According to the latest reports from Jacksonville, the local merchants are not too happy about the new law increasing the time folks can park downtown and allowing employees to feed meters and move their cars. Read about it here.
These business owners know the score. They are successful because they know how to run their businesses. I’ll bet if they find out any of their employees are parking within ten blocks of their stores, there would be hell to pay.
Notice the comment by the fellow who thinks half an hour is enough. He has a point. If you are going to run downtown and pick up one item, it is enough. Worked for me today. I found a spot directly in front of a store where I wanted to pick up a gift. I parked, put a quarter in the meter, and went in. 20 minutes later I was out, and as I drove away, another car took my space. See, it works.
Too bad the city dads and moms in Jacksonville don’t have the wisdom of the merchants they represent.
JVH
One Response
JVH.
The parking enforcement in Downtown Jacksonvlle was draconian and cited by every large business closure since 1984 as the major contributing reason for their closing.
Woolworths, Iveys, May Cohens, Furchgott’s and a few other stores were the backbone of Jacksonville’s retail community. With the exception of Furchgott’s they still exist and are still thriving across the country.
The only difference between their successful stores, and their failure in the downtown was the oft cited metered parking.
The law needed to be changed and it was.
The old guys who own the stores cited in your article are all that are left of a generation of Merchants Association leaders in our downtown that presided over the worst business failure of any downtown in the United States.