July 2008

Roz Grigsby: Minding local business

Roz Grisby has been Executive Director of the Old Takoma Business Association for two years.

Interview with Howard and Diana Kohn

Everyone loves small towns, but without seat-of-the-pants entrepreneurs there would be no small towns. This is where Roz Grigsby comes in.

It is Roz’s job to preserve Old Takoma, the business district in our area that perhaps most resembles Rockwellian small-town America. “Preserve” is a loaded term, of course, because, while she is not supposed to change any of the qualities that make small towns lovable, she is expected to help breath new economic life into Old Takoma.

Then there is the question of other independent merchants and restaurateurs located in Silver Spring but outside her jurisdiction. To what extent is the survival of Old Takoma, as we know it, connected to the success or failure of neighboring independent businesses?

Roz was minding her own business in April 2006 when a member of the Old Takoma Business Association (OTBA) suggested she might be the right person to handle the executive affairs and manage the preservationist Main Street Takoma program for the merchants’ group.

She was hesitant. She had enough credentials, with graduate studies in city planning, but, as she puts it, “I’m not a high-profile person.” So what would it take to put herself on the spot in the town she and her husband James Riker had adopted as their own after moving here with their three boys ten years ago?

In the end she applied for and accepted the position. “What drew me in is that I believe in small towns. I grew up in one, I went to college in one, and I went to grad school in one.” In order these would be the Colorado town of Longmont, the California town of Claremont, and the New York town of Ithaca. “I like the feeling when you walk into a shop and recognize someone as opposed to living in a faceless metropolis.”

After two years of running meetings, testifying at hearings, organizing volunteers, throwing parties, staging the street festival and schlepping constantly up and down the Old Takoma byways, Roz may not be exactly high-profile, but she is far from faceless. On a recent morning, she took a break in her office above Video Americain to talk about the current state of Old Takoma and the rest of our nearby small-town world.

You often use the word shops instead of businesses. Is that deliberate?

I think of storefront shops and restaurants as public space, the shared space. Other small businesses don’t have the flow of people in and out. You don’t go there just to hang out. Small businesses like architects or photographers are tucked away upstairs, and the average person may not even know they’re here. People know Mark’s Kitchen because it’s a big hangout, but they don’t know what businesses are above Mark’s.

So storefronts are the face of a small town, but you need a mix of businesses for economic vitality?

You need a mix, absolutely. But storefronts are more important than just the face. You need places that are a common ground where you can see friends and neighbors and catch up on the gossip, or let’s say the news. That’s the essence of life in a town. In Takoma Park we also have the bonus of the farmer’s markets every week, which are wonderful community gatherings.

Is there any plan to expand Takoma Park’s smalltown aura to Silver Spring?

That’s a good question. My work is defined by the boundaries of Old Takoma, which is from the Junction to the Theatre, over the District line. So I deal with an area beyond Takoma Park, but my job does not include reaching into Silver Spring. Which is not to say we don’t do collaborative work. One example was the owner of Alchemy, who had a shop on Georgia and who worked with Jennifer Carter at Sangha in a retail partnership for a while in Old Takoma. That might have turned into a terrific model, but, unfortunately, Alchemy went out of business.

It seems that independent stores in Silver Spring are up against an economic wall.

The independents struggle every day against the lure of Ellsworth Drive. On Upper Georgia Avenue on the District side, there’s a Main Street organization -- Gateway Georgia – that’s trying to create a mirror image of what we have. But even with an organization, it’s hard. Independent businesses have really taken a hit because of Ellsworth Drive.

Have Takoma Park stores taken as much of a hit?

My guess would be no because there isn’t anything that Ellsworth Drive offers that’s in direct competition. The DSW shoe warehouse might be considered competition to Amano, although I don’t imagine people who buy Dansco at Amano would go into DSW.

But there is a perception that all local merchants are in a fight for survival against the chains in downtown Silver Spring.

