9th and Main not open last weekend
06/18/07 • Posted in: News, Springfield by Joey Marchy 49 Comments »
Apparently 9th and Main was not open Friday or Saturday night:
This weekend I looked out my window, which overlooks the 9th & Main restaurant, and I noticed that they did not open Friday night. Checked again Saturday and it was closed again. I’m sure this is all tied together with the failed condo development and the reported $30k deposit they wanted from Boomtown, but it sure is a shame to see Springfield lose a nice location like that. Especially since Boomtown could have been moving in now and starting a spark. (Thanks for the tip David!)
This is pretty sad especially in light of the Times-Union business feature on Springfield business development: Left Behind in Springfield. It doesn’t paint a pretty, or optimistic, picture for Springfield development. It instead focuses on the things holding the neighborhood back: absentee property owners, residents who don’t support existing Springfield business and absurdly priced commercial real estate.
I would like to address one misconception created in the article, that Springfield residents don’t support local business. That’s absolutely untrue. In the article the owner of Springfield Station complains that people don’t go to his restaurant, they go to San Marco instead. That’s because it’s not that good. Improve the food and service at Springfield Station and more people will spend money there.
Shanty Town? Good = lots of people.
Springfield Station? Not so good = I go to Burrito Gallery.
People in Springfield are desperate for good food and drink. You think I want to drive to San Marco, Downtown or Riverside for food? Hell no. I would much rather walk a few blocks for my dinner. But I’m not going to martyr myself, or my dinner, just to support Springfield business.
A Springfielder going to Burrito Gallery? What a sellout!
Thats why we haven’t been to 9th and Main lately. Both food and service has been sketchy at best. I work hard for my money and I am not going to as you say “martyr myself” for my dinner and drinks.
whatever owen. you don’t ALWAYS have to be inciting controversy.
I saw the open sign on in the window at lunch. Was it open today?
Between you and me, and anyone with internet access, I think Craig should sell it. I don’t feel bad saying it here because I told him the same thing.
It has got to be a fit for someone, but I think whomever starts anything there should be the owner of the building to make it work.
Also, and I like Victor, but you can’t count on support from anyone. You can only cherish those who come in and treat them as well as possible with the best quality product you can put out.
I have heard that Springfield Station is much improved, I’ll try to go in. So I’m not just talking out my neck.
Rather than boycott, why not let the proprietor know your feelings?
Everyone is clamoring for Boomrtown to return, but they were boycotted the first time in S’field too. And don’t try to tell me the food wasn’t good.
An honest, but constructive, (and anonymous if necessary) comment will do a lot more to improve the businesses survival (without martyrdom). They can’t read minds folks.
I’ve eaten at Springfield Station twice under the current ownership. First time, the meal was sub-par. The second time, it was fine, even pretty good. I did order different items on each visit.
If Springfield Station goes under, do you really think someone else is going to be lined up at the door to pursue the same type of business in the same location when the first two incarnations didn’t work? Possible, but not likely.
If the mom and pops don’t survive, there is no prayer for the regional and national retailers to come in.
Beggars can’t be choosers. Work to improve what you have, instead of expecting a white knight to come rescue you from your plight.
I think Joeys point is really strong.
The problem with Springfield Station and 9th and Main, they dont get the basics right. Victor is a really good cook, but the service takes too long, and half the time, they dont have what you want. I continue to eat there because I do want them to succeed, however, when you see Shanty blowing up next door, and Main St empty… it does make you wonder why.
As far as 9th, I think that 9th and Main is being vastly underutilized. I think they should get a good menu put togehter (nothing too fancy) and become GREAT live venue, and maybe even go back to mixing in some independent movies on an occasion. With that liquor license, they could make some good money on live shows. Plus, its really a great venue!
The problem with both of them is that they aren’t consistent with hours or quality.
BTW, 9th and Main is open for lunch, and then events only in the evenings.
