Direct link between crime and retailers closing stores.

So will I. Dead corn could be fun. (So could a dead HOA, perhaps.)

"Get you a copper kettle, get you a copper coil
Fill it with new made corn mash and never more you'll toil
You'll just lay there by the juniper while the moon is bright
Watch them jugs a-filling in the pale moonlight.

Build you a fire with hickory, hickory, ash and oak
Don't use no green or rotten wood, they'll get you by the smoke
You'll just lay there by the juniper while the moon is bright
Watch them jugs a-filling in the pale moonlight.

My daddy he made whiskey, my granddaddy he did too
We ain't paid no whiskey tax since 1792
You'll just lay there by the juniper while the moon is bright
Watch them jugs a-filling in the pale moonlight."

(Apologies to A.F. Beddoe)

 

I prefer an HOA, taking the risk of an over-officious one. They're particularly helpful regarding cars and parking.

 

There are also people with hoarding disorders, who pile all sorts of materials in their yards--from biohazard waste to old furniture, cars, clothing, and books. It attracts vermin of all types.

The city may be limited in terms of what they can do in situations like this, sometimes only able to take meaningful action (something beyond cutting down overgrown grass/shrubs or imposing simple fines) only when the situation has deteriorated to the point where the property needs to be condemned. HOAs can help intercept this behavior before it becomes dangerous to others, and before it destroys the property of the person with the disorder.

 

Or they can tell you not to install a clothesline. And you don't know what they will do until you've bought in.

 

San Francisco's retail hub is turning into a ghost town. The exodus isn't just about crime, experts say

"In June, the 70-store downtown Westfield Mall said it would stop making payments on a $558 million loan, relinquishing ownership of the shopping center and leaving the fate of the complex uncertain.

Dubbed a "retail exodus," the trend has spurred criticism focused on crime and homelessness but a more complicated set of forces is driving companies away from the city, experts and a former downtown store owner told ABC News.

A diminished sense of safety among some shoppers has deterred foot traffic downtown, they said. Additionally, they pointed to sluggish sales at some stores due in part to a longstanding shift away from brick-and-mortar retail that went into overdrive during the pandemic."


https://www.yahoo.com/gma/san-franciscos-retail-exodus-goes-144052999.html

 

WWJJD?

(What Would Jane Jacobs Do?)

 

Just the other day I walked into a office supply store. (It is a famous brand and nationwide chain.)

I had a specific need in an office chair, so I thought I'd go to an on-site retail location to (a) talk with someone and (b) try out the merchandise. The place was loaded with employees. Throughout my admittedly short time in the store, all I found were some way over-priced chairs. Nor did anyone even attempt to help me. The only person who said anything to me at all was the person who said, "Have a nice day!" as I exited.

If retail stores are not going to provide unique support that cannot be found online, what's the purpose of all that retail space and all those employees? No wonder retail is collapsing in areas where the costs are high and the margins are thin.

(On the other hand, you can now buy a car from a vending machine instead of from a guy who will tell you more lies than Trump on CNN. So, it isn't all bad.)