Save the Erie St. Market by wasting money - Well, here we go again. This is disgusting. Toledo has paid $80,000 to a consultant for eight months of work that culminates in a report that suggests the way to save the Market is to rearrange the businesses within the current building. Beautiful. I would have thought stupidity like this would be inexpensive.
I tell ya, there are some gems in this story.
"The plans call for moving the struggling food market from its present site in the old Civic Center Auditorium into the bay now occupied by Libbey Glass Factory Outlet. The glass outlet would move to one of the other three bays that, along with the food bay, make up the public market in the Warehouse District."
"The Erie Street Market houses four large bays: the food market, Frog Town Square, the Antiques Mall, and the Libbey Glass store. The farmers market is outside."
Gem 1:
"[Realtor David] Long said the draft recommendations call for moving the food market to the Market Street end of the building, and moving the Libbey store into one of the other bays. It was not clear how the Antiques Mall and Frog Town Square would be affected."
Eight months, $80,000 and it's not clear what happens to the other two bays?
"Consultant Ted Spitzer, hired in August, presented draft recommendations to selected city officials two weeks ago, and is scheduled to present the final document by the end of April."
If it's not clear by now, do you think it will be clear in the final version of the report? For $80,000, it better be.
Gem 2:
"The redesign and relocation costs will run into the millions of dollars - money the cash-strapped city does not have in its capital improvements budget. The city's proposed capital budget for 2004 allocates $250,000 for the market."
Even a public school-educated person like myself can see that those numbers don't add up. Millions of dollars for redesign and relocation? We're not talking renovation, construction, and demolition? Who's doing the redesign that it would cost so much? The Fab Five?
Gem 3:
"The Erie Street Market opened in the former Civic Auditorium in May, 1997, after the city allocated $2.7 million in federal Housing and Urban Development funds and $1.8 million in city funds to restore the deteriorating structure."
Okay, so those are mid-1990's dollars, but it sounds like it would cost more to reshuffle these businesses than it did restore the building.
Now, why the reshuffle?
Gem 4:
"... the problems to be addressed in the food market include lighting, the perceived walking distance between the food bay and the farmers market stalls, parking, and the stairs that must be climbed to enter the food market."
You've got to be kidding. Yes, there are stairs to the food market in the back of the building where the farmer's market resides, but not in the front. When it's busy, it's almost impossible to park in the back. You have to park out front. Are we to believe that most of the business at the food market is by those who cannot navigate stairs?
And in the back of the building, the entrance to the food market is too far away from the farmer's market? That's unbelievable. The distance is not even half the length of a football field. Are we that morbidly out of shape? And by moving the food market closer to the farmer's market, we are suppose to believe that business will boom?
Gem 5:
"[Mr. Long] said the expense would be paid for at least partially by higher rents, which would be justified by the increased public patronage of the reorganized market."
Oh, that's great. Small business-friendly Toledo. Perform a moronic, cosmetic move and make the business owners pay for some of it.
"The food market has struggled to maintain vendors since the beginning. At present, half of the 32 stalls are empty or underused."
They're not talking about moving businesses across town or across the river to be beside each other. That would make sense. No. They're talking about moving businesses within THE SAME BUILDING.
So now YOU are going to suddenly patronize the food market, because it was moved to another part of the building, and not because the businesses are selling something you desire.
But there is some common sense out there.
"However, a group of additional vendors is expected to open within a few weeks that will make it possible for food shoppers to get all their groceries in one trip, said Gina Nowak, the office manager."
"Diane Schlueter, owner of Sincerely Gift Baskets in Frog Town Square, said more marketing and promotions would help. She said a display of photographs of Toledo's and the market's history, as well as other improvements in the appearance of the market, would attract tourists."
" "They can move us," she said. "If they don't do something to bring people in, it's not going to help." "
Those words by Ms. Schlueter make the most sense, and Toledo didn't need to pay $80,000 for them.
posted by jr to business at 11:54 P.M. EST
(4 Comments)
Comments ...
This city is in love with consultants because they're the ultimate scapegoats. The sad thing is that there is no penalty for them if they're wrong. They still get paid for their opinion but this city has to live with the outcome. (don't kid yourselves, that's all it is.. an $80,000 opinion)
It's most likely just a way for politicians to look like they're actively working on a problem while passing the buck.
posted by photodan at 01:02 A.M. EST on Tue Apr 13, 2004 #
I've been thinking about this more and have come to a few conclusions. First, if the city insists on hiring consultants, they need to seek relevant information such as, "What types of shops will succeed in that setting?" This would let the city approach the right kinds of businesses for the market.
If they insist on using a consultant, use one who knows the area as well as the style of marketplace. This consultant, Ted Spitzer, is the director of Market Ventures, Inc., the management company for the Portland Public Market. Obviously, Portland is not Toledo. Does Spitzer realize that many people from the western suburbs resist traveling downtown? How well can he understand the people of the Toledo area?
Take it from the miserable Portside failure. Just because an idea works somewhere else doesn't mean it is right for Toledo. (without tailoring it to fit)
posted by photodan at 04:24 P.M. EST on Tue Apr 13, 2004 #
The first thing that should arouse suspicion is another "consultant" hired by the J-Fo admin. How much money have these clowns wizzed away on consultants? Maybe we should recall Ford and just replace him with a consultant.
posted by Guest at 10:24 P.M. EST on Tue Apr 13, 2004 #
The Blade article also failed to mention Spitzers credentials. He was put in charge of the Portland project, which came about due to a $6 million grant. Of course it was initially successful, who can't make a go of it with $6 mil? The big omission is that the Portland market is now FAILING, hmmm, Porstide revisited? This background qualifies him as a consultant?
posted by Guest at 02:34 P.M. EST on Mon Apr 26, 2004 #
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