Sorry, Vicupstate, but patronizing a restaurant or business that isn’t any good, in one’s opinion, in the hope that said restaurant will then become better is not “work[ing] to improve what you have”, it’s throwing money away.
Vic,
Is the goal regional and national retailers?
I’m not sure. I personally think they are coming. And I’ll be thankful for some stuff. But there is more to do right now than I can do as it is. I mean bring on the apple store and all, but you can keep a lot of the food stuff. What priority the big boys give main st, I have no idea. A regional might be just what 9th and Main needs.
When they come it will be much tougher for mom and pop than it is right now, though, and people who didn’t do their indie thing will wish they would have.
Its hard for me to follow rooftops to retail storyboard ideas. Doesn’t Springfield have rooftops? I said at my page today that downtown ought to adopt Springfield if only for the rooftops. If thats the damn end all be all, numbers. The axioms never meant anything to me, day to day.
If you see a walgreens go in on main st do you think the landbankers will sell for less now. Walgreens is not paying top of the market either, they don’t need to they are walgreens. Reminds me of clustering. Only, its much more transactional HERE, BECAUSE no buildings next to anything worth a crap are for sale at a reasonable price. Talk of clustering and such is great but in the current configuration of ownership and development the only people with enough credit and experience to do that is BIGGER than what is developing downtown save the riverfront luxuries.
it all makes me thirsty for a shanty beer
In the interest of adding detail to my message:
I first noticed 9th & Main being closed Friday night around 11pm (that was prior to my drunken walk home from Shantytown much later in the evening, so my observation wasn’t alcohol-induced). I’m not certain of their hours, but I do know I’ve seen them open well past 11pm on weekends past.
Saturday evening’s check was between 8 and 9pm. Again, should be prime hours for them, I would think.
Both times I considered maybe their sign had burned out, but I also noticed that there were no cars parked in front, and no noticeable foot-traffic in or out of the building.
I’ve only been to 9th & Main once…and it was neither a good or a bad experience. I’ve since discovered Shantytown and found it to be a much more fun place to hang around and chat. I simply eat before I head out. That’s good policy prior to any drinking, for the record.
On the subject of Springfield Station, I’ve not been there yet, but it looks like an interesting place. The one occasion when I did try to go was one evening after leaving (again) Shantytown around 11pm on a weekend. They were closed. Given that you’ve got a pretty active local night-spot right around the corner, one would think that Springfield Station could benefit from later hours on the weekends. I know some business owners can be wary of attracting a bar crowd, but the folks who frequent Shantytown, at least in my experience, are very mellow.
I realize that certain religious factions around the city have thus far found success in dictating to the public when and where adults may enjoy themselves, but there is still enough time on a weekend evening for these businesses to compliment each other.
As for the Times-Union article, I completely agree. Give us some good options, and residents will support local business. 9th & Main didn’t warrant a return visit, at least for me, and Springfield Station wasn’t available when I was interested. I often drive to San Marco or Riverside (my apologies, Tony…haven’t made it to the Burrito Gallery yet) because there are several good choices in a number of price ranges. I look forward to the day when Springfield duplicates the success of San Marco. Until then my carbon footprint will be a bit larger.
Adam, If you are going to comment on what I post, please comment on what I ACTUALLY posted. Nothing of what you said, was in my original post.
All I said was don’t ASSUME that the proprietor will know why he isn’t getting neighborhood business. Only if he/she has a Psychic/Advisor/Tarot Card Reader sign/advertisment should you expect they know what you are thinking.
Why not fix what is broken, instead of throwing out the baby with the bath water. The more turnover there is in Main st/S’field businesses, hte less likely that other will take a chance.
I mean S’field Station is clean, comfortable, and well located, right? It just needs shorter wait times, and SOME menu items need to be improved/replaced with something better. That doesn’t sound INSURMOUTABLE to me.
i hope something cool does happen at 9th and main. their blackbox is a good location for music, and they have a nice patio/bar area. the biggest problem was, of course, service. it took at least 10 minutes to get a drink, and on more than one occasion, they have lost credit cards behind the bar. it sucks that a bar four blocks from my house would be a place i won’t even consider going to.
