"Niching" is a strategy which creates a cluster of businesses that serve a 'niche' market.
What is a "Niche Market"? Any line of product or services that serves a special interest or a group of people who share a number of tastes in common.
For example. There are many people who love cars, and there are many places that sell to and/or serve the interests of people who are into cars.
But what about sportscars and sportscar enthusiasts? They are a sub group of people who like only a specific kind of car.
In any geographical area there might only be a small number of people who are interested in this 'niche'--- as a result there won't be much that appeals to their tastes directly even though there are plenty of places that sell cars..
However, if you counted all the people in a city who are interested in Sportscars there would be enough of them to fill a football field.
A successful 'niching strategy' would be one which created a cluster of businesses that specialized in this taste and had the ability to draw the aficionados of this interest to that business cluster.
This is called "niching", and it can be done on a large or small scale, designed to serve a single 'niche' or multiple niche combinations. (Think antique dealers, markets and vintage clothing shops in a district that alse serves the children of the people into the antique and vintage market, like a separate layer of shops that sells skateboards, hip clothing, and new electronics and pop artifacts)
There are in fact several very famous historical Niche Districts. Consider the Garment District in Manhattan. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garment_District,_Manhattan
Or the bohemian districts of Paris, London, or even Atlanta (pictured)
A Bohemian District in Atlanta
The Meat Packing District, while now more of a Boho District, is another great example. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garment_District,_Manhattan Meat packing, Butchers and all the related industries formed a nucleus of business and commerce that still survives in the 35 meat packaging institutions in the district. At one time there were over 250.
Wall Street in New York is probably the biggest most grandiose Niched District in the world. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wall_street
Similarly, Fleet Street in London was home to so many of the great English publications, that it still means the British Press. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fleet_Street
In Jacksonville there are several examples of Niche Clustering that one can see and understand easily.
One of the largest of these is a primitive and undeveloped niche cluster that has yet to realize its full potential: the Beaver Street Farmers Market. It provides an easy to understand illustration of this strategy.
The Farmers Market is a place where many different small operators sell fresh produce at very low prices.
Some of them specialize in fruits, some of them specialize in vegetables, some of them sell fresh caught fish. They are all independent of each other.
Because there are multiple vendors, everyone who is interested in a wide variety of inexpensive fresh produce will patronize the area, and the vendors are a common draw rather than competitors.
Anyone acquainted with the farmer's market knows that whatever produce they are looking for is going to be there because there are so many shops that cater to this one single type of product.
This is "Niching" in its most simple form.
With this in mind, let's elaborate:
What are the elements of a successful "Niching"?
A clearly defined target market with sufficient numbers to support several related businesses. (In the case of the Farmer's Market, this would be described as "People who eat fruits and vegetables")
Multiple or closely located spaces to allow walking traffic back and forth. (The Farmers Market has multiple booths that are located exactly next door to each other)
Cheap Rent that allows a marginal business to survive on minimal customers and income during the three year growth cycle. (The Farmer's Market rent is famously cheap.)
A method of informing and attracting the intended target market to the Niching Cluster. (The Farmer's Market uses word of mouth and a traditional location---although with a little advertising they would be a much more successful venue--especially in an economic downturn)
A successful Niche Branding campaign that labels the 'district' for its 'Niche Market'. (The Farmer's Market has the ultimate of all branding campaigns: A 100 year old tradition and a name that spans back hundreds of years across the continents)
Cooperation between the various components of the cluster, including the surrounding community or pre existing businesses. (This type of cooperation is common at the Farmer's Market)
Long or Medium Term Rent agreements designed to stabilize merchant turnover and curb realtor greed. (The Farmer's Market does not offer these terms, but the rents have been fairly stable for decades.)
But Niching doesn't have to revolve around a simple product. It can instead revolve around a lifestyle or shared group of interests.
For example, several of the Historic Districts in Jacksonville are successful based on lifestyle niching.
Have you ever wondered why in Jacksonville the districts of San Marco, Avondale and Five Points are so vibrant while other historic districts like Murray Hill, Saint Nicholas, and Downtown are still stagnant?
