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Brazilians destoying downtown? Come on…
Posted on March 20, 2007 by kraus2686
Filed Under Clinton, Downtown, Noah's posts |
It’s no secret that it’s tough for a small business to make a go of it these days. It’s certainly not easy in Clinton’s High Street area, where parking problems are well known. But the latest business owner to pull out has some pretty nasty things to say about Clinton.
Jomahco Designs owner Laura Devlin laid some of the blame on drug dealing and on landlord Oxford Courts, which she accused of mismanagement, but wouldn’t go into details. Certainly Devlin doesn’t plan on opening another business in town — or ever setting foot in it again — with the following comments she made, though. Devlin laid part of the blame on WHEAT — a charitable organization that helps hundreds of local families every year and is in the process of moving closer to Devlin’s store. Check out her comment:
“There are a lot of Brazilian storefronts that do quite well down there and having WHEAT down there is not helping either,” she said of the local charity, Wachusett Health Education Action Team. “It’s just going to make things worse,” Devlin said. “Who’s going to want to shop there?”
“Who would want to shop there?” Ouch. I guess if Clinton is ever too good to have a charitable organization with an office in the downtown, I’m not sure I’d want to live here anymore.
Her comment about Brazilian businesses on High Street are pretty brazen, too. Not exactly a ethnically positive statement.
I’m sorry to see a business — and one that looked pretty classy — move from High Street, but comments like that make me want to see something else move into that divinely decorated space real soon — perhaps a Brazilian market?
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17 Responses to “Brazilians destoying downtown? Come on…”
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Yikes. What a bitch.
I’m sorry to see a business — and one that looked pretty classy — move from High Street, but comments like that make me want to see something else move into that divinely decorated space real soon — perhaps a Brazilian market?
go noah!!!!
so i guess from the sounds of her remarks…she’s looking for a W.A.S.P. town that’s also very yuppie???? good luck to her….if memory serves me correctly…milford..where she’s moving her business to, has a far larger brazilian population than clinton does….with that attitude, she won’t last long there…how about she try marlboro or better yet framingham…he he he!!!!
my bad…misread where she was taking her business…milbury might work.
thanx ma, why would you say such a thing, its harsh and not nice..
anywho, a business is a business, i dont care who the owner is or their points of view..
high street is gonna become a dump again with empty storefronts and no parking..its sad that due to the destructive behavior over time, theres no place to sit and few to throw out your trash…mabye next year at the polls i can try to help with some ideas to correct that or at least make it better..
It was the drunken sociopaths at the Liberty Tavern that made High Street shady. Thank God the Selectmen shut ‘em down.
I think the drugs are a big issue.
It always has been for this small town. but no one can really blame just one group of people. high st. has always had a issue with trouble for years.
But my issue with her statement has to go to the one with wheat office.
the wheat office has always been on or around high st. for years.
they always do good for the community what has your business done for it.
Hey mrs. devlin if you have any junk that you can’t get rid of from your store the wheat will take it off your hands. you can write it off on your taxes,
you may not get a lot for it, but its more than what you sold in the store.
Now I’ll be nice if the business’ have issues with the drug dealers on high st. video tape them dealing and give it the cops, that will be your civic duty.
but leave the wheat office out of the conversion, like I said they do good by the community.
The bar on high st. is cursed for years this will never be a good place for a bar.
thanks for letting me rant.
hey terry, good call….as to the wheat, i agree that someone [not directed at any group or race, people in general] may be ashamed to go there just like the thrift store or hospital guild..
as a matter of fact, i personally encourage it, i go to the thrift shop and hospital guild for things and clothes, its a great deal going to a great cause…
my brothers fiancee katie had her wedding dress here and after she passed on, i was left in charge to find it a good home, i did so by donating it but with 1 hitch, it couldnt be displayed in the front window, anywhere else in the store was fine so as not to upset my brother on his daily trips down high street…
but thats how i feel, let them be readily available and encourage people to go there…
im not too proud to go to the salvation army for things, nor should anyone else..times are getting tight money wise and thats a perfect way to save and help at the same time…
It always amazes me when people take what an editor/news columnist says as the truth, don’t people know by now that negative journalism sells better than positive. I’m sure that the comments that Mrs. Devlin said where not as bad as Noah Bombard makes them out to be or maybe it’s the plain ugly truth that everyone else is to afraid to say anything about.