As far as regional/national chains, everybody I know seems to think S’field could use a Walgreens/CVS/Etc. and a Publix.
The indies need to BUY a location now and get established, so that when the big boys come in, (and when the numbers look right, they will) they won’t be priced out of their location.
Springfield has rooftops, but not all of those rooftops have the discretionary income needed. Also, the big boys believe US Census numbers not unscientific neighborhood research. because of Shands, a Walgreens will come, but other than that, it may be awhile.
Established, profitable, well-supported local merchants will shorten the wait. That’s just the nature of the business.
I frequent Springfield Station. It’s not bad for what it is. I guess if you want a burrito, you would go to burrito gallery because the station doesn’t serve them. Yes, the service is slow when it gets busy but I see that more as a result from the financial situation. They can’t afford a full waitstaff when some days you’ll see 70+ patrons and others you’ll be good if you see 20. The breakfast is good and the cheesesteak is probably the best I’ve had in town.
Now I guess Shantytown is fine alternative to a hot meal because I know when I’m hungry I can think of nothing better than vienna sauasage and candy bars. That canned weiner au jus is nothing short of god’s ballsweat.
I will agree that most of 9th and Main’s incarnations have been horrible, the only truly good meal I’ve had there was when the owners of the french place took it over but of course I was the only person there that evening as well and that lasted all of a month and a half.
So far, the only place to really stake a claim here has been Shantytown. Boomtown didn’t get the patronage it deserved most of the time and it seems that any flaws are fodder for online bickering but are not worth addressing in person so places just tend to die slow, ugly deaths. There are also other things keeping people out of the area, mainly our pre-existing conditions. Twice I’ve been in the station and have seen people come in, order, eat and ditch. No business owner wants to deal with the two-legged filth that makes daily routes into and out of downtown via springfield, the ones that do get my respect because they’re much more devoted to trying and make it work than I’d ever be.
9th and Main is indeed a great space. Lots of potential. I agree with a lot of what’s being said above, especially the plea for local business owners to start/buy before the big guys come in. God knows this city does not need more chain establishments, especially if we want to keep our creative class, and contend with other cities as a unique and desirable tourist destination.
One thing I consider absolutely essential to community and economic development: A diverse, professional, and progressive hospitality community, comprised of employees of ALL ages and varying skill levels.
Diversified hospitality industries are amazing economy-growing and community-growing devices. They employ lots of people (hospitality is the largest service industry in the world!), encourage entrepreneurship, promote tourism industries, and help to maintain diverse populations. Give intelligent, creative, motivated and entrepreneurial people like-minded employment environments, beyond just office life or manual labor (nothing wrong with these. Options, period, are what I’m trying to stress here), and they’ll give back by staying in town when they start their own businesses.
With only a handful of advanced degrees offerings at area colleges and universities, we need to provide more avenues for our creative class as they move through their careers, or they will leave us for greener pastures, for communities with more unique and adventurous entertainment offerings and work opportunities.
This brings me to the more intense part of my rant: Is it just me, or does it seem like few bars, clubs, and restaurants here are staffed by anyone over 30? Before I am misquoted, let me say this: There’s nothing wrong with twenty-somethings staffing a hospitality venue. In fact there’s everything right about it, in some cases. The peeps that run Shantytown, for example. They set a good example for anyone who aspires to make a difference through local-owned hospitality. Not only are they talented and passionate, they also seem committed to the industry, and the community, for the long term.
What I lament is the “on my way to a real job” attitude that a lot of people seem to have towards hospitality work in this city.
