This issue came up at Civic By Design on Tuesday, during a talk from AIA’s Phil Kuttner and YMCA’s Jarrett Royster. The AIA has been working for months to come up with some plans for the Central Avenue “international corridor” of ethnic restaurants between Eastway and Eastland Mall. (Note: This is just a recommended way of looking at things, will have no force of law or any city requirements. Though come to think of it, even the city’s own adopted plans have no force of law. But I digress.)
Lots of interest in the room, of course. But Nancy Pierce of Merry Oaks neighborhood (and a gazillion other local activities) mentioned that after East Charlotte folks noticed the severe lack of Starbucks, Caribou Coffee, Kinkos and other well-known and useful businesses in their part of town, they asked retailers and were told that the “International Corridor” reputation might be part of the problem keeping those businesses away.
Well, said a few folks on Tuesday, we don’t want those chains anyway. We prefer authentic, locally owned businesses.
Later, Tom Warshauer from the city’s Economic Development department, mused that many people see chains such as Starbucks as validation.
What do you think? Would you rather have Starbucks or something local? Would you want Starbucks if it meant the local folks got squeezed out? Or is the whole neighborhood development evolution a process that residents really don’t have control of anyway? And what, if anything, could a local government do about any of that? (Other than finding a good BBQ joint, of course — see my previous. And if you think Bubba’s is great BBQ you need to get out more. As to Old Hickory House, that’s good barbecue for people who don’t really like N.C.-style barbecue. Mississippi people. Virginia people. Florida people.)
Oh, and please go to CharlotteEast.com and fill out their survey.