If you judge them by the traditional measures of retail strategy there doesnt seem to be any common thread.
Five Points became a vibrant working dstrict before the residential area had returned.
The Avondale Shopping District was seedy for a decade even though it was surrounded by opulent houses.
The San Marco District was a mish mash of upscale and downscale establishments located in a similarly mixed neighborhood.
On the other hand Murray Hill has made tremendous strides in its housing stock (as has Springfield) without having a popularly recognized community district.
Worse, most people are unaware that Saint Nicholas is even an historic district.
What makes the case even stranger is that all the elements for a real district are already in place in Springfield, Murray Hill and Saint Nicholas.
Like the San Marco, Avondale and Five Points districts, all three neighborhoods offer food and nightlife.
Similarly, there are anchor establishment in all three neighborhoods (Mudville Grille in St. Nicholas, The Murray Hill Theater, and The Pearl in Springfield)
There are Neighborhood associations and concerned homeowners in all of the neighborhoods.
There are also cultural centers associated with all the areas. (The Cummer and Friday Musicale in Five Points, the galleries of Avondale, Theatre Jacksonville in San Marco, The Karpeles Museum and the private studios of Springfield, The Fogle Gallery and Douglas Anderson School of the Arts in Saint Nicholas, and the Murray Hill Theater)
If so many of these things are equal, and there is public sentiment to see all of these neighborhoods succeed, why are three of them so successful and widely recognized and the rest of them seem to struggle without getting very far?
The answer lies in Niching.
Five Points is for bohemians and artists.
San Marco is for the culturally affiliated elite, well to do, or well accomplished.
Avondale is for the socially and politically affluent.
The shops and the neighborhood emphasis reflects the shared demographics and tastes, creating in each of these areas a Community of Interest ---in which the connecting factor is a shared lifestyle or aesthetic that does not rely on geographic or other social considerations.
These connections are defined by the business niches even more so than the surrounding residential neighborhoods and contrary to conventional wisdom, they provide just as strong a determination on the types of people who eventually move to a district as the residents do on the types of shops that open in the business district.
On the other hand, there is one defining factor that Saint Nicholas, Murray Hill and Downtown have in common:
Who goes there? What does one go to these districts for?
There is no clearly defined niche that these historic districts serve.
Consider Murray Hill.
The major establishment in the district is The Murray Hill Theatre. Its demographic is for Christian Programming.
The other nightclub in the district is currently called Edge 17, a gothic punk rock dance hall. Its demographic is very different from the one which will support or encourage the demographic of the Murray Hill theater. There is also a very great little place called Moon River Pizza in the district, a place for hipster kids and the affluent pizza lovers of the surrounding neighborhood. The employees and clientele of Moon River Pizza are somewhat unlikely to patronize either of the clubs, although the patrons of both establishments are likely to patronize the pizza place.
There is an upscale restaurant with no clientele in common with any of the other places, and there are a few dive bars whose customers are not likely candidates for any of the other merchants.
The only real foot traffic is between the Wine Warehouse and Moon River Pizza, as they have compatible uses and similar customers.
Consider Saint Nicholas.
Keeping these same principles in mind, peruse a list of the major establishments of Saint Nicholas:
Mudville Grille: Middlebrow diners and beer drinkers.
The Thrift Store: Middlebrow bargain shoppers.
Fogle Fine Arts: Upscale art buyers.
A Karoake Bar: Middle brow bar patrons.
Havana Jax Cafe: A heavily Cuban and Latin Clientele both for dinner and the nightclub.
The Vinyl Store: A hipster vinyl record and music shop.
In short the same lack of what is called 'identity' for the neighborhood.
There is no Community of Interest that is gathered there and it lacks a concrete reason to draw new clientele.
This is ultimately the power of Niching.
It creates a strong Community of Interest's identity---which draws people from outside the neighborhoods geographical domain, allowing it to grow in no relation to the area's demographic economics.
It heavily influences the residential development of the area it is in.
It builds in the strongest kind of branding for shops and merchants, and cuts costs like advertising and marketing because they can be shared.
Customers are pooled and the traditional touchstones of merchant enmity, like parking issues are largely eliminated.
