I try to do shopping in the city whenever possible. Downtown has The Open Door, I think that most Christmases I stop in there, but most of my shopping is done out of town. Even Upper Union, they have some nice businesses, but I used to visit the card store for gifts, and now there isn't that much Christmas shopping available there, either. Ocean State, I do go there, and it is convenient to a good candy store, but that's about it. People who attend Melodies of Christmas aren't going to combine that trip with some shopping downtown, because for some reason it has been overlooked that Christmas shopping is what puts most shopping centers in the black. If the stores are not coming to downtown, all on their own, without help, that is a sign of an unhealthy economy, and it means that they are doing something wrong downtown. Other cities at least have a Payless Shoes or something willing to set up shop. If it was good business, the stores would be there without insane ideas like buying white elephant malls.
I try to do shopping in the city whenever possible. Downtown has The Open Door, I think that most Christmases I stop in there, but most of my shopping is done out of town. Even Upper Union, they have some nice businesses, but I used to visit the card store for gifts, and now there isn't that much Christmas shopping available there, either. Ocean State, I do go there, and it is convenient to a good candy store, but that's about it. People who attend Melodies of Christmas aren't going to combine that trip with some shopping downtown, because for some reason it has been overlooked that Christmas shopping is what puts most shopping centers in the black. If the stores are not coming to downtown, all on their own, without help, that is a sign of an unhealthy economy, and it means that they are doing something wrong downtown. Other cities at least have a Payless Shoes or something willing to set up shop. If it was good business, the stores would be there without insane ideas like buying white elephant malls.
It's true. Contrary to what a certain cheerleader says, there is virtually NOTHING downtown to buy. Yes, there is Open Door, books at a higher price than you can find elsewhere and no where near the numbers of possibilities of books. But I find it can sometimes be a good place to stop if you just want to browse a little bit in case you can just stumble on some book that might be a good gift. That Lennons is OK for the Irish. Experience, well, only King Phillip and all of the McC/Plex cronies can afford stuff there.
Sad that one needs to leave the city, and to some extent even leaving the county in order to shop. Especially now that Rudnicks has closed.
Cheerleaders who claim the mayor and his team are doing a wonderful jog, and claiming the city and downtown are in a renaissance, well, been waiting for two years, of is it three, for a cheerleader to tell us where you can buy clothes downtown, crafts, electronics, CD's & DVD's, bedding, bath needs, housewares, etc. Interesting that no answer is ever provided, just total silence.
Optimists close their eyes and pretend problems are non existent. Better to have open eyes, see the truths, acknowledge the negatives, and speak up for the people rather than the politicos and their rich cronies.
No matter how you look at it....and even with taxpayer's millions of dollars in 'spit-shine'......downtown is OLD! The buildings are DATED! All the hullaballoo about saving the 'facades' and keeping the 'old Schenectady feel' was a terrible mistake....imho.
Schenectady isn't what it was. And never will be. So why keep that 'old look'. It is just a gruesome reminder of how great it was. Those days are long gone and never to return.
Old buildings that use to be the home of bustling businesses. Old buildings that use to be visited by 30-40K GE employees weekly.
No new 21st century business is going to move to such a depressed area.
Couple this fact with HIGH TAXES, SUBSTANDARD SCHOOLS, HIGH CRIME RATE, DRUG DEALERS/ADDICTS.....and it's a lose-lose situation. imho
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
Patches, thank you. Unfortunately, you reminded me of how King Phil was allowed to take away those popular window displays from the arcade so he could remodel our history to look like Crossgates. We don't even get the 'ghetto' businesses interested in downtown. We pushed out the ones we had in favor of... what, exactly?
No matter how you look at it....and even with taxpayer's millions of dollars in 'spit-shine'......downtown is OLD! The buildings are DATED! All the hullaballoo about saving the 'facades' and keeping the 'old Schenectady feel' was a terrible mistake....imho.
Schenectady isn't what it was. And never will be. So why keep that 'old look'. It is just a gruesome reminder of how great it was. Those days are long gone and never to return.
Old buildings that use to be the home of bustling businesses. Old buildings that use to be visited by 30-40K GE employees weekly.
No new 21st century business is going to move to such a depressed area.
Couple this fact with HIGH TAXES, SUBSTANDARD SCHOOLS, HIGH CRIME RATE, DRUG DEALERS/ADDICTS.....and it's a lose-lose situation. imho
I agree with this but these old buildings are really expensive to tear down!
My opinion is that GOVERNMENT should not have been involved one way or the other. How many times has our government decided to "save" downtownat great expense, and how many times has it involved destruction of what was there, at taxpayer expense, and what have we got to show for it? This idea that government needs to 'do something' because there is an economic downturn in an area, figures heavily in what happened to Detroit. People always say, would you rather go back to the way it was, with boarded up buildings? Yes, actually I would. I am still trying to figure out which decades Proctor's was closed for. IMO, the biggest single factor in downtown's demise was when that woman was allowed to establish that nuisance hangout right in the middle. That and the unqualified "planners" diverting our tax money.
My opinion is that GOVERNMENT should not have been involved one way or the other. How many times has our government decided to "save" downtownat great expense, and how many times has it involved destruction of what was there, at taxpayer expense, and what have we got to show for it? This idea that government needs to 'do something' because there is an economic downturn in an area, figures heavily in what happened to Detroit. People always say, would you rather go back to the way it was, with boarded up buildings? Yes, actually I would. I am still trying to figure out which decades Proctor's was closed for. IMO, the biggest single factor in downtown's demise was when that woman was allowed to establish that nuisance hangout right in the middle. That and the unqualified "planners" diverting our tax money.
Local government spending is a 10 billion pound anchor around the necks of the taxpayers.
Cheerleaders who claim the mayor and his team are doing a wonderful jog, and claiming the city and downtown are in a renaissance, well, been waiting for two years, of is it three, for a cheerleader to tell us where you can buy clothes downtown, crafts, electronics, CD's & DVD's, bedding, bath needs, housewares, etc. Interesting that no answer is ever provided, just total silence.
They are doing a jog alright. Compare and contrast the $100 MILLION disaster downtown by Death Ray to Rt 30 Amsterdam. Plenty of Schenectady County residents in the Target, Kohl's and Michael's over there. No wonder sales tax revenue is tanking over here.
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They are doing a jog alright. Compare and contrast the $100 MILLION disaster downtown by Death Ray to Rt 30 Amsterdam. Plenty of Schenectady County residents in the 
