Downtown Cleveland needs to dry up

, grow up and stop relying on serving alcohol to suburbanites as a means of its "development".

Possessing the unique position of occupying a street level storefront in downtown Cleveland since 1976 gives me a bird's eye view of what passes for progress in downtown Cleveland.

The main focus of all this supposed "growth" would easier be measured by the pint, quart, or fifths of alcoholic beverages consumed by the visitors to this once diverse economic machine, than any real hard figures based on new starts in retail and commerce of the non alcoholic varieties.

Cleveland's flats district was just that alcoholic party destination in the 1970's and 1980's. Replaced with the warehouse district, just up the hill from the flats, as yet another boozy destination for the 1990's to present.

The warehouse district has a nascent group of citizens who live in its confines as well, and that is a start in the right direction, though it is lamentable and humorous that the warehouse district is so desperate that it counts in its demographics the numbers of criminal residents interned in the Justice Center. Alcohol consumption and criminal activity go hand in hand, and the warehouse district has been plagued by this behavior for sometime.

It would appear that the large number of clubs and taverns serving alcohol until 2:30 a.m. closing would not serve as a stable base of services that would appeal to attracting long term residents. As for the gateway area that surrounds our bookstore , you guessed it, more copious alcohol poured in a liberal fashion as the primary attraction post or prior to sporting or entertainment events at the baseball stadium or basketball arena.

Cheap food to go with the cheap booze is the rule around the gateway area, and I kid you not the vomit, and urine litter the street corners with regularity when the sporting events are booked.

In the gateway area I have witnessed the unfortunate closing of The New York Spaghetti House , an institution since opening in 1921 , and the comings and goings of a plethora of bars and taverns in this supposed "historic" district. Having no retail neighbors to speak of has resulted in our closing our retail book selling operation a few years ago, and as for the residential aspects of this "neighborhood" , it is safe to say that more fire hydrants , planted trees , bike racks ,and kiosks exist here on the streets of gateway than residents.

After all who would wish to reside in such an alcoholic madhouse as this boozy place of social disorder?

Some nice restaurants exist in the downtown areas I have mentioned and it is not their clientele that I take issue with.

Fine dining is a plus to any City or town, and at a quick glance the new development along East Fourth Street appears to feature food over alcohol, and seems to be heading in the right direction. The jury is not out on East Fourth Street yet, though the presence of Michael and Liz Symon’s LOLA will help keep East Fourth Street on solid culinary footing and insure a quality clientele. It would appear that the better hotels and restaurants are the logical places to choose for a city to dispense alcoholic beverages to visitors.

Civility should be the calling card of a progressive city as opposed to the shameless public consumption of a debilitating substance as alcohol. Cut back on the liquor licenses issued, look for year round retail as an alternative to the seasonal sporting events that draw loutish crowds.

Time to sell a book department.

In keeping with the sober tone of this missive I can suggest an early edition of the highly collectible ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS for the true bibliophile who is perhaps more complacent with book than bottle.

An important movement revolving around the "twelve steps" outlined in this volume are found in practice by thousands of " anonymous self help groups " all over the world , and people addressing a variety of addictive behaviors not limited to alcohol.

Twelve step programs addressing eating disorders, narcotics abuse, and compulsive gambling are but a few of the groups born from the Alcoholics Anonymous movement.

The second edition that we offer is quite scarce and highly desirable on the rare book market, and the great number of new people entering twelve step programs who appreciate the impact that this book has made on so many lives also desire an early edition of this work.

Best wishes to all!

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