5 Responses to “Psychic Reader to Open CdM Shop in Former Blom Photography Space”
Comments
August 6th, 2012
My stomach sank when I saw them placing the Palm Reading lettering on the windows this morning. What a relief to read this is just a interim tenant. The village seems to have a real problem attracting tenants/stores that add to our village. How many banks, rug stores, nail shops, gold exchanges, and psychic reading shops does Laguna or La Jolla village have? Sometimes coast highway in CDM reminds me of Santa Ana...not that there's anything wrong with that.
August 6th, 2012
John, I couldn't agree with you more about the dearth of appealing tenants in CDM; businesses and services that locals and visitors alike can actually use. (I don't know about you, but I haven't needed an oriental rug anytime in the last 30 years. Nor fireplace andirons, or a gold exchange and I only need one bank, not 5 different ones) To get the kind of shops I infer you would like to see here, you need foot traffic (so that the businesses can survive- see recent coverage of Toy Boats travails) to get foot traffic you need a good mix of food establishments that would attract people from out of the area and encourage people to linger and hang out in the village for more than just a single stop. But, you have probably read on this site how vocal the local opposition gets anytime there is even a hint of a new establishment that would serve food and/or alcohol. Without the "destination" tenants like restaurants, regular, but fun retail businesses can't survive. It's sort of a negative feedback loop and it prevents CDM from becoming the kind of eclectic, vibrant street retail environment that both Laguna and La Jolla succeed at creating. One which would reflect well on CDM, generate tax revenue for the city and promote a sense of community identity for CDM. Sad really.
August 7th, 2012
From a world class photographer to a psychic reader. Seems typical of CdM's business model lately. I don't see PCH ever becoming the rival of Worth Avenue or Rodeo Drive that was once talked of. I lived in Palm Beach for several years and CdM doesn't hold a candle. Laguna and La Jolla both have poor zoning, you have a hotel next to a home, next to an art gallery, next to a bar, next to what passes for low income housing. CdM is fast losing it's charm as an exclusive community and is becoming a urban commuter bedroom like Redondo Beach or Belmont Shore. As I have explained before, I think that short of a comprehensive redevelopment plan, which of course is currently impossible and would change the nature of the area entirely, I see no solution. The area was poorly designed in the first place with no vision toward the future. Marguerite should have been "Main Street," Ocean Blvd should have been hotels and restaurants, there should have been a pier built off Big Corona and the homes on Breakers should have been concessions and beach clubs, with fire dancers on the beach at night. With high rise condos perched above China Cove providing spectacular views of the ocean and city for hundreds of units instead of a few private homes. Of course most of us would not want to live here anymore - but if you are talking commercial development, that's what should have been done to enable the general public everyone seems to want to bring here with open arms, to really utilize the area and maximize profit potentials. As it is landlords on PCH are going to rent to whoever can pay. I redevelop commercial property (not in Cdm). We take various trade and demographics into consideration in a tenant mix, but really let's be honest, we're there to make money, if a tattoo shop will pay me more than a toy store, guess who's getting the space. That said, of course as a resident I don't want to see such things in CdM. But most commercial property owners are here to maximize their investments. Can't really blame them either. But then the Psychic already knew this.
August 7th, 2012
This is awful Isn’t this the new owner who said downdown CDM is a “diamond in the rough”?
August 7th, 2012
Jamie: Re: your last sentence. Love your sence of humor or "insight". :-) Charles
