Might get flamed for this, but is anyone else concerned about blowing an opportunity to make a "cool" neighborhood here? Sorry in advance for dragging this a little further off topic.
With the caveat that this is an expensive place to be, and that expense can only be borne by a certain tier of retailer, is this really what we want? Whole Foods, Banana Republic, Bonobos, Nordstrom, J.Crew, etc. are definitely top-tier retailers, but they're also status brands for the upper middle class. They're deeply square. And they can be found anywhere vaguely wealthy people live.
Any time someone mentions more accessible attractions (divey places, convenience stores) it's treated as a joke. I don't have any proposals, and I don't think you can dictate the kind of variety I'm talking about. I'm just saying, nothing about the way we're framing the Seaport makes me excited to go there.
I can only speak for myself, but I'm 26, a minority, educated (but struggling, as many are). I'm from the area but went to school with people who've settled here from all over the country and world. My interest in the seaport comes from working as a designer and caring about the projects going up around the city, not because it's going to be a popping new neighborhood. None of my friends are talking about it outside of passing comments about how there seems to be a lot of construction over there. Diversity and inclusion aren't jokes to me. The vibe I'm getting from this place is that it's inaccessible to people like me, and almost on purpose.
I guess I'm trying to say when I travel, I'm not attracted to neighborhoods because they have all the same status symbols of Successful American City. But why would I visit DC and go to Nordstrom? I can find that anywhere. I know this isn't the retail thread but people seem to be enjoying this discussion.
Is anyone else concerned about this? Can one have a truly authentic neighborhood that only serves a limited segment of the population? Are there other metrics for "success" than market cap of retailers present? You'd never be able to call this place a failure when there are financials and pharmaceuticals headquartered here. Is that enough? The city has no incentive to change this condition because it maximizes revenue from the big companies. Do cities even need people of the lower economic tiers beyond their service employment? Certainly doesn't seem like they want them around.