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Who said it did?
And last I checked, the Ironbound isn't a small section.
What ever...it isn't huge either
you would have to look at the JC photos the o/p commented on....same types of photos just different city..he was critical because same as his photos there weren't many people.......if taken on weekend or dead of winter there aren't going to be many people walking about in a downtown area..meaning a business area
A big part of the problem is that nobody actually LIVES in downtown Newark. Add to that, the fact that there is no quality retail in the area, or restaurants outside of the Ironbound. You need to ATTRACT people, and Dollar Stores aren't going to cut it. The type of retail that is there now on Broad and Market is the type of retail that attracts bargain hunters and to be brutally honest this is the lower class of people that currently LIVES in Newark.
The challenge with gentrification is "chicken and egg". In order to attract professional people to live in a place, you really need SOME sort of semblance of ameneties that professional people enjoy -- maybe a nice cafe, 2 or 3 DECENT bars, nice views, good retail, etc. BUT....UNTIL that "gentrifying" crowd actually ARRIVES -- there is really no market for such retail and amenities, and therefore such businesses will have a very hard time staying afloat, and are likely to fail.
Believe me, I've seen the gentrification in JC over the years, and Hoboken earlier. It's a tricky game, gentrification. You kind of have to catch lightening in a bottle. What pushed Hoboken and JC through is LOCATION.
Newark's best bet at the moment is to cater to the out-of-towners, who are mostly professionals. The people who come to Devils games. Seton Hall games. The people who work in downtown Newark. Somebody needs to open up a few places that cater to the happy hour crowd, and the pre- and post-game crowds. This is a big part of how JC did it, with the corporate crowd.
Not many people out & about for a vibrant city..and of course you felt safe in the area you were in...I don't see any pictures of the "hoods" in Newark
I mean, FWIW, why would someone go out and photograph pictures of hoods anyway?
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Internet says the Ironbound is approx. 4 sq mi. In a city that only has approx. 23 sq mi of land (a lot of which is devoted to the airport) any 4 sq mi area isn't small by any stretch of the imagination.
A big part of the problem is that nobody actually LIVES in downtown Newark. Add to that, the fact that there is no quality retail in the area, or restaurants outside of the Ironbound. You need to ATTRACT people, and Dollar Stores aren't going to cut it. The type of retail that is there now on Broad and Market is the type of retail that attracts bargain hunters and to be brutally honest this is the lower class of people that currently LIVES in Newark.
The challenge with gentrification is "chicken and egg". In order to attract professional people to live in a place, you really need SOME sort of semblance of ameneties that professional people enjoy -- maybe a nice cafe, 2 or 3 DECENT bars, nice views, good retail, etc. BUT....UNTIL that "gentrifying" crowd actually ARRIVES -- there is really no market for such retail and amenities, and therefore such businesses will have a very hard time staying afloat, and are likely to fail.
Believe me, I've seen the gentrification in JC over the years, and Hoboken earlier. It's a tricky game, gentrification. You kind of have to catch lightening in a bottle. What pushed Hoboken and JC through is LOCATION.
Newark's best bet at the moment is to cater to the out-of-towners, who are mostly professionals. The people who come to Devils games. Seton Hall games. The people who work in downtown Newark. Somebody needs to open up a few places that cater to the happy hour crowd, and the pre- and post-game crowds. This is a big part of how JC did it, with the corporate crowd.
Never of heard of Brick City Bar/Grill? Or the Arena Bar? Theatre Sq? Look at Newark's Zagat restaurant guide (yes it has one) there are more than a handful of restaurants in it that are not in the Ironbound.
Believe it or not, Newark actually does cater to out-of-towners. Don't know if you've ever stayed after a Devils game but places like Hobby's and the like are swimming with Devil's fans and the corporate crowd.
As far as 'quality retail', it is indeed there...problem is...it's swimming amongst the low-dollar retail.
Never of heard of Brick City Bar/Grill? Or the Arena Bar? Theatre Sq? Look at Newark's Zagat restaurant guide (yes it has one) there are more than a handful of restaurants in it that are not in the Ironbound.
Believe it or not, Newark actually does cater to out-of-towners. Don't know if you've ever stayed after a Devils game but places like Hobby's and the like are swimming with Devil's fans and the corporate crowd.
As far as 'quality retail', it is indeed there...problem is...it's swimming amongst the low-dollar retail.
Must be well hidden or not captured in the photos because except for 1 Starbucks, an Irish Pub and a Japanese restaurant the place is swimming in the 2010 version of John's Bargain Stores
Not to be nit picky but BOA & Chase are banks...I don't really consider At&T retail as for the rest yes name brands but not quality retail imo
I list those simply for the following reasons:
With all the discount stores, the presence of nationally known banks at least can give some sense of store-front credibility. I would take banks over half of those stores there.
If Foot Locker/Modells etc. isn't quality retail than I don't exactly know what we're fishing for here. I mean, of course, they're not 'high-end' like perhaps the once-upon-a-time Macy's but they're not low-dollar stores either.
I mean...as far as Gamestop...what else is there (as far as video game stores?) Besides Foot Locker...what else is there (as far as sporting goods? Dick's? eh)
What exactly is a standard of quality retail when measured against the swaths of low-dollar retail?
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