a bigger regional destination, than why the disparity in retail?
Let’s look at the shops that can be found in Old Town, Wichita:
Above and Beyond Gifts, Aidia’s Brighton Jewelry, Andy’s Custom Woodworking, Automobilia, Beadazzled, Zieglers antiques, Catholic Book Store, Ceros Candy, Stewarts Jewelry, Sand Bar Trading, Heartland Bike, Razooks Furniture, Meade Street Gallery, and at least a dozen more stores that include art galleries, camping goods, clothing, etc.
And Bricktown? Well, it has Firefly Clothing, the Bricktown Visitor Center, Oklahoma’s Red Dirt Emporium and The Painted Door.
That’s it, folks. Which area do you think is more desirable for visitors, shopping wise?
So here’s a secret between just us: parking in Old Town is free. Think that makes a difference?
But here’s another comparison:
For all the scares of gang violence in Bricktown two years ago, Old Town has had it much, much worse. Homicides, stabbings, shootings… multiple people wounded. Ask police in Bricktown and they will tell you that some of Bricktown’s past troubles began in unmanned parking lots where young trouble makers with nothing better to do ended up fighting.
Is free parking also to blame for Wichita’s problems?
One can draw all sorts of conclusions here, and clearly there is anecdotal evidence that free parking can spur far more retail than what we’ve seen in Bricktown to date. But that same path also poses a more troubling question – if the city were to introduce free parking in Bricktown, could it do so without encountering the same problems as is being faced by Old Town?
Now, as for Memphis …. take a good look at those You Tube videos again …
As lively as it appears, the streets also look hagard and worn-out. It does not appear as if the city has put the care into streetscapes that we’ve seen locally or in the other downtown You Tube visits to date.
According to a study assembled by Downtown Memphis a couple of years ago (a report that confirms reports I’ve heard from people who visited downtown Memphis), the popularity of downtown Memphis has come with crowds that can be unruly, illegal outdoor alcohol sales, con artists selling rip-off merchandize, crime and thefts.
And Memphis’ play to become a major league city by luring an NBA franchise is not going so well. Is there anything to this story that OKC can learn from before the arrival of the Sonics?
Crime, meanwhile, isn’t a given with a revitalized downtown. But it’s a danger that can pop up quickly when growth occurs unchecked, and without any long-term planning or contemplation of unintended consequences.
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Comments
Well, yes, of course we have Bass Pro.
As for drawing more visitors… not sure if that’s the right question. What’s more important – which district draws more visitors, or which district makes the best impression on its visitors?
I’m not sure that the types of stores that are found in Wichita’s Old Town are exactly what we might want in Bricktown. We have the craft shops and art galleries in the Paseo and Automobile Alley. Clothing is starting to pick up (in Lower Bricktown mostly- where parking is free with receipts).
So maybe free parking is the answer to encouraging mainstream retail. But free parking lots can still be monitored, as the Lower Bricktown lot occasionally is. Even a chest-high hedge around parking lots would prevent hoodlums from gaining convenient access to the convenient boxing ring.
In any case, I’m banking on the true retail neighborhoods being further north in the Flatiron District, Automobile Alley, and 10th Street. Plus Core to Shore and the new boulevard, of course.
Andrew, you’re onto something… so, please, continue … this blog needs to represent the experience and thoughts of all, not just me.
I’m not so sure Wichita went through the urban renewal mess we went through in the 60’s and 70’s either.
Wichita endured some urban renewal, but they left much more of their downtown intact, and Old Town across the tracks seems to have been untouched.
Some other things worth noting about Old Town: There are two hotels — not off to the side, but mixed in, which means people are around at times other than the evening. I noticed, too, that many warehouse buildings have been converted to condos, and others have been turned into office space. So Old Town is more of a mixed-use area than Bricktown is, at least so far.
Old Town also has one of the best barbecue joints anywhere: B&C Creations on Washington Street.
Michael, as a Tulsan with quite a bit of observation on urban development, do you think the addition of the Hampton Inn and Holiday Inn into the Bricktown mix will have the same impact as the hotels in Wichita? Or is it a stretch to compare the hotels in Wichita, since they are a higher end product than those being built in Bricktown?
I’m not familiar with the location of those hotels. They would have the most impact close to the core of Bricktown, less if they’re over in Huge Parking Lot Land by Bass Pro. Over by Bass Pro they’d just be another couple of hotels right off the interstate.