It provides an appreciated and needed service to the community by concentrating the goods and services of a Community of Interest into a single geographic location and cuts the need for cross town travel.
There are many Niche Markets, most of which have yet to be discovered.
Here are a few ready examples that could easily be implemented locally:
Country Western culture and music.
Country Line Dancing, Hunting and fishing gear, Southern and country food style restaurants, Cowboy fashion and hat shops. There is so much in the way of retail and entertainment options for this niche that it could fill an entire district.
African American Culture and music.
Everything from Pan African fashion shops to modern rap and hip hop. There is a huge appetite for African Cuisines like Ethiopian and Egyptian as well as traditional Soul Food, and there are whole bookstores devoted to African American literature, not to mention fine and folk arts as well as many other aspects of African American Culture.
Post Racial Urban Culture and music.
This is a niche market that we discovered in Springfield. A mixture of the races, mostly younger, listening to neo soul, acid jazz, funk and free jazz, The eclectic tastes of this crowd spans everything from contemporary furniture to art purchases and literature.
Youth Culture.
There isn't a bona fide Teen Area in town. A place that combines skateboarding, bicycling, pop music, teen clothing, events, Wifi and tech gaming, social networking, dance halls, band halls, and cheap cafes and hangouts.
Contemporary Christian Interests and culture.
This is one of the hugest untapped markets in the city. A preemptive start was made in Murray Hill, but the full niche failed to materialize. There are christian music and book shops, dance halls, bands, curios, and clothing. Imagine a full gospel brunch place on Sundays and a modern recording studio open to the public for the creation of Contemporary Christian music, an art form that Jacksonville excels at.
Again, these are only suggestions. There are many under served communities of interest which could form the nucleus of a successful Niching Strategy to redevelop a faded neighborhood. But this is a little known idea whose underlying power has already been used several times very successfully in our own city.
Implementing means paying attention that all of the above mentioned elements are honored, and targeting an area that fits the profile.
Article by Stephen Dare
Share this article
RSS
stephendare
July 22, 2009, 10:01:10 AMNiche Clustering is beginning to happen on 6th and Main, lets see if this can actually grow into something.
Five Points is reorienting to its traditional crowd as we shall see in the State of the Neighborhood Article next week. Also we are printing the separate stories of how San Marco and then Five Points used the Niching Strategy to redevelop into the successes they are today.
stephendare
July 22, 2009, 10:03:03 AMDowntown is still an untenable mess as far as niche clustering goes. Of course Bay Street is the notable exception.
Jonathan Insetta's addition to that strip is gong to move the whole district idea into a more concrete reality.
The Landing, while it is a niched clustering development has not worked. any clues as to why?
hanjin1
July 22, 2009, 10:06:27 AMWhat else is happening at 6th and Main?
thelakelander
July 22, 2009, 10:15:22 AMTo move forward, I've always felt that you can learn from the past. Let's not forget about some of our niching districts of the past.
Railroad Row - a collection of businesses on Bay, catering to the old terminal passengers.
Ashley Street - Also called the Harlem of the South. This was the African-American commercial district mentioned.
Florida Avenue - Another African-American commercial, entertainment and cultural strip.
The Great White Way - Forsyth was once, Jacksonville's Theater District.
Hemming Park - Anchored by large department stores, it was the epicenter of downtown's retail district.
The Wharves - The Northbank's place for international commerce and businesses catering to the blue collar workers of the area.
thelakelander
July 22, 2009, 10:21:00 AMIt hides the best activites and offerings it brings to the table, from the rest of downtown. How would East Bay be at night, if you could walk down that street and never know there were bars behind the walls of those old brick buildings?
stephendare
July 22, 2009, 10:29:58 AMThese are amazing pictures Lake and really point out the power of this idea. Its the underlying theme of most of the 'organic' development of a city. It happens naturally for obvious reasons and as such its more likely to succeed (in other words its sustainable).
I think when we get to planning a district or talking about how to redevelop we make a mistake in concentrating too much on trying to recreate an entire city (must have laundry, must have drug store, must have place to buy electric tape) instead of creating an engine of street traffic that will make the area irresistably attractive to all those things.