Correct me if I’m wrong (please!) but it seems that if you choose to bartend or wait tables past 30 in this city, you are seen as unmotivated, unintelligent, and unskilled. What a shame! Older hospitality professionals are not only the best mentors for employees on their way up, they also make the best future owners and managers: They’ve worked their way to the top, are often highly invested in their local communities; and essential in times such as ours, they often serve as local wise men (and wise women!), and sources of insider information for fellow citizens, outsiders, and newcomers.
Having lived and worked in such places as Seattle, Chicago, and Miami, where in many circles hospitality is considered a bonafide profession, I miss seeing accomplished hospitality professionals my own age (mid 30s) and beyond, proudly behind the service side of the counter.
Now, if I’m going to critique something, I had better have a couple solutions, too, right? Well, I do. Rather, certain visionaries, who are already at work in this city do. They are working hard to improve and promote hospitality education and employment options here in Jax: FCCJ’s Hospitality Program at the North campus, the Jacksonville Hospitality Institute, the Clara White Mission, and more.
Now, we just need more local-owned venues that are willing to invest in and mentor future hospitality owners and operators, by providing the kind of businesses that tomorrow’s hard-working entrepreneurs can commit to, with pride, for the long-term. That is, unless you all actually want a “cookie-cutter, corporate chain on every corner, looks just like every other city, never quite goes anywhere, culturally” kind of community.
Yippee! I love the hospitality industry! No!!!!! Really!!??
i would venture to guess that wages are the reason most older people move on to other jobs. In the big cities, i think it is possible to work at finer restaurants as a career waiter, since the checks on average are high resulting in high tips. I’m sure people will correct me and say I am wrong, but as a 35 - 40 year old, I wouldn’t be satisfied with working nights for $100- $150 a night. Also I think JAX tends to be a family town and by the time most people are 30 in this town they have spouses and kids, and don’t really care to work at night. I worked in restaurants 15 years ago, and now I work in construction, which is a service industry also. It seems the only way to make any money in service anymore is to work for yourself, as I see the same wages being offered today in restaurants and construction as they were offering 15 years ago.
I know they are not technically in Springfield, but I highly recommend the two Caribbean restaurants on Main st past MLK blvd. They are both really good and cheap.
Carls Main St Restaurant is good too, if you like good ole down home, southern cooking.
Hola has slipped since its days as Ole.
Other Main St business, the car wash at 5th and Main is a good deal too.
i agree with tom there. i waited tables in undergrad, and i’m about to start law school, so i’ll be waiting tables again. simply put, i couldn’t make enough money waiting tables if i didn’t have parents helping me. plus, no health insurance.
Food Service/Hospitality is such a brutal bussiness. Anyone who opens a restaurant should have thier head examined. And shouldnt expect anything but hemmoraging money for at least two years.
Hard work, long hours, drunk and stoned employees…huge overhead…tiny margins…fickle marketplace…every entrepreneur’s dream.
You have to either nail the target market or have the stamina (and capital) to cultivate one.
difficult to do in a challenging enviroment like Spingfield.
shantytown hit with low overhead and cultural novelty.
not sure if a chef or partner has the vision to hit with a finer dining establishment elsewhere.
restaurants are a suckers game.
gotta go.
Hell’s Kitchen is coming on.
I could so win that thing.
I agree that the demographics of this town are such that most people past 30 have kids and spouses. That doesn’t mean that our community cannot support the kind of over 30 crowd that aspires to alternative and/or hospitality work.
Maybe they all left because there were few opportunities for them here. If that’s the case, a lot of them probably took their creativity and alternative perspectives with them, too. Personally, I think this city needs that demographic in order to grow.
Plus, a hospitality career does not necessarily entail night shifts, or merely 100 to 150 bucks a shift, or working for someone else. Ultimately many hospitality practitioners aspire to running their own places, to giving back to the community that sustained them.
My point: Diverse culture, the arts, performance, entrepeneurship, we aim to CONSUME them, but are loathe to PROVIDE them in work environments, or support them through everyday consumer choices.
