Mean Streets? or Main Street?

Mean, as in penurious, or down-and-out, like the image presented by the old American Tap building at left, or LaRoma's on Carbondale's once vaunted "Strip."

I don't know what can be done with the Tap, since it's a Henry Fisher property, and everyone says he's happy to let it run down because he doesn't like "the city" (meaning the government, i suppose). I haven't asked Henry personally, so maybe I should, if he'll talk to me. I'd like to tell him, he could be Donald Trump, instead of Donald Dump, by giving something back to the city-- a rentable American Tap building. Either that, or tear it down and put up and build another international restaurant, perhaps African.

The remaining unoccupied properties on Illinois Ave. are LaRoma, Rally's, China Palace (old Bleyers), Discount Den (formerly a drug store), the Laundromat/pool parlor next to Kaya. There's a list at Carbondale Blight Spots. Don't be surprised if one or two other businesses don't drop off the map before Fall. On the upside, some new restaurants are opening, but there's still a serious need for basic goods and services downtown. What more can be done?

Everyone says that since Freshman are allowed to have cars, and McDonalds moved into the Student Center, and Wal-Mart was built, and the train station was constructed, and the Civic Center property was acquired, downtown hasn't been the same. No wonder.

It reminds me of the movie "On the Waterfront" ... remember?...the scene between Marlon Brando (a washed-up boxer) and his brother Charley (Karl Malden), except it's the Spirit of the Strip talking to his brother a City Planner, "I coulda had class and been somebody. Real class. I coulda been a contender! Instead of a bum, lets face it, which is what I am....with a couple of bucks and a one way ticket to Paducahville."

Can the City of Carbondale make a comeback? Some good news is Harbaugh's is expanding, and Kaya Restaurant has opened down the block.

Greater Carbondale Free Market?

I submitted a message on the comment form that I wanted to speak to the director, Roxanne Conley, about the concept of a Greater Carbondale Free Market, to be held on Saturday mornings, and located at the ONB parking lot, and mentioned that I've been writing about it in the Carbondaley Dispatch. Would Carbondale Main Street be interested in helping to make it happen?

It would be great to have it up and running before the students returned. It would be like a surprise for the kids under the Christmas tree, and the tree would be the one in the Old National Bank parking lot.


There is one fly in the ointment, though. The owner of the furniture across the street is afraid that people will come and sell furniture and not have to pay the high rent that he does. So, there could be a clause in the table space contract that no more than two or three couches or dinette sets can be sold at the Free Market. This may seem counter to the spirit of free market, but still ...the furniture guy and his wife are about to have a hard summer, with exorbitant rent and slow business, so the extra traffic in the neighborhood on Saturday morning could help him, so the ointment doesn't have a fly in it at all, and should be applied liberally to the face of downtown.