If there are a metric buttload of people swarming back and forth on a sidewalk every day, then guess what? Bobby and Shawnita are going to open a coffeestand.
thelakelander
July 22, 2009, 10:43:28 AM^Bingo. Regarding the Landing, I do believe, that if the courtyard were opened up to Laura and the interior spaces were reversed to face Independent, the ingrediants for a retail/dining district would be in place.
The river, Landing courtyard and existing restaurants would become an anchor. With visible activity taking place along Independent, it would be feasible that additional complimenting retail uses would come to the bottom floors of the MODIS and Suntrust Towers, due to the additional foot traffic.
If those buildings become retail destinations in their own right, foot traffic expands from the Landing's courtyard, to Laura & Bay. With one well placed infill project, East Bay and the Landing would then be connected with a continuous strip of activity.
stephendare
July 22, 2009, 10:47:18 AMZombie Bikes
Burro Bags (which are ideal for bikers)
The Record Shop (which carries the kind of music that is played by the DeJays at Shantytown)
Shanty Town (a walkable neighborhood bar that plays the kind of music found in the Record Shop, and caters musically to the crowd that goes to Zombie Bikes)
This is the rocksolid foundation of a Niche Cluster. You add in peripheral parts of that cluster--
Tommy Armageddon, who also does screen printed art (as do the guys at burro bags) as well as edits Jaxscene, which just merged with Reax Magazine and covers the events that Ian (the owner of Shantytown) dejays.
Joey Marchy, who edits urbanjacksonville.info and covers the art produced by Tommy, as well as all the rest of the activities of this group.
The long awaited opening of the hookah lounge next door to the Bike Shop
And suddenly there is more than one thing to do and more than one way for this group of people to interact with the neighborhood.
There is a constant flow of traffic surrounding these businesses creating a strong visual imprint for thousands of people who drive by every day, (as evidenced in the metrojacksonville article "Redevelopment Strategies: Visual Imprinting" http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2009-jul-redevelopment-strategies-visual-imprinting)
With very little encouragement, this could spread and network for the entire neighborhood.
stephendare
July 22, 2009, 10:50:25 AMThe river, Landing courtyard and existing restaurants would become an anchor. With visible activity taking place along Independent, it would be feasible that additional complimenting retail uses would come to the bottom floors of the MODIS and Suntrust Towers, due to the additional foot traffic.
If those buildings become retail destinations in their own right, foot traffic expands from the Landing's courtyard, to Laura & Bay. With one well placed infill project, East Bay and the Landing would then be connected with a continuous strip of activity.
How would you get past the bridge ramps?
thelakelander
July 22, 2009, 10:56:39 AMLanding Courtyard/reversed retail openings + Laura Street Streetscape + Bay/Forsyth/Adams + East Bay = no bridge ramps.
Ocklawaha
July 22, 2009, 11:15:31 AMWonder how much work it would take to redo the river front of the landing in "The Wharves" style? Meanwhile the Bay Street Station concept seems a take off on the historical Bay Street retail district.
SIDEBAR STORY: I had a railroad nut friend that went shopping all the old "Junk stores" across from the depot back about 1985. The depot at that time was a flea market (I think) and the stores were all second hand or pawn shops. He was walking along the sidewalk and in one of the windows was a miniature train. This was a smaller train like you would see carrying passengers around an amusement park, in other words, one could RIDE on it. He went in and paid the incredible price of $60 or $100 bucks! For that amount he got a train set worth perhaps $5,000 dollars at the time and maybe $25,000 today. Proof, you never knew what kind of treasures would turn up on West Bay St.
OCKLAWAHA
JaxNative68
July 22, 2009, 12:10:52 PMIt will be impossible to create a "niching" in Jacksonville's downtown with the city mentality of tearing down any and all old buildings, unless Jacksonville’s "niching" strategy is of vacant lots in homage to the parking of one's vehicle on an old building foundation.
thelakelander
July 22, 2009, 12:33:21 PMYes, its difficult to niche when half of the building stock no longer remains. Another reason why preservation should be more of a priority in this city.
