Some good reasons why people don't spend $$ here
This is a comment left on another post. This is what one person says about shopping and spending money (or not spending money) in the Grove.
It think it says it all in a nutshell, here in blue.
"To me, the Grove is for walking around. If I want to shop, I go somewhere where the prices are reasonable and the parking is, ahem, FREE! Grove merchants have an uphill battle when I can get things delivered to my door for less plus free shipping. Sorry, we don't have enough extra money to shop in the overpriced stores in the Grove. Property taxes make sure we don't have anything left over. Maybe when the economy gets better."
While Grove rents are over the moon, and merchants need to charge more so they can afford to say in their storefronts, one aspect here can easily be remedied. Free parking. Maybe the new BID can do something about that.
We are being told that we have autonomy now. How about with the parking issue? Coral Gables has free parking on Sundays. We can may start with Sundays. Free parking on Sundays?
It think it says it all in a nutshell, here in blue.
"To me, the Grove is for walking around. If I want to shop, I go somewhere where the prices are reasonable and the parking is, ahem, FREE! Grove merchants have an uphill battle when I can get things delivered to my door for less plus free shipping. Sorry, we don't have enough extra money to shop in the overpriced stores in the Grove. Property taxes make sure we don't have anything left over. Maybe when the economy gets better."
While Grove rents are over the moon, and merchants need to charge more so they can afford to say in their storefronts, one aspect here can easily be remedied. Free parking. Maybe the new BID can do something about that.
We are being told that we have autonomy now. How about with the parking issue? Coral Gables has free parking on Sundays. We can may start with Sundays. Free parking on Sundays?
posted by Tom Falco at 10:30 AM
YOU MAY NOT LIFT THE PHOTOS & TEXT. IT'S COPYRIGHTED INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY. YOU CAN HOWEVER SHARE A STORY ON SOCIAL MEDIA BY USING THE LINKS HERE.
For linking to this one story, just click on the time it was posted & just this story will open for sharing - only through social media. Not copying and pasting.
19 Comments:
Free parking is impossible. However I do believe the city can do a once a week thing. Or maybe a later hour start up or earlier end time.
The Grove always was and shall aways be a walking around place and why not with so many beautiful large parks facing a bay facing an ocean. People, artist, gays, straights use to just mill around and about, basically feeling good about making a connection without all the loud music and hassle and people and businesses with their hand out for high priced everything tourist trap sort of atomsphere. Then in came certain mentalities thinking they could profit on our thing and I enjoy seeing them come, waste their money keeping some of us old timers in business appearing to cater to their wants and needs---and then they are gone, only to have another fill the gap until, presto, we are getting back to some little laid back community. Just be patient and soon they shall all be gone, including the Grape.
Coral Gables has free parking on Sundays & Holidays
Free parking, reduced commercial rents/leases, A BID that spends our tax dollars wisely, merchants lowering their prices, a free vibrant artist community; anon 11:08 and I are in agreement, within a few more years Coconut Grove will return to being Coconut Grove because the Grove has lost community due to all the cheap frills that are meaningless without character. Character will remain because there are enough of us supporting the characters who want to create community and we can tell without words and expensive pricing who we are.
The anon @ 11:08 sounds like a much calmer crazy cat lady that yells at the tourists
Anon 11:28, no, no & no. Don't mix with crowds and walk about with tourist, don't like the noise. I've lived in the Grove for about 45 years and stopped milling around down town, bought a small place in the Keys by Channel # 2 about 20 years ago and will start milling around in the Grove when I retire to find people to charge a few dollars to go out and catch the fish because they are coming back in the Bay.
I know of an aged lady known as the cat lady because she had so damn many cats you could smell them several houses away. And I thought I knew the aged lady who was yelling at the tourist, but she owned several dogs and was another person, not the cat lady. They were and are both sort of like Grove Characters; are you stating they are possibly one in the same?
There don't seem to be any GOOD REASONS why residents don't spend money in the Grove, just excuses. Yes, the economy is bad but if we don't help each other then how is it ever going to get better? The Grove has too many Bitchers and Moaners. I wish they would turn all the negativity into something positive. Enough already!
Coconut Grove used to be a village, and those of us who lived there, shopped there, ate there. I often bought groceries at Scotty's who ran a monthly tab I could pay on payday. We ate at the Pharmacy, or had liverwurst and onion sandwiches at the Hamlet, or hotdogs with sauerkraut at Nick's Pub -- or ribs at Roy's. We used the laundromat, bought Keds at the department store. But I left and was soon living in another village, Sausalito. Both villages are now gone, turned into tourist traps.
Sad.
There is also outstanding parking issues for people that have an extra vehicle. Paradise parking charges 125 a month to park in Grove Garden, that is awful, and that is why I am moving. What a ripoff. South Beach residents pay an extra 50 a YEAR, not a month. It's too much GREED going on....
The FREE PARKING ISSUE -- REALLY, the Grove is full of tourists who pay for parking on Sundays -- so why not try for a day when there are no tourists to get locals here -- say Free Mondays -- "Free, Mon!" That's more logical.
The Grove isn't so much a shopping destination as much as a "going out" and dining destination.
The sales girl in the sunglass shop (on Main Hgwy) that's GOOB (going out of biz) estimated the same thing. The Grove may have affluent residents, but they shop elsewhere.
Gables also has free parking after 6:00 PM. We go all the time to Village of Merrick Park and we see tons of our Grove neighbors because they have great food at great prices. Shopping at all different price points and FREE PARKING!!!! Also extremely kid friendly (and dogs too)! Very civilized!
You cannot say that for the Grove!
Pogonip, Do I know you?
Nick's Pub? Probably.
Free parking after 6?!!?
I disagree, I have gotten numerous tickets from Coral Gables. Coral Gables has had the 10pm parking meters for at least 6 years
There is one very easy solution for the grove - bring the party back! It all starts there, and without it, we're a dying strip mall, like so many others. I want free concerts in the park, early (6-9) with, get this, OUTDOOR SPEAKERS PUMPING MUSIC INTO THE AIR. That music carrying throught the grove and filling it with a good vibe... the feeling that something is actually going on. Bars, that are allowed to be that - bars, not having to pretend to be restaurants, etc.
I suggest an annual parking decal for grove Residents and Business owners. The annual parking decal would be purchased for a fee and give the decal owner the ability to park in the Grove without paying. Now I don't think it would be free but a fair annual fee. It would enable us to park when we want without being ticketed and having to deal with meters.
I know we love to eat and shop in the Grove but everytime it costs crazy money just to park.
They have used the decal in Miami Beach with great success so why can't we do it here. This should be spearheaded by the BID and the Coconut Grove Chamber.
Tony, I worked at Nick's for a while, way back when -- early 60s. The Gaslight was next door. Last name was Martin-Vegue -- married to Jay then. Long, long time ago.
The free parking after 6pm is near the Village of Merrick Park meters, not in the Miracle Mile area.
Post a Comment
<< Home