I had occasion to spend a little time in our local downtown business area today, around the parts where the Red Dragonfly Gallery used to have its brick-and-mortar location.
There was a time when this was part of my daily routine, but since we closed the gallery and then the pandemic hit it now seems like there are months between my heading that way.
The ferry leaves, something I would watch on many a summer's day while eating lunch
Things have changed.
Aside from a substantial number of boarded up storefronts, the whole idea of "sidewalk cafés" seems to have enjoyed a renaissance as local eatery owners have circumvented the "indoor dining restrictions" by putting up covered and tented eating areas on the sidewalks in front of their establishments.
Evidently, the city is OK with that.
My old coffee spot is still open!
It's somewhat ironic, because the local merchants were always petitioning the city council for permission to do sidewalk dining (our sidewalks are quite wide) which would be summarily rejected... and now that people are subject to all manners of restrictions of movement, they are handing out sidewalk dining permits like they are hot bread.
The nature of downtown shopping has changed somewhat. I'm not sure that it is for the better, but I guess it's a sign of the times.
One thing that has NOT changed is our colorful architecture!
Sadly, a fair number of the old stores that have been in business here for years and years have packed it in permanently. Meanwhile, the stores that remain open are increasingly what we used to call "hobbyist retail;" that is, stores owned by wealthy retirees who just wanted "something to do" but don't really care whether or not they actually make money doing what they are doing, and are (evidently!) willing to fund extensive and protracted losses simply to continue having something to do.
In some ways, it's a bit depressing, in the sense that our shopping mix these days is more a reflection of who can afford to stay open than what is actually popular and viable, for those who actually depend on their stores for a living.
These 19th century buildings will still be here, LONG after we are all gone!
But then again, change is an inevitable part of life! And I really felt that when I walked around downtown a bit... and realized how I no longer feel like a "belong" there, the way I once did.
I can only say that perhaps we were ultimately quite fortunate to close the Red Dragonfly when we did, because we would undoubtedly have died a very slow death — as an ongoing business — had we attempted to stay open for another five years from June of 2019!
Thanks for reading!
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