Quote Originally Posted by PhiAlpha View Post
Yes and without gentrification, the Plaza District would still be a run down eyesore devoid of life like it was in 2007. Losing some of the pioneering retailers sucks but you can't have your cake and eat it too.
I'm not disagreeing with that, which is why I said it's the price of gentrification. There is a trade off. Also, there are successful urban districts where retailers own and live in the buildings they occupy and don't have to worry about soaring rent prices. It's too bad Tree & Leaf and Collective Thread became victims of the district's own success that they were integrally a part of. Artists and pioneers have always gravitated toward the seedier parts of town, but once rents go up and the economics of the neighborhood change they are no longer welcome and find some other haven for their work.