Um, by the way, I would kill for 150 bucks a shift! Thats…about 2400 bucks a month? I could live like a queen on that! Of course, I’m content with no TV or car, too. On a side note, if I were mayor…development in Jax would proceed with bicycles and motorcycles in mind. Vroom, vroom! :)
Rick, not ALL restaurants are like that!
Really! I’ve worked in my share of stoner enclaves, but I’ve also worked in places that were staffed by intelligent and mature people too. At best, hospitality is yet another career option, at worst it’s a stepping stone.
On that note, have you ever seen the movie “Waiting”? Sweet jesus that film is funny.
Call me romantic (or misguided!), but sometimes I fantasize about returning to bartending when I am 60 or so. Running a cute little corner bar, giving love life advice to my regulars, and sassing punks who get fresh…
If I were mayor, I would encourage local-owned hospitality, and bike lanes, for starters. So that those who DO covet sustainability, in all its forms, have the option to pursue it.
Tom, what are those two Caribbean places called?
Speaking of restaurants, and cultural enclaves, I live bicycling distance to the Bowden-University and Barnes-University intersections. Quite a little hotspot of different hole-in-the-wall establishments over there. Eastern European, Russian, Mexican, Middle Eastern, etc. Fresh pita and baklava from Hala cafe, and then an horchata from the place across the street. Me. Happy. Then.
Karla,
Im not saying that the food biz cant be a rewarding choice for work/career. It sustained me for alot of years. Just a difficult bussiness to build.
In my experience, by the way, the best joints are run by mature intelligent stoners.
I frequent the univesity places also. Hala seems to have lost something over the last few years.My new favorite is Mojo BBQ @ univ and san jose. the new mexican place south down st augustine is good too.
Everyone keeps telling to try the casbah..but i would just feel dirty, abandoning hala after all these years…i will give them one more chance.
9th and main could have nightly entertainment, but most local promoters don’t want to do anything there because of the really high rental fees on the space. we hosted soul release poetry at diallo gallery (now closed), pickett gallerie (now closed) and boomtown (relocated) on main street. and a few times we did special events at 9th and main which drew a crowd, but the increased rental fee just made most independent promoters not want to do an event there. while doing soul release poetry 95% of our audience lived outside of springfield and came at a time when mainstream was still considered unsafe but the new arts district (back in the day of springfield arts and living magazine)
shantytown will continue to be successful because the owner has a hospitality background and promotes events around town and understands the connection and it also draws a diverse crowd and doesn’t depend on just people that live in springfield to make itself successful
the one caribbean place is right across the street from the old tyme hardware store, and the other one is very close to it on the same side of the street as the hardware store with a bright yellow and green exterior. Sorry but I don’t know the names
Great points from everyone.
It is interesting to note, however, that while Ian doesn’t rely on Springfield business, seldom do I go in there that I don’t see a half dozen of my neighbors… It seems success feeds unto itself….
It doesn’t hurt that Ian and Maryanne are drama free, and you wont ever find yourself leaving there with their baggage in tow.
Someone mentioned earlier about the boomtown boycott when they were in Springfield. Stephen got wrapped into the neighborhood sewing circle, and reaped the benefit of it.
Shanty is impervious. They have a big effin monkey on the side of the building, and a number of people in the hood hate the name, and much to their credit, Ian and Maryanne put their fingers in their ears, go lalalalalala, and they avoid getting roped into it all.
Back to my original point. Create a good product (with all the accoutrement’s like service, cleanliness, and environment), and it wont matter if you call it Uncle Bills Earwax Dinner and put it on the side of the hi-way, people will turn out in droves because so much of what we get these days is adequate at best.
On Main St, all of the normal pitfalls are exacerbated by the fact that you have to take a major risk with long term leases/substandard buildings/crappy looking entrance to the neighborhood, that it makes is exponentially harder.