I think the struggle comes because throngs of people hang out on Ellsworth Drive. They like the shopping, the movies, the cafes, sitting outdoors, face time. And merchants here look at those crowds and wish we had them. A few Takoma merchants have said to me, why can’t we have a fountain, why can’t we have attractions to bring in the numbers? Well, downtown Silver Spring has a lot of night life, and we don’t have any. So even if people there aren’t actually shopping or spending money on Ellsworth it feels like a happening place.

The free Ellsworth concerts are also a big deal, whereas the Friday night concerts at the Junction this summer aren’t doing nearly as well.

Ellsworth is a private street, as we now know, and when they close the street it becomes a very inviting place. But here there’s no place to sit outdoors and eat other than Savory. The Ellsworth Drive restaurants have the advantage of outside tables, but our sidewalks are too narrow.

Which is what the Old Takoma farmers’ market is on Sunday.

But we don’t have anything in Old Takoma on a Friday night that can begin to attract that kind of crowd. There’s been discussion about whether Mark’s could put up tables in the alley. Could they make that space appealing for an outdoor scene? Could Middle East do something out back? Any little pocket of outdoor space is under consideration. We have the charm and the character of historic buildings, but we also have the limitations of what we’ve inherited.

Could we have an outdoor café scene on weekend nights in the same area where the farmers’ market is on Sunday?

We could. The city has jurisdiction over Laurel Avenue so we can get permission to close that area, but the only restaurant there that could easily spill out would be Everyday Gourmet.

What if Mark’s and Middle East set up a tent?

Waiters on roller skates? An interesting idea. When John Urciolo opens his restaurant on the Deck next to Pizza Movers that may change things.

Any chance of a new restaurant at the old Taliano’s?

We finally have someone who is showing serious interest, but until it’s signed and sealed I have to keep my fingers crossed.

Ever consider a type of food court?

You need a big empty space, which Taliano’s currently is. Some towns, like Ithaca, create a downtown marketplace with retail stalls and a food court. There is definitely a model of doing that.

What about at the Junction? Any plans for restaurants and shops in the open area, once the new firehouse is built?

The City owns the property, and, after the firehouse is done, I’m sure there will be a public conversation about what to do with the space. Then again, there have been conversations about the Junction for the past 25 years. This is why when I mention anything, residents in that area run away screaming and hide.

What would be a couple of ideas that would make sense for that space?

You’re going to get me in trouble. This is a situation where it is going to take time and maybe a stroke of brilliance to find the right plan, and then a consensus has to be developed. Everything depends on the details. At this point I don’t want to speculate.

But the reason the City bought the property is because there was a plan to build a chain drugstore there, and people wanted to stop it. So maybe that’s the starting point from where we go next.

Is there way to beat the drum for all small shops and restaurants in the area, beyond the geographic area of Old Takoma?

There have been conversations about expanding to other areas of Takoma Park because of the independents that aren’t within our boundaries. Part of the reason to have boundaries is so people know these shops are within a certain walking distance. If you come by Metro you know you can walk to any shop in Old Takoma.

But we are working on a number of things in terms of the independents versus the chains. Independents have certain assets, such as architecture or other unique qualities, and there is a certain fatigue in customers who are tired of the sameness of chains. You go into fifty Pier Ones and you will find exactly the same items, but if you go into Culture Shop you will find things that are unusual or original.
The idea of supporting independents is a nationwide effort and we are part of it.

Is this the point of the Repeat Rewards card?

Yes, Repeat Rewards is a customer loyalty program in Old Takoma. You can use the card at any participating shop, and if you spend enough you qualify for a discount. And this gives the merchants a way to track who their customers are. Once you’re in the system, Big Bad Woof sends your pet a birthday card, and House of Musical Traditions sends you news of their events.

And you also have a plan to stir up interest in Old Takoma on Independence Day.

Our overall theme, our overall goal, is for folks to shop locally, think locally, live locally. We want residents to think about what it means to commit to a town, to go out at night for ice cream or walk to a shop to get a birthday present. If you want to live in a town with those services you actually need to engage in the process. And given the price of gas and climate change it’s all the more important to shop where you live.

So we hit on this idea for the Fourth of July parade to get this message out with a little bit of humor.

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