May 28, 2007
Monday PM

I am not really sure about this whole limit the jewelry store issue. I have no vested interest either way since I don't own anything downtown nor do I operate a jewelry store business. I don't think I would sit well if I did own something and had someone else tell me I could not rent out my building. However, it is clear that a saturation point has been reached.

One issue for me since I do work downtown is that I can't find things I need to buy downtown. I have to make the Wal-Mart run when a stop outside my work would have been much more effective.

What bothers me, and I could be uninformed, but how come the jewelry stores don't join up and form something like CHARR? As far as I know the local jewelry stores don't have their own umbrella organization and so they lack cohesiveness with the town and each other.

If they were to form under Jewelers Unified Nicely for Ketchikan they could give back so much more to the community and reduce the bad feelings people have for them. JUNK could sponsor a youth sports team; they could donate to WISH and lift up women instead of just hocking bobbles. JUNK could help with the Arts or the Hanging Basket program.

JUNK could ban together and do something about the eyesore right on the curve below Steamers and do something about that rock, dirt and dandelion strip that the tourists seem so compelled to tromp down to get into the street.

All the while locals drive into that situation and have to dodge someone intent on walking in the road on a curve. The frenzy begins with a crazy tourist being whistled at by the crossing guards, and then yelled at by their spouse from across the street to either get out of the road or hurry up and get to the other side. Maddening.

Since those skinny orange cones were put up it seems to have helped!! Thanks to the person that came up with that idea. So now that eye sore can be fixed. JUNK could see this void in the downtown area, step in and offer a sum for material and some labor so it could be transformed into something pretty. Even a bunch of boulders all the way across would look better than the way it does now. If that strip of property is owned by a business downtown, I demand it be tansformed at their expense. Perhaps I will start a committee to force them to conform to my way of thinking.

If the jewelers were really a part of our town they would be stepping in and doing things like this. They would come to chamber meetings and learn about the needs of this town. Maybe they are, I don't know, I just haven't seen any collective effort on their part to do anything but stand outside their store fronts.

Jessica Mathews
Ketchikan, AK



Received May 27, 2007 - Published May 28, 2007

 

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