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| This used to a flag and costume store. |
Wednesday, December 23, 2015
Not-so-glad tidings on Washington Street
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For 25 years Washington Street in Hoboken has been a favorite place to stroll and shop, especially for Christmas. It hosted a bookstore, toy shop, chocolate store, knitting shop, clothing stores, favorite jewelry story (Sedona) and more. Yesterday, in making my annual visit, I was sad to learn from the owners of Sedona that they fear their rent will rise out of sight and they will be pushed off Washington Street. "It's becoming more corporate," they explained, "with no room for small boutiques." My granddaughter Lily, who went to school in Hoboken and was on Washington Street every day, explained the changes as we walked along. It was hard to keep track of them all. She was a little stunned, I think, that so many landmarks of her childhood were now gone. Commerce is a keystone of Main Streets, but it is under huge pressure: commerce can be a constant but the mix of stores shuffles all the time. One historic place -- the old flag and costume store -- had a wreath on the door but was empty inside, waiting for its next iteration. In the meantime, it was shockingly warm. While pleasant, the unseasonable warmth is frightening in its implications. These two processes -- the instability of Washington Street and the instability of the weather -- are linked. The 64-thousand-dollar question is: What do we do?
Some years ago Main Street was declared dead, but those doomsayers need to visit New Jersey. From north to south, in all the 21 counties, Main Street is flourishing. I've visited Main Streets in 178 cities, in 14 countries, and counting. What I learned is that WE and Main Street are intertwined and interdependent. Our lives are linked in an infinite number of ways.
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About Me
- Mindy Thompson Fullilove
- I am a social psychiatrist. This field of psychiatry is interested in the ways in which social life affects mental health. I am a professor of urban policy and health at The New School. My work focuses on cities. I spend a lot of time traveling in France with Michel Cantal-Dupart, a famous urbanist. I have written several books, including Root Shock: How Tearing Up City Neighborhoods Hurts America and What We Can Do About It and Urban Alchemy: Restoring Joy in America's Sorted-Out Cities. My book, Main Street, will be published in October 2020.
Goal: Use what I learned about Main Street to face the problems of now
When I started this blog, my goal was to visit 100 Main Streets. I surpassed my original goal, visiting Main Streets in 178 cities in 14 countries. Based on what I'd learned, I published a book, "Main Street: How a City' Heart Connects Us All." Following the advice of environmental psychologist Hirofumi Minami, I carried out a "psychoanalysis of the city." The big take-home message: when we look at the Main Streets singly, we miss the point. We have to look at the "tangle" of Main Streets that make up a city or a region -- that's when it gets real. This insight has helped me think about the crises of now, like Covid and climate change, and find sources of wisdom, like K-drama.
Followers
Is there a Subway on Every Main Street?
Not subway, but Subway, the sandwich shop. Quick answer: no. Better answer: even a one-block Main Street seems to sell stamps and sandwiches!