Ocklawaha
July 22, 2009, 12:59:00 PMLake, the first time I ever saw this done with intent was in the Los Angeles-Long Beach metroplex. Somewhere in East Long Beach a guy bought out a really big old tourist court motel. The tourist courts of the 1920's/30's were usually little cottages with a carport in between each building. Inside each cottage was the more or less standard motel design, a greatroom and a bathroom. In those days the motel's tended to build the bathrooms in a back corner, rather then the front. In this tourist court the buildings were duplex style, everything else is exactly as I have described. The guy bought it, and knocked out the center wall of each duplex, making a REALLY large great room, with a 2 bathrooms. He removed the tubs/showers and made the bathrooms handicap accessable. He then went into marketing his 10+ building tourist court to every conceivable hobby shop he could find. He had a building for Rock Collectors, Stamp and Coin Collectors, Model Trains, Model RC Planes, Model Kits, Tools, Ships, Bikes, Music, Golf, Stereos, Autos, etc... I'm telling you the most cool place I ever visited. The best part was all of the stores fed eachother. The guy visiting the train shop (me) might need a certain tool that store didn't carry, no problem just bop into the tool store. The car guys were in the radio stereo store, the bike guys in the fishing shop, the RC buffs visiting the ship and Collectors store. Every shop was independently owned and operated and the concept was more fun then a Black Oak Arkansas Concert at the Ladies Knitting Circle.
I wish the downtown library mall would look at this concept, it would be the busiest mall in town. Hey if it missed downtown, wouldn't this make a great rebuild for the old "JOE MOTEL" on Philips Highway?
OCKLAWAHA
JaxNative68
July 22, 2009, 03:18:52 PMunfortunately most "niching" has been replaced by "town center" live, work and play concepts by the developer and always gets built out at once and tends to turn out looking very contrived and fabricated.
stephendare
July 22, 2009, 03:20:48 PMand doesnt work in the long run. The development isnt natural or "organic", there is no natural reason for people to be there, and without street and foot traffic, the first downturn and its over.
urbanjacksonville
July 22, 2009, 09:58:32 PMDon't forget City Kidz and soon to open Uptown Market at 3rd and Main. More food venues means people will stay in the neighborhood longer.
Overstreet
July 22, 2009, 11:07:50 PMTown center works if it fills a need instead of trying to create a need. For example, Edgewood center was a brownfield development in Atlanta. It was a abandoned car dealer, old U-haul facility, and the Atlanta Gas light offices and maintenance yard. They took everything down except the old shoe factory (one of the Gas Light offices). The shoe factory was turned into lofts. The land was turned into a "lifestyle center" with a street of small shops with residential on 2 and 3. The big box Target, Kroger, Lowes, Best Buy were flanked by smaller stores and hidden from the main road. The outparcels were sold to multi family developments. The key was the area needed the shopping anyway. Three of the four neighborhoods around it were resurgent neighborhoods. Edgewood had it's own problems, but there were a resurgence of people moving in from the burbs to be inside I-285 and closer to work in the down town areas of Atlanta. Little five points is nearby and already had a couple of loft apartment buildings.
We really don't have any situations quite like that in Jacksonville.
thelakelander
July 22, 2009, 11:13:35 PMWhat about Brooklyn? Surrounded by Downtown, the river, Five Points and Riverside. The west end will soon be the main entrance into downtown from I-10.
Overstreet
July 23, 2009, 12:09:08 AMNobody lives east or north of Brooklyn. Five points and Riverside are basically the same thing to the south. The west across I-95 is a neighborhood that hasn't yet decided which way it wants to go.
The Edgewood situation was more centralized to residential areas. There was a better mix of $$$ ,and $$ areas.
stjr
July 23, 2009, 01:31:14 AMI agree that the Jacksonville Farmers Market is a good example. I often feel like I am in the midst of a main street or center square in a town full of produce! Not made clear is that there are farmers, wholesalers, and retailers who trade amongst each other to complete the interconnectivity of those present. So, not only do competing vendors share customers, they share suppliers. It's the classic 1 + 1 = 3.
New York has other clusters such as Broadway for theater, the Diamond district for jewelery, Fifth Avenue for upscale shopping, Madison Avenue for advertising, Avenue of the Americas for corporate offices, etc. Washington DC has an unusual cluster, Embassy Row.