Ian and I have talked about this a dozen times. He knows people who would love to take a chance on Springfield’s business district if they could find something that was affordable to rent, which takes us full circle back to the article that was in the paper today.
http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/061807/bus_177736006.shtml.
So what would be considered “affordable” to rent?
I don’t know about springfield but rents in the core of downtown range from $8.50 to $20++ for retail. Not counting the landing.
That is where market rate comes in. Its the amount that will support the businesses that are willing to take the plunge.
I tend to believe if a building is empty for an extended period of time, its not renting it at market rate…
My wife and I would love to eat in Springfield. Unfortunatley the food and service at Springfield Station & 9th and Main is horrible. It seems a truly simple concept. Offer a cool place with good food at a good price and they will come. Look at Burritto Gallery, Josephs Italian & Chew. These are great examples of how to run a restaurant. We used to like Henrettia’s when we first moved here. They had a pretty good crowd, the food was tasty and it was pretty reliable. It’s too bad they messed with a good thing and never found their way back. I hope that Springfield Station reads this and makes changes to the service and menue……. Serve up some good food & service and we’ll try you out again………..
A great example of a place with limited hours and no parking yet has great food and good customer support Metro Diner on Hendricks. Just ate lunch there and the food is great and their menu is unbelievable.
I think that this place is a great example of how good food and service can work in a small location with no parking.
I am a foodie. Lived in L.A. before coming here where restaurant options are copious and even many holes in the wall have high-quality product. I’m sure I’ll get skewered for this, but…
The restaurants in Springfield do not have high-quality product, service or atmosphere (Carl’s and Champs have are the exception in the product category). By high-quality, I don’t necessarily mean expensive. I mean pick a food-type/food-concept, and do it awesome. This is why Boomtown had many loyal customers — they chose a food-type, and did it awesome.
9th & Main used to, but inconsistency in product and ownership has driven the nail into the coffin, at least for now.
Springfield Station? I’ve been there. More than once. Each time there are items on the menu they don’t offer, and the quality of food is questionable. I just had a business associate email me that they went to lunch there, and lamented they didn’t ask about them first — they were very disappointed.
Current crop of restaurant owners needs to think more carefully about the food, the service, and other merchandising, e.g., packaging of the place (nice sign on SSB&G… not), and “feeling” inside.
The new Springfield restaurant customer cares about this, and I’ve mentioned it to the owners I’ve encountered. If the owner doesn’t care about what the customer wants, I won’t support them or eat there again.
Any one of them can email to ask for marketing advice anytime — or they can keep complaining and wishing they could figure out why they can’t keep customers…
not to be a jerk, but….i finally gave in and ate at boomtown a couple weeks ago and it.was.awful. seriously some of the worst food i have ever eaten. my dining companion found two hairs in his vegetables (sadly, just zucchini and squash, despite it being the height of summer when everything is in season) and the hummus in my salad wrap was definitely store-bought and crappy. i suppose i should have asked first, but i did not expect the salad wrap to literally just be lettuce and gross hummus in a wrap, served with a side of…lettuce. service sucked. overall just an awful experience. i know it was their last week of being open, so i’ll give them a little leeway for that fact, but it did not inspire me to want to try them again, no matter where they open up next. please tell me i just had a bad experience and they’re not normally like that, because if that’s the magic “successful” example everyone keeps citing, we’re in trouble!
Champs? Are you joking? I’ve been there once and the quality of food was such that there isn’t a chance in hell that I’ll go back. I’ve defended the Springfield Station on this site too many times to count. I won’t do it again. If they haven’t learned by now what we all want from them then they’ll never get it. 9th and Main will never succeed as long as Van Horne owns some piece of it. He does not know how to run a restaurant. By the looks of things, he won’t own it much longer. I feel for the employees, but not for Craig. I have yet to try Carl’s so I will reserve my comment until I get the chance to. It’s funny that The Shanty is the smallest place but yet gets the biggest crowds. They just know how to appeal to their crowd. JH is right, they do one thing and do it awesome!!!
