From Hickville to Tackville

Whoopie! Peoria is joining the big leagues! We are on our way to looking like every place else. Look at War Memorial near the new mall. Peoria no longer qualifies as Hickville now that Starbucks has come to town. Yeah, I know, its been here for awhile. Look for all the other standard big box stores and restaurants to follow. Another Culver's is locating across from the new mall, and so is TGIFriday's.

I've taken a few road trips this summer and I've come to realize that it is getting harder to find differences between one town and other - everywhere is starting to look the same. No matter how far you travel, you are within spitting distance of Wal-Mart, Walgreens, McDonalds, a cell phone store, Chili's, Blockbuster, Best Buy, Home Depot, etc.

In a couple of years, I predict that stretch of War Memorial will become our retail suburbia hell - looking more like a major airport landing strip than anything else. I wonder if all the folks living in Lynnhurst are ready for all the tack, trash, and traffic headed their way? Will property values increase or decrease?

Note to those who don't want to live next door to ugly, characterless boxes, hostile traffic, and corporate signs the size of drive-in movie screens: Get organized, get business friendly Fifth District Councilman Patrick Nichting on the line, and start complaining...Loudly.

If it hasn't happened all ready, more people will be attracted to those communities that keep out the ugly. Communities who value charm may well come out ahead of those who happily bend over for retail corporate America. All this corporate branding may be a good thing for neighborhoods like East Bluff. There may be more crime here, but this neighborhood has retained a lot of it's charm - should anyone want to apply a little elbow grease. As people tire those cookie cutter caves that spread across the landscape like mold spores, property values in older neighborhoods may actually increase. This happened to Wicker Park in Chicago. Five years ago it was gang banger hell, now it is Yuppieville. Hmm... there might be a good late night infomercial profit potential for anyone willing to exploit the idea. Someone be a dear and give Tony Robins a call.