Our Role in Helping West Dearborn Retail
We’ve talked a lot on these pages about the lack of retail in downtown West Dearborn. Many have commented about how they would like to see a (fill-in-the-blank) chain store open in our city but there are many reasons why that isn’t going to happen here any time soon.
Which brings us to this story that aired recently on ABC News. It is about a small town in Ohio and what residents there did recently to help keep a hardware store open.
It got us thinking about some of the remaining downtown West Dearborn retail stores we have, like Nichols Ski and Snowboard Shop, Steven Bernard Jewelers, Campbells Paint and Wallpaper, Village Picture Framing & Art Gallery, Nigosian’s Carpet and Dearborn Music, just to name some.
How many of us have stopped in these stores in recent months and purchased anything? The story below got us thinking about how important of a role we all play in helping keep open the remaining retail stores we do have in Dearborn.
We all play a part in helping retail stores survive in this, our city . . .
January 29th, 2012 at 7:52 am
So true Deep! It made me think of Studz Hardware in the Heights (which we started shopping at in the past year instead of the big box stores) when I saw the Ohio story on the news. My family frequents 3 that you mention and will try to do better!
January 29th, 2012 at 10:05 am
Sure we want to keep the ‘old businesses’ but we also want new busnesses that will help bring people into Dearborn to shop. Goodwill wants to open and people are against it and I for one don’t understand why. Residents in the nearby area approved it as well as the Catholic Church – if they have no objections why should people who live well outside of that area object?
January 29th, 2012 at 10:37 am
Donna Hay wants a Goodwill? The Mayor turned down a Kohl’s Department Store because of the caliber of people it would bring to this City. I’d rather have a Kohl’s any day over a second hand junk store that no one in the area will ever shop at.
January 29th, 2012 at 10:54 am
Sure it is great to support the mom and pop type businesses but when the City continues to drive out potential customers by paid parking, this certainly does not help. I was just shopping in Brighton yesterday and one local business owner told me they got rid of paid parking years ago because it drove customer to the big box stores who have huge “free” parking lots (Allen Park??).
Personally, when I park in West Dearborn, I am always thinking “how long have I been here for?” in the back of my mind because of this stupid paid parking. Don’t add reasons to rush people away!!
If you want to bring back prosperity in West Dearborn, start by dumping paid parking.
Just curious, how is the “Valet Parking” doing?
January 29th, 2012 at 11:35 am
As much as I dont want to see more vacant store fronts, many of these stores are irrelevant. so lets spend money just for the sake of spending money? (The American Way) Retail stores need to adpat to an everchanging customer environment, not the other way around, If this mentality of spending more $ at a smaller store helps your head hit the pillow easier to fall asleep then have at it!
January 29th, 2012 at 12:33 pm
I am all for a Kohl’s in Dearborn but apparently none of the big named stores want Dearborn or maybe people in Dearborn don’t want them. I have people in my area that have maybe lost jobs or are just getting by on their budget and shop at Goodwill and Value World. Not everyone in this city can afford even Kohls.
January 29th, 2012 at 2:27 pm
I agree. Get rid of paid parking now. It is not paying off the debt but rather increasing it while hurting many good small businesses along the way. While it will be very hard to get rid of, I believe it hurts the city more if we continue with this failed experiment.
I too would like to know how valet parking is doing. My guess is that customers in general aren’t even interested in this extravagant service, but you never know.
January 29th, 2012 at 3:18 pm
It’s already out of business!! Lasted only a few weeks.
January 29th, 2012 at 4:35 pm
Canton has one and West Bloomfield is interested in a Goodwill store as well. These are hardly low income cities. Here’s the link to Canton’s Goodwill store, which is a beautiful store.
http://www.mlive.com/jobs/index.ssf/2010/12/goodwills_upscale_canton_store_provides.html
January 29th, 2012 at 4:37 pm
Just two quick comments.
1. There are a lot of other areas of Dearborn that have free parking. The entire “East Side”, stores and businesses along Monroe below Outer Drive, the Grindley Park area are just a few examples.
2. I would rather have had a Kohls too. However, the Master Plan didn’t agree. Contrary, to what some writers have expressed, I think that people will shop and the Goodwill Store. Teenagers and young mothers have been shopping at these kinds of stores forever. In this economy, more people will need the help that this kind of store can provide. It is actually kind of fun to go into these kinds of stores. You never know what you will find.
Dearborn really needs to take a realistic view of what the people of Dearborn use and want.
January 29th, 2012 at 4:38 pm
To Paid Parking,
The Valet system went bust already.
January 29th, 2012 at 4:51 pm
Totally agree with u 48124. Why doesn’t the local Chamber help them out more, e.g. heavier promotion instead of just standing by, and collecting their members dues? Other than drinking and eating in certain establishments they do nothing, and we are getting sick of it, I for one and dropping out of the Chamber this year, I can do more personally than what they have done for me and us. Join me we don’t need them, believe me.
January 30th, 2012 at 12:55 am
Kohls, Mayor Guido turned them down, Krogers builds in the spot and we get a Marshals in the old Kroger’ I’m betting Goodwill has a better customer base then I see at Marshals.
January 30th, 2012 at 8:46 am
doesn’t westborn and Merchant’s count? why didn’t you mention them?