Seriously, why is no one mentioning Chan’s? Yes, it is by no means, a “foodie” restaurant– btw, i believe people actually describing themselves as “foodies” is a sign America is the new Roman empire, and destined for a fall–, but it’s good.
I know, it looks dirty and gross, but it’s actually good. Better than Springfield Station, at least.
I think you make a great point.
Chans isn’t a very good neighbor with things like washing grease into the street and not securing their trash cans, but you are correct they make good take out chineese food. The key word being “take-out”. It would be like pointing out that KFC and Popeye’s have been successful…
That said, it lends credance to my point earlier, if you find a product/service that crosses race/economic lines, you will be more likely to succeed.
Anonymity is a great thing, isn’t it jd? You can say anything you want about someone, and not have to worry about it coming back to haunt you…
Never had a bad meal at Boomtown, current location or while on Main St but I also never went for lunch or to have a sandwich. I always figure I can make sandwiches at home, why go out for one…unless its Firehouse Subs Hook & Ladder, that thing is soooo good. Boomtown: awesome fish, steak, sauces, appys etc. Service has always been questionable IMHO but I accept it for what it is…entertainers who need to make a living not professional waitstaff.
9th and Main, like I said above, has so much potential as a space. While Shantytown is great for night, 9th and Main is the kind of space that could support a thriving cafe culture by day, and then of course everything else at night. Image 100’s of different kinds of beers! Art and performance like it supposedly had before my time here. Instead of just a restaurant, it could be a community center kind of place, multi-use, etc. What we need now is a filthy rich benefactor. Anyone?
“What we need now is a filthy rich benefactor. Anyone?”
I read the guy who ran club Paris is out on his ear.
Wouldn’t 9th and Main look alot more appealing with his McLaren parked outside? And all that BLing.
Who could stay away?
And you could always approach Sleiman, he is apparently getting into the nightclub biz.
CrazyHorse at the Landing!!
which way to the tater salad.
Dan, there is actually a really good vegan restauraunt in chicago called Earwax. The locals don’t seem to mind the name as they are guzzling bloody marys and eating huevos rancheros.
Joel, I used to live in Chicago, in Wicker Park. From ‘95 to ‘99. I loved Earwax! And Double door’s Dirt Room, the Empty Bottle, Lava Lounge when it was new (don’t even know if it’s still there)…Man, the cafe culture, bar scene, and hospitality community there was second to none. I think I’m going to cry. Oh, filthy-rich-yet-enlightened benefactor, where art thou?
“affordable rent” is less than $1000 a month-
$700 a month is even better.
I am not a building owner (yet) but common sense would tell me to collect even $500 a month rather than sit on an empty, dilapitated eye sore.
Our rent is cheap. Its is surplus property to my landlord, he realizes that and would rather have it be anything then a vacant building.
Sometimes I feel like the residents sit around waiting for a Starbucks, but meanwhile could be opening their own coffee stand… waiting for Publix, but could be opening their own fruit stand… waiting for a Twisted Martini while they could be opening their own Shantytown…
common sense.
From a High School dropout, not a corporate dude.
(Thank you for all the kind words and support, and dont be to hard on my neighbors… while the one quote made the point, I am sure it was in context of a long conversation/ interveiw/ problem.The quote was not the problem.)
Ian(Shantytown)
I like your attitude Triclops. I wish more people had that attitude. It always seems that those with the property and assets never see it the same way, which is unfortunate.
I would encourage you to start saving to buy a location in the future. Once an area reaches a critical mass point, the market can escalate very quickly. The local entrepreneur that saw the potential, and made it happen, often gets pushed out in that situation. I’ve seen that happen in many areas of many cities. One day, sooner or later, it will happen in Springfield. Your vision and commitment deserve to be rewarded when that time comes.
