Ron Newman
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I miss the 'downscale' shops on Newbury, especially Avenue Victor Hugo Books. At least Trident Bookseller & Cafe is still there.
Boston's sign police conduct a sweep
- Thread starter statler
- Start date
^Damn right!
That's what made the street so much more interesting than any solidly 'upscale' stretch of Michigan or 5th or Rodeo, etcetera, etc., etc. (sic). That's when the sterility sets in. Let's give Newbury Street back to the sloppy masses. I wanna trip over a sandwich board or two every friggin block.
That's what made the street so much more interesting than any solidly 'upscale' stretch of Michigan or 5th or Rodeo, etcetera, etc., etc. (sic). That's when the sterility sets in. Let's give Newbury Street back to the sloppy masses. I wanna trip over a sandwich board or two every friggin block.
bosdevelopment
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all this sandwich talk is making me hungry.
lexicon506
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Aye
DowntownDave
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philip
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Form The Boston Herald
By Donna Goodison
Friday, June 23, 2006
http://business.bostonherald.com/businessNews/view.bg?articleid=145077
When city of Boston workers confiscated freestanding signs from Newbury Street businesses last Wednesday, they essentially took away their customers as well, owners say.
Now, Marilyn Tushman fears for the future of the store she manages and her job.
Best of Scotland Cashmere Outlet hasn?t had a single customer since the city?s crackdown on what it says were illegal signs. It relied on a freestanding sign outside the building to drive its mostly tourist customers to its second-floor location at 115 Newbury St.
Other business owners whose stores operate above street level on the tony thoroughfare, one of the city?s premiere shopping areas, have experienced similar dropoffs.
Luxury retailers and chain stores can afford to pay top rents for first-floor spaces at shoppers? eye levels. But many of the one-off businesses that give the street its charm turn to the still-pricey, but-cheaper, upper floors - and they rely on the freestanding street-level signs to grab shoppers? attention.
The Inspectional Services Department carted away 15 sandwich boards and freestanding signs last week and left owners $200 tickets.
Ten businesses received warnings for city code violations because signs were not permitted, said Darryl Smith, assistant commissioner. They have 30 days to apply for permits or remove them.
The sweep was prompted by complaints from the Back Bay Association, which represents businesses in the neighborhood.
?They said, ?We are getting inundated with sandwich boards on Newbury Street, and we need you to enforce the law,?? Smith said.
The ?laws? are the Back Bay Architectural Commission?s 1987 sign guidelines and the city codes.
Commission guidelines stipulate that freestanding signs are ?strongly discouraged,? and ?temporary sandwich board-type? signs are straight-out prohibited.
How the city defines a ?sandwich board-type? sign, however, is hazy. Some confiscated signs were flat signs on poles, not sandwich boards. And Tushman said her store owners have documentation that the commission granted permission for their sign 18 years ago.
?These signs are vital to the success of businesses like ours,? said Mindy Brush, owner of the second-floor Pavo Real boutique in the same building. ?We have had no new feet walking in our door since the signs have been removed.?
Sandwich boards still were evident on Newbury Street yesterday. Some business owners believe they can keep them as long as they remain on private property.Not so, according to Smith.
And while some store owners say the crackdown came without warning, the Back Bay Association and Newbury Street League gave its members advance notice.
Store owners can expect more enforcement efforts on Newbury and Boylston streets, Smith said.
By Donna Goodison
Friday, June 23, 2006
http://business.bostonherald.com/businessNews/view.bg?articleid=145077
When city of Boston workers confiscated freestanding signs from Newbury Street businesses last Wednesday, they essentially took away their customers as well, owners say.
Now, Marilyn Tushman fears for the future of the store she manages and her job.
Best of Scotland Cashmere Outlet hasn?t had a single customer since the city?s crackdown on what it says were illegal signs. It relied on a freestanding sign outside the building to drive its mostly tourist customers to its second-floor location at 115 Newbury St.
Other business owners whose stores operate above street level on the tony thoroughfare, one of the city?s premiere shopping areas, have experienced similar dropoffs.
Luxury retailers and chain stores can afford to pay top rents for first-floor spaces at shoppers? eye levels. But many of the one-off businesses that give the street its charm turn to the still-pricey, but-cheaper, upper floors - and they rely on the freestanding street-level signs to grab shoppers? attention.
