Im sorry i just cant stand this anymore!

[the_koolkat]

Originally Posted by kristenfromdenver

It's a good reminder to us all. If you love a business - go often and spend lots of money there to make sure they stay in business. Tell your friends to go too!

Right. I ran a ma and pa dollar store in Wyoming for awhile. It was a really good one and very popular but it went under anyway. Most of the people around here go up to Billings Montana to shop. It is the largest city in this area and there is no sales tax. No body was happy when our business closed especially us. The numbers didn't add up. The profit wasn't there and the owner couldn't afford to support the business anymore. Many small businesses don't make it because the public doesn't support them enough. Any business has to make money to stay open. You want them to be there tomorrow support them today !!

[bob rulz]

Originally Posted by Mikieo415

I don't understand how people think development and demolition of old, out of date buildings is a bad thing.

Perhaps the rising rents will give people an incentive to repair their credit and purchase their own home somewhere. Or maybe even go to school to get a better job. I am tired of hearing how the poor people are being oppressed. In this country, there is no such thing as "poor". Poor me, maybe, but not poor. There are so many opportunities for econimically disadvantaged people in this country, it just required some effort on their part. You are what you make yourself to be. When I was 18 years old, I left my family and started off on my own. Eight years later, I am not rich, or even well off, but I am doing just fine. And I did it without hand-outs.

And I think a lot of poor people are getting sick of hearing this, too. My aunt has no career and no money and has to support 5 kids. It MUST be because she didn't work hard enough to get herself a career and is too lazy to get a good job. It couldn't possibly be because my uncle was an abusive meth-head who wouldn't let her get a job and would steal money from the family.

Sorry, I don't mean to get defensive or off-topic, but I and many others get sick of hearing people talk about how if they can't make a living in this country then it's their fault.

[steveindenver]

Billys was great, but the lakewood mall? Come on man, that place was a dump.

[Myblock]

Denver seems to have no respect for poor people!! The homeless population has jumped ever sience the gentrifiction of the city for the DNC! I cant believe how many people have had to sell their homes because of the gentrification! My fried loves the North Side (not the "highlands") she cant afford to live there! People cannot afford the rent unless they are millionairs! So tell me if gentrification is such a great thing! Im interested to hear your feedback! Thanks

[tfox]

Yes, I've seen first hand how prices can get out of hand in Denver: North Denver only being the latest example of something that's been happening for a while. In fact, North Denver is still relatively affordable compared to Wash Park, Country Club, etc. Cherry Creek, of course, is the ultimate example of gentrification running amok and completely obliterating the history of the neighborhood -- a case of the killing the goose who lays the golden egg, ruining the very things that made the neighborhood lively in the first place.

Still, I guess I'm sort of ambivalent toward gentrification as a whole -- complaining about it is kind of like complaining about the weather -- not going to change anything. I'm not at all surprised at how popular city neighborhoods have become. Does it really make any sense that the inner city should automatically be the cheapest rent in town? Actually, the reverse is true: a better location should be more expensive, far out locations should be cheap.

Still, much of the city is NOT much affected by gentrification, and may never be. South of Sloan's Lake is much the same as North Denver used to be, and the prices and rent there still very affordable. (Perhaps it is the next "boom" neighborhood?) Many of the older suburbs like Englewood, parts of Lakewood, Edgewater, and Wheat Ridge are there in a "ungentrified" state. It's going to be a long time before things change in all those places, and I'm quite certain that your friend won't have to travel too far to find an affordable place.