Is it time to renovate and re-develop Crestwood Courts? This Lady thinks so (please click here.)
Ms. Meg Sprung has put into words what many of us have felt for some time now, and I thank her for sharing it with us! Ladies and Gentlemen, the real fact is that we have no control what so ever over what happens to that privately owned center.
"His Honor' would have us believe that he is in constant contact with the manager, and owners of the center, however the truth is they will do as they see fit, minus his input (if any.) The economic development commission is slated to meet this week (maybe, they canceled the last few meetings) and they will (if they meet) huff and Puff, but once again nothing will happen.
The economy is tight, banks are not lending unless it's a sure thing with heavy interest, thus NO GROWTH in the foreseeable future. Now as to shopping in Sunset Hills, I wish ALL of us would please support our merchants first! We try to buy as much in Crestwood as we can, and will continue to do so in the future. WE MUST STICK TOGETHER as we cannot afford to prop up Sunset Hills (or anywhere else) at our expense.
When will all this end, no one knows, but what we do know is that we MUST stop the wasteful spending on duplicate services, as well as items we can hold off on for now, and BUY CRESTWOOD FIRST! I can hardly wait for the transcript of the E.D.C. so we will have a plan to do this (Ya right!)
Tom Ford
NO. 727
"His Honor' would have us believe that he is in constant contact with the manager, and owners of the center, however the truth is they will do as they see fit, minus his input (if any.) The economic development commission is slated to meet this week (maybe, they canceled the last few meetings) and they will (if they meet) huff and Puff, but once again nothing will happen.
The economy is tight, banks are not lending unless it's a sure thing with heavy interest, thus NO GROWTH in the foreseeable future. Now as to shopping in Sunset Hills, I wish ALL of us would please support our merchants first! We try to buy as much in Crestwood as we can, and will continue to do so in the future. WE MUST STICK TOGETHER as we cannot afford to prop up Sunset Hills (or anywhere else) at our expense.
When will all this end, no one knows, but what we do know is that we MUST stop the wasteful spending on duplicate services, as well as items we can hold off on for now, and BUY CRESTWOOD FIRST! I can hardly wait for the transcript of the E.D.C. so we will have a plan to do this (Ya right!)
Tom Ford
NO. 727
posted by Crestwood Independent at 11:05
18 Comments:
Well the mayor tried to take credit for the development where Starbucks is located even though it was already a done deal prior to him taking the throne. Will he now take credit now that they went bankrupt?
Maybe if the Crestwood Court would just be developed as residential, Crestwood would no longer be considered to give money to the "pool" and instead receive money.
Not a bad idea but Roy is too busy with the Car Port Police to worry about growing Crestwood.
Ordinances are not enforced in Crestwood. Try looking at a neighbor's fence; is it facing the wrong way (ugly side to neighbor)? If so, that is against ordinance - do you think they would make the homeowner correct it - NO. I am sure there are plenty examples out there to back me up.
1:22 PM Feb. 15
Actually, we had the fence situation you described, and after discussions with our neighbor did not work out, we complained to the city. The city sent a letter to the homeowner explaining the ordinance, and our neighbor made the appropriate correction.
A friend also had a different situation regarding a neighbor's swale, and after reporting it to code enforcement and public works, it, too was corrected.
The code enforcement officer is not the only person with a role in the enforcement of city ordinances. As homeowners, we too have a responsibility to report code-related concerns to the city.
Martha Duchild
As an artist at Crestwood Court ArtSpace, I have to tell you all that renovation plans are already in the works, and in the meantime, we are all working hard to make it a great place to visit. It's easy to sit on the couch or at your computer and throw slings and arrows at what we're doing (as Meg Sprung did), but how about coming out and seeing for yourselves how great ArtSpace is, in the meantime! We are striving to be the biggest new art center in the Midwest, and working hard every day to achieve our goals. She claims we're 'fly by night art studios' - I beg to differ. We are solid, and not going anywhere until the renovation starts; after which we'll be back in the new spaces. I can only imagine that she is one of those folks who think 'art isn't important, but cheap underpants are'. How many people have driven by the mall and said "oh, it looks closed, let's go to Walmart instead" instead of getting out of their cars, coming in and looking to see what we're doing? Until you do, don't throw stones. Come see for yourselves!
Laura Bowers
Legend Silver Gallery
ArtSpace at Crestwood Court
I have visited the mall out of curiousity many times.
When I visit on a Saturday or Sunday a majority of the shops are closed and very little foot traffic exists to support them.
You seem to be more connected with the owners of the mall than the mayor.
Please share what you know. If you cannot share what the owners of the mall have planned then throw us a bone. When is the start date for the renovation?
All you have to do is drive around St. Louis and you will see new business being built hear and there, maybe not on a grand scale, but it's going on. You don't see nothing in crestwood. Why is that Mayor!
I just drove to brentwood yesterday and before you get to the bus depot they are tearing down the houses in Webster along Kirkham. Another example of progress, but not here in Crestwood. Why????????
how is tearing down houses along Kirkham a sign of progress?