Best of luck to you.
downtownparks, how would my comment come back to haunt me? it was an undeniably bad meal and i’m not retracting that statement. as far as anonymity, if i knew who you were or how you’re connected to boomtown, i woulda told you that to your face. food sucked. sorry.
as an aside, joey’s right, earwax is freakin’ awesome! i hit it up everytime i’m in the big city. unappealing name, excellent food.
Most people on here know who I am, so I am not anonymous. The statements I make do have ramifications, and I have been called to the carpet several times, which is fine because I stand by my comments.
As to Boomtown, my only connection is that I really dig their food. I just dislike when people hide behind anonymity to slam people. Just a pet peeve of mine.
CARL’S IS AWESOME!!!! If you haven’t tried it yet, the decor could use some TLC but the food makes it worthwhile.
As for Springfield Station they have great burgers, and no offense but who cares about the service. I just moved from NYC where I rarely had good service in the 5 years I was there, but you won’t catch me complaining about a single meal. You can’t get everything right on the first round and anyone who has ever worked in the industry knows Springfield Station’s service problems most likely stem from financial problems…..BUT CONSISTENT HOURS ARE A MUST!!!!!
Adam, don’t be a wet blanket! Being a server/owner in an understaffed restaurant is a hard job.
BTW the Mexican place on Confederate Park has good food and if service is more your thing, well they do a fine job at that too.
I’m with Vicupstate and Triclops: look on the bright side and tell the owner when you don’t like your food, it’s the only constructive way to promote change!
Another AWESOME posting by Joey! Thanks.
Everyone is praising Shantytown. Fine. I go there at least once a week. But can someone explain what they are aspiring to be. I go there because it’s a few blocks away. But I can’t shake the uncomfortable feeling of not really being welcome. There is nothing cozy about it. And if they are going to spraypaint the back of their wall, it would make more sense to do it during the day when there aren’t a few dozen people trying to enjoy an outside evening drink. Of course, I’ll continue to return to Shantytown. I might even request they play decent music that doesn’t remind of the days when i wore Van Halen baseball jersey t-shirts.
As for 9th and Main. I will be truly saddened if they close for good. Or, at least, I will hate to see that space wasted. There will be no more place to walk my infant children to for a respectable Friday night outing (I got used to the service, just not the high waitstaff turnover — and as much as I like Eddie Cotton, that started getting old — I was glad to see the return of lauren finchen).
As for the Station, I can’t bring myself to go back. I thought four or five times was enough. If someone tells me they are getting better, then I’ll definitely return. Springfield needs a good weekend breakfast/brunch spot.
colony, that really surprises me. i definitely don’t fit in with the tattooed, skinny jean kids that are often there, but i always feel right at home. the age range is all over the place, and really different types of people go there. hell, i didn’t even get any crap when i got *really* drunk and left tex my phone number on a credit card receipt!
Good to see all the views got covered off. I’ve lived here for two years now so I guess I have attained back-bencher status. Two points stick in my mind as I read through the comments. One, I do try to suggest to Jim and Victor from time to time at Springfield Station about menu improvements. Not that I’ve been in the restaurant business, but I’ve been in enough to get an idea of what is good and not so good. I’ve also run a business and didn’t like unsolicited suggestions for improvement from time to time. I takes some neutral sit-down time - and capital unfortunately.
The second point is the filth on two legs that inhabit the area. I didn’t have my humanity pill this morning, so I’ll be a bastard. The dregs that inhabit Main St. are driving away business. Period.
Centralization is good for business as all boats float on a rising tide. I abhor the day the major chains move in. Our sense of prosperity has been supplanted by corporate logo mongering.
Epilogue. The food at Boomtown was great and sometimes Stephen would surprise me with an extra little add-on. The wine selection sucked, but we could help them out with that as it’s not that hard. The only problem we had was we went on a Saturday night with the family and it was Def Poetry night. There was language a 3-year old should not here and it put a real kibosh on the evening.