It is insanely difficult to find space if you are a small business in somerville, particularly if your space needs are at all idiosyncratic. This post doesn't seem to acknowledge that reality. While this might not be the iconic small business use- and yes, while it may wind up directly competing with redbones - there are few other places that are going to be able to afford $45 sqft for that location and that amount of space, and it's a fair bet that world of beer has space needs that are going to be hard to accommodate elsewhere. If the city is going to insist on it staying vacant, it should at least be making proactive steps to get other kinds of businesses in there rather than simply saying no to a proposal that would at least put the space to use.
It reminds me a lot of the mayor's blocking use of the star market space on broadway. They wanted to turn it into a dollar store and were midway through signing a lease when the city stepped in and said "not in my town.". Froyo place another example. City says no, then lets the property sit vacant for months. It's not fair to midsize retailers and it doesn't do anything to actually encourage of make it possible for small businesses that everyone says they want to be able to afford space in these areas. City says they want more diversified use, but doesn't quite acknowledge the economic realities that prevent such use from taking hold. The aldermen may not singlehandedly be able to lower rents, but they could certainly help steer initiatives that encouraged small business development and built in incentives for landlords to keep these leases affordable.
I would be excited about a proposal that helped world of beer find suitable space (or alternatively, seemed like it was addressing the reasons why more "desirable" business hasn't already moved into the Davis square space - namely pricing and affordability). Ths post seems to indicate a lack of awareness of the realities of running a small to midsize business in Somerville, namely, that there are very few commercial spaces available at any given time that meet the magical location + code + affordability formula - and just saying no without addressing that is tantamount to saying "actually, we just don't want your business in Somerville, why don't you try just outside the city lines?". Which would be too bad, given that if a craft brew store went in here it would surely be patronized.
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Date: 2013-04-11 06:00 am (UTC)It reminds me a lot of the mayor's blocking use of the star market space on broadway. They wanted to turn it into a dollar store and were midway through signing a lease when the city stepped in and said "not in my town.". Froyo place another example. City says no, then lets the property sit vacant for months. It's not fair to midsize retailers and it doesn't do anything to actually encourage of make it possible for small businesses that everyone says they want to be able to afford space in these areas. City says they want more diversified use, but doesn't quite acknowledge the economic realities that prevent such use from taking hold. The aldermen may not singlehandedly be able to lower rents, but they could certainly help steer initiatives that encouraged small business development and built in incentives for landlords to keep these leases affordable.
I would be excited about a proposal that helped world of beer find suitable space (or alternatively, seemed like it was addressing the reasons why more "desirable" business hasn't already moved into the Davis square space - namely pricing and affordability). Ths post seems to indicate a lack of awareness of the realities of running a small to midsize business in Somerville, namely, that there are very few commercial spaces available at any given time that meet the magical location + code + affordability formula - and just saying no without addressing that is tantamount to saying "actually, we just don't want your business in Somerville, why don't you try just outside the city lines?". Which would be too bad, given that if a craft brew store went in here it would surely be patronized.