[RP TownTalk] Dumm's

[Dwight Holmes]

<This is Dwight without his moderator hat on>

My thoughts on Dumm's Corner, our town, and the economy.  (I'll try to be
brief!)

We moved here when Pete's proposal for expansion of his building was being
considered by the town council.  We, along with some others, weighed in with
our opinion that 5 stories was just too high for that location. We also
stated that we'd welcome the multiuse development there, but that we had
some concerns about the market for condos, and shared our concerns that we
would end up with apartments rather than condos.

I don't know how Pete and his family feel, but if it were me I'd be very
grateful that the project got delayed when it did.  Had the proposal sailed
through, the loans made, and the project built in, say, 2007, imagine what
it might look like now, given what happened to our economy.  I'm guessing
empty storefronts, no condos, a lot of empty apartments.
***
I think this 'debate' gets so heated because some of us know Pete and
consider him a friend, while others of us don't know him except as a
business owner who lives elsewhere.  Someone can be critical of how the
place looks or what it offers or doesn't offer for sale - how I respond to
that depends on various factors, one of which is my relationship with the
owners.

All business owners are under a lot of stress in this economy - well except
for the banks, maybe, but I digress. So, personally, I've scaled back my
desires and expectations according to where the economy is right now.
Doesn't mean I wouldn't like to see Dumm's Corner spruced up a bit (Oh, and
we do miss the Hagen-Daz ice cream, but I suppose the downscaling of the
offerings also reflect market realities, and anyway, my waistline is no
doubt grateful for the little boost to my will power!).

The thing about the beer posters is, I really can't imagine that lures in
any customers. Do people really drive by to see what this week's price on a
12-pack of Bud Light is, and decide to stop or not to stop accordingly?
Somehow I doubt it.  But what do I know? There may be research in the biz
journals showing otherwise. Maybe Pete could brick up the windows and have a
contest for a mural to replace them. Just an idea...

Personally, I don't begrudge them the bullet proof glass at all. If my son
were working there, I'm sure I'd feel a little more secure knowing there was
that much protection.

Before the crash of '08 it felt like our town center was perhaps approaching
some kind of tipping point.  There was enough interest from enough potential
businesses that it seemed likely that the ice would be broken, Jemal would
be renting, and things would get better from there. Then the bottom fell out
and here we are.

But the foundation for the development of our broader
Hyattsville/RP/UP/College Park area was already in place. We are seeing that
now with the construction of EYA II on our side of Route 1, which will be
bringing us some much needed and very welcome new merchants to our
community.  With historical and economic forces steering people back towards
city centers, rather than further and further afield in the exurbs, it is
safe to assume that our town will, over time, continue to welcome new
residents, and with them, new market place demands. And new businesses will
open and old ones will grow to meet that demand.  When that happens, either
Dumm's will step up and expand their product line, or someone else will step
in. It will take time. And in our current situation, I'm not sure there's
much to be done other than be patient, and have the town continue to be
aggressive in wooing potential businesses.

Dwight Holmes
Just up the street from Dumm's Corner
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://riverdale-park.org/pipermail/towntalk/attachments/20100816/2c90c4fd/attachment-0002.html>