January 30th, 2012 at 9:25 am
Bkain1: agree. As I wrote, I said “just to name some . . .” I would most certainly include the two you mention. Great adds. Thank you!
January 30th, 2012 at 10:01 am
I had the opportunity to invite my elderly aunt and cousin to spend a day with us over the holidays. They had never been to our home and it seemed a good time to get them over. They were looking forward to spending the “day in Dearborn” to shop and we could all go to lunch. They hadn’t been to Dearborn in over 25 years, sadly I had to them that downtown Dearborn doesn’t have any shops like they used to. As it turned out they were sick and never made the trip. But it made me think of the reputation for shopping and style that Dearborn once had. It is sad. I must say another store that I have not been in, but that my brother and his wife rave about and stop in every time they visit is SOPHIA’S BOUTIQUE next to Howell’s on Mason. She has been there a while – is always changing the window dressing (I know that because I am always driving by but never stopping in) and my brother says that their customer service is second to none. That is a good thing in Dearborn.
January 30th, 2012 at 1:04 pm
My first thought was this… So we should support the old businesses (that may be irrelevant today) because we won’t be getting any new businesses no matter what we do?
Lots of other questions…
How did ONE day of sales help the business in the video? You can’t keep a business open based on one good day.
What are the exact reasons why we won’t see a chain store here soon??
Don’t you think bringing in successful businesses will help to bring traffic downtown that will in turn help other good businesses?
Have we received any advertising from the businesses you mentioned? (I get advertisements from lots of small businesses, but none of those.)
I have to agree about the parking fees. The only business above that I might visit is the paint store, but I don’t have to pay to shop at the big box store in AP.
I keep hearing about this “plan” that the city has. I don’t think there is a plan at all.
I think that they need to work WITH people who want to open businesses here, not make them jump through silly hoops because one or two people don’t want the business here. I think it’s sad that those few people get more say than the many!!!!!!!!!! That’s selfishness, pure and simple. Find a way to work out the issues, don’t just say no.
Last question: Who do we contact to express our opinions? The way things are now certainly is NOT helping. The entire attitude is that the city is going to make it extremely difficult on anyone who even might think about opening a business, that’s shameful!!! Not only will they not help, they will try to find 100 ways to STOP a new business from opening or succeeding.
I’d love to have a brick & mortar business here where I live, but it wouldn’t be a restaurant and I wouldn’t want to get into the politics of who might like me or not like me and I’m not athletic, so jumping through hoops is not my thing. Oh, and I don’t have a million dollars to pay rent either. So, I guess I look for my dreams in other nearby cities…
January 30th, 2012 at 2:25 pm
FYI – Campbell’s Paint Store has “FREE PARKING” available right behind their store.
January 30th, 2012 at 4:49 pm
I would like to Know
DbnScrapper It’s not the city causing the problem of new business coming in it’s the person who owns or says they own all the vacant spaces in the west end. So if you want to complain start a movement to get the landlords to bring in small businesses. Get them to lower the rents and work with new businesses to get things started. I look at it this way half the rent is better than no rent.
January 30th, 2012 at 11:13 pm
To: I Would Like to Know,
Mr. Newman has said it himself that he would rather leave his properties vacant than give a discount. It is a tax write off for him. He has more money than he can spend in this lifetime so why would he care about the little guy?
January 31st, 2012 at 8:15 am
sorry, Said, didn’t mean to sound like I was jumping on you. And I’m at Westborn every day. Shout out to Dearborn Farm Market too!
January 31st, 2012 at 9:04 am
How about a Hiller’s grocery store? All people in Dearborn eat and Hiller’s is a full grocer which would give Dearbonites a choice other than kroger.
January 31st, 2012 at 11:55 am
Newman might change his mind if he thought the City administration knew where it was headed to with a plan, but since they jump from one idea to another he won’t help. Get some leadership and direction for a change Big Fella.
January 31st, 2012 at 12:19 pm
Mr. Newman is renting his properties and at a rate of $8.00 per sq. foot that is why there is interest in the ACO complex. Maybe the other landlord in town could learn from him and get realistic with the rents on his properties. Newmans is repairing and up dating his properties and the other guy in town doesn’t reay give a shit.
January 31st, 2012 at 7:54 pm
I didn’t mean to blame in my comments. I think the city and the landlords and the businesses all need to work together. I also wasn’t trying to complain, but to ask questions (to understand better.) I thought that the hold out on the Goodwill project was a committee of the city, not the property owner. I’d love to be able to help, by being more informed, not by blaming or complaining.
January 31st, 2012 at 7:57 pm
Thanks, Donna! I didn’t know that. It’s hard to know what spaces you have to pay for and what you don’t. I was looking at the picture that Mr. Said linked to in his post. I saw a meter there.
February 1st, 2012 at 11:45 am
Hillers or Trader Joe’s would be perfect, why don’t the Administration people go out, and actively pursue these companies.
February 6th, 2012 at 9:44 pm
I use Studz hardware a lot. It is a real hardware store. When i want cereal, candy bars, Sanders fudge I go to Aco.
February 7th, 2012 at 12:07 am
I also use Studz Hardware regularly. I can park close to the store, find what I want – sometimes with help from the staff who are always around – and be back in my car sooner than just walking from my car to the door at Home Depot or Lowes.