Whole cities have been large scale industry clusters such as Hartford for insurance, Detroit for autos, Akron for rubber, Milwaukee for beer, Hollywood for film studios, Orlando for theme parks, Las Vegas for casinos, Houston for oil companies, Paris for fashion and art, Atlanta for logistics, Norfolk for the Navy, Silicon Valley for computer technology, Research Triangle for drug companies, High Point, NC, for furniture, country music in Nashville, capitols for government, etc.
Another example, though perhaps a little less obvious, is the clustering of car dealers. Most dealers in town are clustered around the Avenues, Orange Park, Atlantic Blvd, and Cassatt. And, even where a few stray, they have a mini cluster such as Key Buick, Nolan Cadillac, and North Florida Lincoln Mercury on Southside Blvd.
Many times you will see clustering of services for boaters around marinas such as Lakeshore Blvd.
It the old days, gas stations would cluster, with one each on all four corners of an intersection. Restaurants in a mall food court would be another example. Apartment complexes often pop up in proximity to each other as well.
Well... its apparent this concept is practiced with success frequently. Maybe, zoning laws should be designed to encourage it more.
fsujax
July 23, 2009, 08:16:02 AMIn order for the Landing to become more vibrant it has got to be opened up to the street! I really wish Tony would try and do this even if the City will not sell him the land underneath.
heights unknown
July 23, 2009, 08:51:59 AMWell let's see; the niche downtown, that is, to draw people downtown could be many, such as:
1) Weekly (weekend?) classic car show
2) Weekly or weekend Farmer's Market (already have this)
3) Weekly or weekend open air national entertainment act and/or festival
4) Weekly or weekend job fair (convention center?)
5) Weekly or weekend arts/culture festival/fair (already have?)
6) Weekly or weekend outside antique shows
7) Weekly or weekend regular or upscale flea markets
And there's many more "niches" you could add to this for downtown; but just think of the other niches that could be employed for almost each area or neighborhood of Jacksonville to keep our residents and tourists busy if our City Leaders would just get to work, earn thier pay, and ignite these niches for the respective areas; it's not hard to do, however, in these tough economic times money would be a huge problem, that is, finding the funds to support such niches once they are employed and underway.
Heights Unknown
stephendare
July 23, 2009, 11:45:59 AMI think you are totally correct about the Landing, btw.
Historically Jacksonville's downtown worked precisely because it was a tightly organized Niched Megacluster based around Maritime to Rail transportation. The way the old city worked, the Port was adjacent to a massive warehousing and logistical support district. (that was surprisingly well represented by African American ownership.
Then adjacent to the Port and Warehousing there was a massive (especially for the time) Shipyard. Exactly adjacent to that was a wharf district that dumped the sundry goods coming in from merchant marines directly to a market (however dismal it may have been)
Directly next to the Wharves, was the great trainyards of the Prime Osborne, connecting the port and rail from the rest of the country to the high seas.
For this reason, Jacksonville was a fully capitalized modern economy be the end of the 1800s, and remained so all the way throughout the great depression.
It wasnt until the great collective freak out over the Civil Right movement that taxation policies combined with easy cars and roads to create the great (mostly white, and mostly bargain hunting) flight out of the municipal taxation districts.---a policy which continues totally unchecked and with the active encouragement of local politics to this day.
Fallen Buckeye
July 23, 2009, 03:27:17 PMNew York has other clusters such as Broadway for theater, the Diamond district for jewelery, Fifth Avenue for upscale shopping, Madison Avenue for advertising, Avenue of the Americas for corporate offices, etc. Washington DC has an unusual cluster, Embassy Row.
Whole cities have been large scale industry clusters such as Hartford for insurance, Detroit for autos, Akron for rubber, Milwaukee for beer, Hollywood for film studios, Orlando for theme parks, Las Vegas for casinos, Houston for oil companies, Paris for fashion and art, Atlanta for logistics, Norfolk for the Navy, Silicon Valley for computer technology, Research Triangle for drug companies, High Point, NC, for furniture, country music in Nashville, capitols for government, etc.