12:27 AM Blogger: Ms. Bowers, I commend you on being one of the few here with the courage to sign your name!
Please understand that the good citizens of Crestwood are used to seeing a full shopping court producing heavy tax revenues for the City.
Their concern is that an Art center produces next to nothing in the way of revenue for Crestwood, so they do not understand it's worth.
That said, I believe many people have enjoyed the new "art wing" and will continue to do so, however Crestwood needs a "cash cow" at this juncture, and I wonder if that can happen in todays economy?
Please continue to post here (your among friends believe it or not,) and do give us updates from time to time as to the Court's plans!
Welcome aboard!
Tom Ford
Thanks to Tom and everybody else; I will never hesitate to put my name next to my opinions. I have to say that I grew up pretty much at Crestwood Plaza/Mall/Court; it fed us, clothed us, and was the center of our social lives for years. For me, that started in 1960. When I moved back here a few years ago, and found out about Artspace, I felt I owed it to both my Plaza and Crestwood to try to do SOMETHING to help keep it going till it found its legs again. I shop locally only, so that every penny gets plowed back into the community. I don't give a damn about what the Mayor says, does, or doesn't do - it's people like you who support your community and us who try to keep it viable that matter.
We would LOVE to have things like an art college, or housing, or any number of things that could be a cash cow. I do know that they're starting in a little over a year or so, by tearing down Dillards' end, and rebuilding it as a large theater aka what Ronnie's is now. Then that corridor will house restaurants and the dance studio/theater group types, and they're already in talks with several anchors to come in at the other end when it's redone. AND they're going to bring it back to the outdoor sidewalk style, like it used to be, with the front doors of the stores there at the sidewalk instead of inside a mall. There's great plans ahead, and the mall property owners like ArtSpace so much that they've included it in the renovation plans, and upped the square footage that they're setting aside for us almost by half again. In the meantime, we're fighting to make it a good place to come - there's two children's museums, numerous art galleries, an antique shope, one of only two dollhouse stores in St. Louis, sculptors, several green businesses, and a broad array of all kinds of people and places to visit. And don't forget - THANK YOU SEARS, THE GAP, THE LIMITED, GNC, LENSCRAFTERS, FOOTLOCKER, and BATH & BODY WORKS for staying put and not going anywhere.
I understand the problem with some people being closed but please remember that most of us are independent, sole owners who not only work all the store hours, but produce everything that we sell. I wish everybody would stay open with mall hours but sometimes it just isn't physically possible. I personally was open every day between Black Friday and Christmas Eve. But with support from the community, we can make it work in the interim, until the mall is renovated and sparkling new again, hopefully breathing new life into the neighborhood.
Spread the word, come and see us, spend some time and visit and you'll be pleasantly surprised!
I am glad martha is not my neighbor. she might rat me out for leaving my trashcans out past 4 pm and you all are completely out of touch with reality if you think there is a simple solution to c-wood mall. Please.
We will always have 'marthas' in our lives; the lesson is how to move beyond them.
Ms. Bower: With you permission I will forward your latest to "His Honor," and the entire board!
Well done, and keep up the great work. By the way, the Board of Directors chair for the "Theater of the Mind" and I are friend's, so I have been there, and if we get all you hope to, well, super!
Would you and the "Art Group" like to be featured under the Links section of my blog? If so please contact me with your web sites, and I will put you on free, as I have all other Crestwood businesses with a Web Site.
Tom Ford
Ms. Bowers,
People are not as one dimensional as you seem to think, and for someone in the retail business I am surprised you would make a comment that could alienate a potential customer.
While you are learning to move beyond "people like me" (whatever that means), I will continue to support the artspace concept at Crestwood Court, as I had from the beginning when it was announced at a BOA meeting, and I will continue to support the arts and artists of Missouri (and beyond) as I have always done.
Martha Duchild
well, since Martha has supported the artspace I suggest she have an open house so we can see all the beautiful pieces she has purchased. Suppoting the Art spece concept meansw more than just talking about it, it means spending money in their shops. Any one can walk the mall but that is not support.
Oh good grief!!!! What a loser. Can some one please explain the logic of the 1:35 poster.
Thanks in advance.
4:52 PM Blogger: I am afraid that's not possible as I really don't understand the remarks.
That is, unless the blogger doesn't like Martha and is using this to slam her.
But anyone who even remotely knows Martha also knows she speaks the truth, so if she said she was a customer, she was, period!
Tom Ford
Here is a post from the Post Dispatch for an award we just won. The MAXI Awards program recognizes excellence in shopping center marketing. ArtSpace was awarded the MAXI in the Public Relations Category. Crestwood Court owners Jones Lang LaSalle won the award jointly with Ryan PR, the St. Louis-based public relations agency that handled the ArtSpace campaign.
Link: http://interact.stltoday.com/blogzone/deb-petersons-breaking-schmooze/uncategorized/2010/03/artspace-at-crestwood-court-gets-national-award/
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