As a business own, you always want your product to stand out, so people will take notice. If the surrounding business in town are not on the same page, then maybe it’s time for her to leave. You can’t rightfully sell high-end products to people who can not afford it. With that said, High Street will continue to be a place you can go get High, so fits the name. Until the rest of the town wakes up and notices that the only business in town are low end and are attracting only low end clientele, Clinton will never change. Good luck with that. It looks like yet another small American town going down the tubes, because the good citizens of that town are to afraid to say anything that may be misconstrued as politely incorrect. God help us all.
Imma: Are you suggesting that a newspaper editor would make comments up to sell newspapers? We certainly are in the business of selling a product (otherwise we wouldn’t get paid) but I can tell you that this newspaper builds its reputation on being straight-forward and factual. I’ve been training reporters for the past eight years with the number one lesson of “get it right.” As long as newspapers are generated by human beings, errors will occur, but if anything, the comments made my Ms. Devlin were watered down in the story.
Certainly, an educated reader should always consider sources, possible slants and draw their own conclusions when reading, but I can assure you this story was very straight-forward. We certainly didn’t take any creative licenses with Ms. Devlin’s comments.
Call me cynical but Newspaper Editors, News Reports and Politicians, do what ever they need to do to sell what they are selling no matter who they may steam roll in the process. Any ways seems like I touched on a nerve. I guess her comments may just be the ugly truth and if they are, tell me this, what do you think the other business in the downtown area are going to do? Any smart business owner will pack it up and move to a nicer and safer place. It seems like the real issue is the bad element that is all around High Street (not to mention many other small towns across America) and until the citizens and town leaders step up to make the needed change to clean up the area and attract business, It will never change. Good luck
Wow, I’ve never seen us lumped in with politicians — at least you didn’t say lawyers
Seriously, though, I myself try to refrain from categorizing any “group” of people. It is tempting sometimes to think politicians are all one way or, I guess, the media is all another. It seems unfair, however, to say because someone is a politician they are a certain way. People are people and they exist with their various quirks, positive attributes and foibles no matter what their occupation is. I know for myself, I always try to treat everyone around me — whether they be employees or people we’re covering — fairly. To do anything less ultimately does not sell papers. It tarnishes your reputation and makes people think twice about whether they can trust you. And trust is probably one of the most valuable and rarest commodities these days.
You are right, though. If High Street isn’t a good place to do business, those businesses will go elsewhere.
wow
i cant believe you train your reporters
from the way broderick portrayed rousseau back in “04″ it looked like a circus chimp could do better since he only used family aka anonymous neighbors for his information and sources
he never asked his true next door neighbors what they thought
oh well bad news sells news right
Before my time. You’d have to take that up with the previous owner of the paper, but I don’t believe I ever saw Patrick Brodrick’s byline on any stories on Mr. Rousseau.
you should check it out a person like that will make people question how true your paper is and if its believable
but after all its become the bombard and broderick times right
with weather and traffic on the 5’s you can depend on
does anyone know the brazilian national anthem??? dont it have somethin about no pools there????
As a business owner, one has the right to be candid when it comes to the future of his own financial existence, even if it means saying things that are not politically right. After all, this country is made up of millions of small businesses. They are the backbone of our country.
Ms. Devlin’s comments were probably insensitive, but one has to wonder as to why those comments were made. Is there any truth to her comments and if there are then what is being done to alleviate the situation.
All landlords have the right to increase their rents as need be. If it forces out those business who cannot afford , so be it. If their rentals stay vacant then so be it.
I have seen small towns go under due to the neglect of the local government to stand up and take care of issues that have a detremental affect on their tax base, especially commercial.
I have driven through the so called business district of Clinton and I must say that I would be hard pressed to open a business there. After all, businesses have a right to make a profit and I think it only fair that if you are charging a licenses fee to operate a business then the town should do what ever it takes to make sure that those businesses are given the full backing of the town in order to become succesful. Whatever it takes.
Shame on your chamber of Commerce