Storefront possibilities
Bad economy means vacant storefronts, malls with little presence or personality.
Rather than dwelling on those dark thoughts, what could we make of this sadly suddenly open space?
– Could the Gottschalk’s in the Sierra Vista Mall become a Ritz Carlton or some other five-star hotel that the Fresno-area so desperately needs to woo and wow white-collar executives? Come on. Even the reborn Holiday Inn in downtown Fresno still overlooks a courthouse and multiple jailhouses. And how many “stars” are the hundreds of new Clovis hotel rooms bringing with them?
A classy hotel in the ex-Gottschalks digs — detached from the larger mall — would be walking distance to food and entertainment, and a modest ride from the freeway.
– Pick a vacant, sizable storefront along “the Avenue” — Shaw, for those who don’t follow trend-marketing — and loan it to different churches for different periods to stage boutiques, hand out food to the needy, welcome missionaries.
– Merchants might not want to publicly acknowledge it, but there are plenty of homeless who camp out and panhandle in Clovis. Why not convert a strip mall into an empowerment zone — food, donated clothing, social services, job training?
Out of the box, positive thinking? Kind of why people have been drawn to Clovis. Somebody has to on the leading edge of the recovery. Vacant storefronts. Imagine the possibilities.
