Downtown needs to go beyond retail
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Tom West made a gruff demand as he sat at the counter in Q's Cafe Tuesday afternoon."Do you think you could put the ice water in the cooler for a change?" Tom said. "At least we could have cold ice water. All you would have to do is bend down a little to get it."
Annette McAllister offered Tom a smile and gently slapped the counter near his cup of water.
"What do you expect from the guy?" Annette asked. "He's a lawyer. I wouldn't mind a few of those at the bottom of the ocean."
The sarcastic attorney's shoulders rumbled as he laughed. Annette, who owns Q's with husband Walt, poured Tom another cup of water.
The lunch rush came and went at Q's Cafe, where a diverse crowd ranging from lawyers and administrative assistants to college students and a couple missing most of their front teeth gathered to order from an equally diverse menu. The day's special was a Thanksgiving dinner - lettuce, tomato, turkey, cranberry mayonnaise and stuffing - packed into a wrap. It drew as much attention as garlic potato soup and rare roast beef sandwiches.
At the counter, talk ranged from Japanese cuisine to the latest news. Eventually conversation turned to the city's first step toward a downtown revitalization.
The Galesburg City Council approved a $47,000 agreement with Massie and Massie Associates of Springfield, splitting the cost with the Galesburg Downtown Council, for a downtown development strategy. The project will include a 20-year development plan for private redevelopment, public space, streetscape, land use and special study areas.
The City Council also approved a $58,000 agreement with the Buxton Group of Fort Worth, Texas, to do a retail market study of the area, complete with profiling and analysis. The agreement also includes a cap of an additional $20,000 on travel expenses.
"Downtown revitalization is something Annette and I dream about," Walt said. "I would love to see people have a reason to move into the downtown."
Walt and Annette let their imaginations run wild.
"How about a used bookstore with overstuffed chairs, or an art-house movie theater?" Walt offered.
"It would be nice to have a yarn store or a place where people could get together," Annette said. "And maybe a place where kids could get together - like an arcade."
A 23-year-old Marine corporal named Zach Davis ate his turkey sandwich next to Annette's favorite legal representative. He agreed with Annette.
"I like to read and I like to take a book with me," Zach said. "I wish there was someplace downtown where you could sit and read and not feel obligated to buy something.
"I would like to see a place where people could go to interact as opposed to a place were they go for a specific reason and then leave.
Zach and 67-year-old Tom discussed the empty lot that used to be the O.T. Johnson building. Zach suggested a park - a place more comfortable and inviting than the austere Park Plaza across from the now-vacant lot.
"The city needs a new library," Tom said. "Perhaps it could be the kind of place that had a really nice reading room. I think you would need to develop some parking in that area, too."
For some of Tuesday's lunch patrons, the desire for downtown revitalization mixed with a touch of nostalgia.
"I remember when there was dancing on the roof of the Weinberg Arcade," Ted Yette said. "Bands came in and played. People got together and went dancing downtown. It was a part of our lives, not just a place to come for something you need."
Ginny McMillen offered a suggestion for the empty space that used to be The Little King restaurant.
"Wouldn't a restaurant with a piano bar be nice there?" Ginny asked. "One of the things I love about The Landmark is sitting in the table next to the window. I think The Little King would be a beautiful place to eat, dance and listen to music."
The lunch rush slowed as Ted worked his spoon into a cup of gumbo.
"I come to this place because it offers things I can't eat anywhere else," he said. "But more than that, I come here because of the atmosphere. There's always a conversation here. It's part of my social life."
Young and old, the patrons at Q's counter agreed the downtown needs more than just retail space and second-story loft apartments. Everyone mentioned quality-of-life issues - downtown features that might not directly raise sales revenue, but enhance the lives of those who live in this city.
Tom Loewy is a columnist for The Register-Mail. Contact him with column ideas at tloewy@register-mail.com or 343-7181, Ext. 256.
