Getting Engaged
I actually predicted this: after doing interviews and writing a story about the upcoming opening of the Bricktown Red Dirt Marketplace, I expected there would be some folks at www.okctalk.com who would automatically throw rocks, call it a flea market and dismiss it as being relevant at all in the effort to bring more retail to Bricktown.
Ah, the experts. The all-knowing experts who know everything – online.
Where are the Saks Fifth Avenues? Where are the Nordstrums? Where are all the wonderful high end retailers that should be bringing downtown to life?
Now, one could try to make this a debate over old/new media. Whatever. That’s not what’s going on here. I’m daring to suggest that the people with such expectations need to be better informed. And that doesn’t mean read and believe what I’m reporting. Do your own digging. Do your research. Get involved and find out for yourselves what is and isn’t possible.
One venue for doing so is to get involved with the local chapter of the Urban Land Institute. Yes, it does include developers, real estate professionals and property owners. But it also includes planners and regular urban dwellers and folks out in the community.
This isn’t the first time I’ve dared people to get off their keyboard to get a better understanding of their community. And to the credit of some, it’s a dare that’s been taken up in the past (Kudos to Midtowner at OKCTalk, who often keeps me on my toes, for showing up at a ULI session last year).
There are other means for staying better informed (beyond this whole new media/old media thing) that include local rotary clubs (Bricktown, MidTown, Club 29), Urban Neighbors, the current Let’s Talk Transit sessions, the monthly Bricktown Association meetings (which I believe welcome guests), and let’s not forget, the weekly city council meetings.
Not only is almost certain you’ll end up being better informed by getting involved with these groups, but you’ll also likely enjoy some good friendships.
Of course, it’s easier to just type on a compute. And I doubt anything will stop those who prefer to just go online and throw rocks at those trying to make a difference.
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Comments
I’ve been assured there will be no “Velvet Elvis” or “Dogs Playing Poker” paintings sold at the market. Maybe we can get Chad Huntington to do a guess post explaining what they’re attempted to pull off.
No offense Steve, but you’re being way too touchy about this. I don’t think anyone ever said the market is bad, but you did present it as the fix-all for Bricktown retail.
As for the ones who called it a flea market, well who cares. Obviously their opinion isn’t worth much if their opinion is this is a flea market (which ironically, metro did start a thread with the “inside scoop” on a new flea market in S OKC.
I realize I have done some computer typing, probably more than should be tolerated. But it’s pretty difficult to attend meetings of al different stripes when you go to school in Calgary. I did make a transit mtg when I had an interview in Norman, but that’s the best some of us can do. There are expats all over North America living in urban cities who want to return to OKC.
I guess the smart folks at oktalk were not present at the ULI study.
Big retailers ain’t coming to downtown OKC.
Slim. That’s not what was said. It was said big retailers aren’t going to be downtown for the near-future. It will be a couple years before we can even begin to build up some quality retail.
You are being a bit sensitive about this. A bit too much. Very few people out of that whole thread called it a “flea-market”. And there were a lot of concurring opinions with yours.
You’re making it seem everyone single poster at OKCtalk are online trolls.
On a flight from LA to Denver about a year ago I happened to be seated next to a very attractive woman. In conversation I found out she was a buyer for Nordstrum’s. After some conversation I asked her about the possibility of them locating a store in the OKC metro. After she quit laughing she informed me that there was a zero chance of that happening. I then pressed the subject, giving numerous references to our cosmopolitan coming of age. There were quite a things about OKC she was not aware of but still saw no way that a store of Nordstrum’s reputation ever locating in OKC. We have a lot of work to do.
Steve, would be happy to guest blog about it soon. Although the size/type of space and the transaction aspects are quite different (we serve as the staff for the retailers who rent space), people who have visited Faneuil Hall/Quincy Market in Boston or Pike Place Market in Seattle will understand the FEEL of what we hope to accomplish.
Another place that was an inspiration for us actually existed in Bricktown in the 1990s. Many will remember the Bricktown Mercantile as a place that made you believe the sky was the limit for interesting, local retail in the district. I always felt that place was 15 years ahead of its time and would do incredible business were it open in the district today.
The reality is that this product is borne out of the reality that rents are so incredibly high for commercial space. “Mom and Pop” can’t afford it. Therefore, this is a great solution to carving out a space where they can thrive.
I think that the same some could be said of food. The Little Rock “River Market” (its a public market, is of the same vein in concept.
We should take notice.
Well, Chad, if you’re aiming for an experience like what you can find in Boston at Quincy Market, then I’m on board!
Reggie,
That is definitely an inspiration for us. One of my partners is from Boston originally. I’ve been to Quincy Market a couple of times myself and loved it. I believe that type of FEEL can ultimately be pulled off down here, especially if we can have a critical mass of places like our own.
Now, as a disclaimer, I will again stress that the space, 6,000 feet, low ceilings, etc., is obviously NOTHING like Quincy Market or most of Pike Place Market. But they were inspirations, and show what can be done with stalls and a diverse tenant mix in an area frequented by locals and visitors. The River Market in Little Rock that Jeff mentions is another example, and a place I have visited multiple times over the past several years.
One of the great things I saw in Little Rock, by the way, was a converted warehouse bookstore/coffee shop, whose used books were actually surplus books from the LR library, and whose profits benefit the LR equivalent of OKC’s Friends of the Library.
I was in Kansas City this weekend staying on the Plaza. It was packed with people on Sunday , many my age, 60ish. We seldom see this age group in Bricktown. I’m convinced free parking is a start to the answer of attracting that group and then retail to follow.
Without free parking through out Bricktown, I don’t ever see significant retail ever happening.
People in Okc will not shop if they have to pay to park to do it.
The marketplace is a great idea. I may be wrong, but I’m picturing the type of small stall-like shops they have at Fanueil Hall in Boston. Those are great and there have been numerous “stalls” that went on to open full-size shops in the Quincy Market area. A perfect idea and I hope it really takes off as far as retailing goes. There are plenty of current businesses in OKC that couldn’t open a full size shop now, but could open a small stall and perhaps if business is brisk, will go on to open a full store in the future. A great jumping off point and cudos to the Red Dirt Emporium guys.