Mac Huether?
l3wis 
April 2015
Downtown Non-Restaurant Retailers to expand hours?
Here we go again, as a person who has worked on and off Downtown since 1993, the expansion of night time hours for non-restaurant retailers has been thrown around like a volleyball since then. Some don’t think it would work, but ironically the longest running retailer downtown, Zandbroz, has been open for nights for years, and if it was hurting business, they would have ended the night time hours years ago.
I have often said if I were a downtown retailer that sold wooden geese, boutique dresses or cheese, I would be open from 11-7 or 8 PM. I have never understood the day time hours of these businesses.
I encourage retailers to try it out for at least a summer, and I recommend 80-100% participation. It won’t work if just a couple more do it. If we want Downtown to thrive, we need to start operating it like a big city Downtown and not a Podunk Downtown. In other words more shopping and entertainment opportunities and MORE FOOD TRUCKS at night!
Interesting
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91XWKv5UuCM&list=PL0RYY8t0gEFH6hbkw4wZ1gzAWc7mtVlSe[/youtube]
Naysayers?
Ah, Crybaby Mike couldn’t resist to call out his ‘Naysayers’ the other day at the Events Center financial report. But ironically, as I said before the election, the math didn’t ‘add up’. There is no way possible that revenue from the EC or tax revenue could ever make the almost $10 million a year mortgage payment. Even if you added up the yearly $2.2 million net revenue with the projected $40 million dollar economic impact ($1.6 million in sales tax revenue) you get $3.8 million net, minus the $10 million dollar payment, and you come up with a $6.2 million dollar deficit.
Hardly a money maker.
While I smack around the Pavilion on regular basis, I will give them credit, they have said all along the price of culture and quality of life is to be in the hole all the time, and they have kept their promise, they have been a bloodsucker since day one, but have never lied about running in the red.
So why not just tell us up front, the EC will never make enough money to be self sufficient.
Oh, because that would be ‘negative’ just like their checking account.
Here’s some fun links from the past (Pre-Events Center Election)
As you can see, no new information here. What we said before the election is still true today.