The Hampton Inn is being built next the ballpark, immediately east of the parking garage. The Holiday Inn will be built at Oklahoma Avenue and Main Street, across from CityWalk.
maybe the question is…does Bricktown need Higher end hotels, or more rooms for the price sensative? An arguement could be made that the two new hotels will help drive more people into Bricktown that previously would have only stayed in the I 40 & Meridian area.
Bricktown needs new developments that aren’t restaurants or nightclubs in order to really prosper.
Ok.
Regardless of reality the supposed “parking problem” there is a perception that parking is difficult and expensive. The difficulty is mainly because nobody really knows much about parking downtown. If the public was better educated, then the complaints would subside. Regarding the expense, I can understand not wanting to pay just so you can park for dinner near the restaurant…I don’t like doing that. The same goes for shopping. Nobody wants to pay $5 to shop 3 stores. If there where 20-30 stores, there would be no complaints. Would free parking help? Sure, but is only one component of the problem.
Retail needs density as well. Why do you think developers never plan more than one or two stores in a particular area? Retail thrives when other retail is nearby. There are stores that are destinations for some shoppers and some store that attract different other shoppers, when both type of retail are near each other, shoppers from one type of store will find their way into the other.
I hear many people say that there needs to be “rooftops” for retail to take off in Bricktown. I would disagree. Quail Springs became a shopping Mecca long before there was the residentail development that exists there now, as did many major shopping areas. It’s not rooftops that are hindering the growth of retail in DT.
Lastly, what I think is the major problem with retail in Bricktown is the expense of leasing space there. Why open a retail store in an area with sporadic shopping traffic, when you can get cheap rent in an area with a traffic count like Memorial Road? It’s simple economics. Until Bricktown property owners decide to ditch the greed, their buildings will be empty and the grown of the district will be stunted. Create the desire to retail in Bricktown, then use your building to make a profit, not the other way around.
That’s all I got for now…lata.
Ok.
Regardless of reality the supposed “parking problem” there is a perception that parking is difficult and expensive. The difficulty is mainly because nobody really knows much about parking downtown. If the public was better educated, then the complaints would subside. Regarding the expense, I can understand not wanting to pay just so you can park for dinner near the restaurant…I don’t like doing that. The same goes for shopping. Nobody wants to pay $5 to shop 3 stores. If there where 20-30 stores, there would be no complaints. Would free parking help? Sure, but is only one component of the problem.
Retail needs density as well. Why do you think developers never plan more than one or two stores in a particular area? Retail thrives when other retail is nearby. There are stores that are destinations for some shoppers and some store that attract different other shoppers, when both type of retail are near each other, shoppers from one type of store will find their way into the other.
I hear many people say that there needs to be “rooftops” for retail to take off in Bricktown. I would disagree. Quail Springs became a shopping Mecca long before there was the residentail development that exists there now, as did many major shopping areas. It’s not rooftops that are hindering the growth of retail in DT.
Retail needs density as well. Why do you think developers never plan more than one or two stores in a particular area? Retail thrives when other retail is nearby. There are stores that are destinations for some shoppers and some store that attract different other shoppers, when both type of retail are near each other, shoppers from one type of store will find their way into the other.
I hear many people say that there needs to be “rooftops” for retail to take off in Bricktown. I would disagree. Quail Springs became a shopping Mecca long before there was the residentail development that exists there now, as did many major shopping areas. It’s not rooftops that are hindering the growth of retail in DT.
Hey Steve, I was browsing news on other cities and came across something that made me write about Wichita’s downtown arena project. Basically they have plans to tear down a few old buildings for grass that will surround a hideously bland new arena. That’s it in a nutshell. Thought you’d be interested in maybe seeing the details since I can’t figure out how to post an image in a comment, here’s a link:
http://downtownontherange.blogspot.com/2009/01/arena-talk-wichita.html
Hey Nick I posted this on your blog, too. Check out the pics of the new arena. It’s not ugly and the two old buildings you were worried about are still standing and in the process of being restored. One’s on the National Register, I believe.
You are right that Bricktown is limited in retail, but did you mention Bass Pro? Also, even though Toby Keith’s is a restaurant, you might be surprised at the amount of retail sales they do. Lit Clothing should be opening by Starbucks within the next couple of weeks.
Free Parking in Witchita can be both a positive and a negative, my question is which district draws more visitors?