The Inspectional Services Department carted away 15 sandwich boards and freestanding signs last week and left owners $200 tickets.
Ten businesses received warnings for city code violations because signs were not permitted, said Darryl Smith, assistant commissioner. They have 30 days to apply for permits or remove them.
The sweep was prompted by complaints from the Back Bay Association, which represents businesses in the neighborhood.
?They said, ?We are getting inundated with sandwich boards on Newbury Street, and we need you to enforce the law,?? Smith said.
The ?laws? are the Back Bay Architectural Commission?s 1987 sign guidelines and the city codes.
Commission guidelines stipulate that freestanding signs are ?strongly discouraged,? and ?temporary sandwich board-type? signs are straight-out prohibited.
How the city defines a ?sandwich board-type? sign, however, is hazy. Some confiscated signs were flat signs on poles, not sandwich boards. And Tushman said her store owners have documentation that the commission granted permission for their sign 18 years ago.
?These signs are vital to the success of businesses like ours,? said Mindy Brush, owner of the second-floor Pavo Real boutique in the same building. ?We have had no new feet walking in our door since the signs have been removed.?
Sandwich boards still were evident on Newbury Street yesterday. Some business owners believe they can keep them as long as they remain on private property.Not so, according to Smith.
And while some store owners say the crackdown came without warning, the Back Bay Association and Newbury Street League gave its members advance notice.
Store owners can expect more enforcement efforts on Newbury and Boylston streets, Smith said.
If I had my small shop on Newbury, I'd close it in an act of defiance and protest, and convince many other businesses to do the same. Many of these small concerns are likely squeaking by, given the rents many of these small businesses owners are paying.
I'd move myself to East Cambridge or Central Square before those become out of reach. How about a cooperative of these like-minded small business investing in some Seaport property? Hahah.
I don't know why I am so bothered by this, but I am.
I'd move myself to East Cambridge or Central Square before those become out of reach. How about a cooperative of these like-minded small business investing in some Seaport property? Hahah.
I don't know why I am so bothered by this, but I am.
Ron Newman
Senior Member
- Joined
- May 30, 2006
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- 8,395
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What I still don't get: if this is bad for business, why is a business association supporting it?
(The Back Bay Association is entirely made up of businesses. It is different from and unrelated to the Neighborhood Association of the Back Bay, which represents residents.)
(The Back Bay Association is entirely made up of businesses. It is different from and unrelated to the Neighborhood Association of the Back Bay, which represents residents.)
B
bluedogok
Guest
I have seen similar things happen here, now it wouldn't typically happen in a small Texas town but in the cities there are more than enough busy bodies to get stupid things passed and enforced if you have enough stroke to get it to happen. It is worse for the neighborhoods more than business areas, there are some that have a neighborhood gestapo (HOA) which doles out fines and such for any and everything all in the vaunted name of "property values". I would never care to live in those neighborhoods.bosdevelopment said:
I used to live in Dallas (91-93) and it is better than it used to be, but not even in the same universe as Boston in being a real "urban" city. I have never had any desire to live in Houston. Austin is getting there slowly, the mayor wants 20,000 downtown residents by 2010 and there are about 5,000 at this time and there are residential towers starting and many planned, it is about the only high rise development going on at this time.quadratdackel said:
One thing, Dallas is not Texas, when I lived there it seemed like most of the people that lived in my apartments were from back east or the midwest. I used to describe it as a bunch of New Yorkers who thought they lived in LA but only made it half way. It has the flash and trash aspect of LA, Fort Worth is much more "Texas" than Dallas is.
I would imagine it might be the upscale complaining about the independent businesses. I know that we have had redeveloped areas that upscale has moved into and pretty much driven the local independent businesses out by overpaying for space driving up the rents for the established businesses.Ron Newman said:
I was in Back Bay in May, we are considering relocating so I can go back to school. With the school in Back Bay that is an area we are considering living. I didn't notice the signs being very obtrusive or in the way, I do consider it a part of the urban environment. If we do move up there, I know there are a few things that I will miss (BBQ, riding in the Hill Country), the "Texas" mindset is not one of them. This may be from the fact that I am an Oklahoman living in the heart of University of Texas.
P
