November 2009 Feedback
Spreading the Love
Loved the September Letter From the Editor and the Over-the-Rhine piece. It’s so great to see positive journalism on the topic. Much needed!
Todd McFarland
Mt. Washington
Main Street Memories
I heard the interview with Kathy Y. Wilson [about “ Down on Main Street ,” September] on WVXU recently. It brought back memories: Throughout the 1970s, my husband and I lived on Broadway. We had come to the city from Philadelphia and consequently had none of the prejudices of natives. My husband was an architect interested in renovation of downtown structures. There were many blacks and poor white Appalachians living there, but there were many working-class Germans living there, too. For example, next door was an elderly German woman who had come to this country as a young woman, worked as a maid, and bought the building she lived in and rented out rooms, retiring from maid duties.
Main Street was the shopping area for our street. There was Martini’s Market, Woolworth’s, Japp’s (then a hair store), Abbot’s Used Furniture, new furniture stores, clothing stores, dry cleaners, etc. That was Main Street in the ’70s. This was before Kaldi’s, before Neon’s, and before Japp’s became a bar.
April Bolton
Downtown
Market Matters
As a part of the team behind the pro-bono Findlay Market advertising campaign, I felt compelled to respond to some inaccuracies in Donna Covrett’s piece [“Market Domination,” September], for which we were never approached for comment. From the onset, the intent of the campaign was to improve the overall perception of Findlay Market, and to attract new customers. Communicating the new hours was never the priority because that was not the reason people weren’t visiting.
The resulting campaign is a series of fractured fairytales, playfully bent to draw attention to Findlay’s wide range of offerings, from the familiar—corn that just left the stalk—to the less so—free WiFi access. The print, billboard, and radio spots (made possible by a nearly $400,000 donation by Clear Channel) work together to tell the new story of Findlay Market. No single piece of the campaign is designed to stand alone.
Has it worked? Absolutely. Customer counts are up by 26 percent year over year, with one in five shoppers new to the market. We’re very proud of the work and continue to stand behind it.
Doug Worple
CEO, Barefoot Proximity
I read with interest your article on Findlay Market. I have been a regular for over 55 years. If you want a model for Findlay, look at Jungle Jim’s! It offers diversity and a destination. It needs to be a secure experience. I don’t have a problem with security, never have, but the perception [at Findlay Market] is there. And parking is a pain! Why not provide a shuttle? I was born in Dayton, Kentucky, and as a youth our family visited Findlay; we have lived in Ft. Thomas for over 35 years and continue to shop there. My children are scattered around the Cincinnati metro area and have continued the tradition. We feel the market is an important part of our local culture.
Don Frey
Ft. Thomas
Three cheers for Findlay Market and the tremendous progress being made at Cincinnati’s historically significant and increasingly vibrant public marketplace. However, it was, at best, inappropriate to indicate the age of the marketing director for the Corporation for Findlay Market (CFFM), especially while not mentioning anyone else’s age, and criticizing her for utilizing the services of a student to enhance the market’s social networking and Web page. Utilizing students for advice on the newest technology and social networking is common by corporations, including Fortune 500s, and others who want to be successful in today’s communication environment. Let’s stay focused on what’s most important: continuing the growth Findlay Market has experienced during the past five years and continuing to provide the high-quality, low-priced fresh products from the market’s excellent vendors.
Greg Vehr
White Oak
Funny Business
In response to the letter-writer who asked you to “have your historian check if Bob Woodiwiss’s column was ever funny”: I’d just like to say if you don’t get Bob, well, then you’re an idiot. And by the looks of the Feedback column, this town is lousy with them.
Matt Hueneman
Mt. Washington
Please Don’t Feed the Animals
I loved B.J. Foreman’s article about feeding the deer [“Herd Mentality,” September]. I have always known she was witty, but I haven’t had the pleasure of experiencing her dry sense of humor in print in a long time. Besides being entertaining, her article zeroed in on a dilemma faced by most homeowners in our area and introduced some really valuable information. Although I can’t imagine paying someone to kill deer on my property, I had not reached the point of feeding them, and now I know why I shouldn’t go there. Thank you, B.J.
Rhoda Brooks
Indian Hill
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