Another example, though perhaps a little less obvious, is the clustering of car dealers. Most dealers in town are clustered around the Avenues, Orange Park, Atlantic Blvd, and Cassatt. And, even where a few stray, they have a mini cluster such as Key Buick, Nolan Cadillac, and North Florida Lincoln Mercury on Southside Blvd.
Many times you will see clustering of services for boaters around marinas such as Lakeshore Blvd.
It the old days, gas stations would cluster, with one each on all four corners of an intersection. Restaurants in a mall food court would be another example. Apartment complexes often pop up in proximity to each other as well.
Well... its apparent this concept is practiced with success frequently. Maybe, zoning laws should be designed to encourage it more.
I think there are lots of opportunities for clustering and niching, but it comes down to an areas ability to sell itself as the destination for theater (like in NYC's theater district) or blues music (like Beale St. in Memphis) or whatever. That means getting media outlets involved in branding an area and chambers of commerce and neighborhood groups and so on.
Having a common unifying thread throughout an area besides function is important too. For example, a common architecture sets Victorian Village in Columbus apart from other neighborhoods. Even little touches like unique street signs and lighting help set an area apart and lets anyone traveling through know that there is something different about this part of town. In the historic districts of my hometown streets are all paved in brick for example and homes and businesses must follow certain codes when making improvements to keep the historic feel.
Good signage also goes a long way.
Portland Chinatown: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:ChinatownGatePortland.jpg#file
San Diego Gaslamp Quarter: http://photos.metrojacksonville.com/gallery/8602038_XMnx6#567311626_A2Fvb-A-LB
Columbus Arena District: http://www.metrojacksonville.com/photos/thumbs/lrg-1891-p1010182.JPG
sheclown
July 25, 2009, 05:26:11 PMDon't you suppose that franchising has been the death of niching? I mean, why travel to a different "Red Lobster?" Springfield, and other struggling neighborhoods, have the advantage of moms & pops, of unique places to explore.
The Landing is nothing more than another mall with a food court...what's the point?
thelakelander
July 25, 2009, 05:42:14 PMI don't believe that niching has died. Its still alive and kicking. Outside of the government district around Hemming, we just haven't taken advantage of it in downtown.
stephendare
July 25, 2009, 08:51:14 PMSheclown, franchising is the exact opposite of niching.
Niching is a concept about interdependent similar natured businesses and people. Comparing it to franchising is like comparing fish to formica.
iloveionia
July 27, 2009, 12:37:56 AMLake, the first time I ever saw this done with intent was in the Los Angeles-Long Beach metroplex. Somewhere in East Long Beach a guy bought out a really big old tourist court motel. very conceivable hobby shop he could find.
OCKLAWAHA
Ock, do you know exactly where you remember this to be? Or do you remember the name? I am racking my brain and can not see this space. Maybe it no longer exists? Many in Springfield have voiced opinion of how absolutely COOL it would be to take Dancy Terrace/Redell Court and run with this niche idea. I can totally see mom and pop art and specialty shops in those bungalows. Dancy has such potential.
Los Angeles has several niche areas similiar to NYC, just more spread out. They have an AMAZING Farmer's Market. http://www.farmersmarketla.com/
Olvera Street has a niche feel as well. http://www.olvera-street.com/html/olvera_street.html
In Long Beach, there is a several block spread of Retro Shops that is popular, again following the niche idea. http://4thstreetlongbeach.com/
sheclown
July 28, 2009, 09:37:07 PMNiching is a concept about interdependent similar natured businesses and people. Comparing it to franchising is like comparing fish to formica.
I figured as much. What I guess I'm trying to say is that our current mentality, in general, is to prefer franchises over independents.
That, I suggested, is the death of niching.
DavidWilliams
August 31, 2009, 09:37:27 PM"Avondale is for the socially and politically affluent".
I have been wondering for years (since the old Dockside days) why I never felt comfortable in that neighborhood. :-)
Got to give them credit on architechure though. Those are nice homes. My wife keeps looking over there now to buy.
DavidWilliams
August 31, 2009, 09:43:11 PMPlease ignore my previous spelling of architecture