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January Get Your PHX:
The Hive
16th Street Renaissance
Get Your PHX Turns Two
The goal of Get Your PHX is to show up, en masse, to support those who pioneer new restaurants, stores, bars and event spaces. We want to provide them a boost as they put their sweat, tears and wealth on the line to make life great downtown. Plus, we want to provide a chance for you to meet others like you, who want to get the most out of Phoenix.
I can't say thank you enough to our sponsors for the First Annual Phoestivus Market, way back in December of 2010. CenPho.com, CO+HOOTS, Downtown Phoenix Partnership, Grand Avenue Merchant's Association, Local First AZ, Phoenix Community Alliance, Phoenix Public Market and Roosevelt Row all contributed to building the event and getting the word out. We are especially grateful to Cindy Gentry for accommodating the much larger event.And by much larger, I mean that we counted somewhere north of 400 people attending the Phoestivus Market. I dare say that I think we just might have started a tradition here! In 2011 we will start planning earlier and we will apply the lessons we learned to make an even bigger, better event!And now, on to January!I'm very excited to report that we are turning our attention to 16th Street, between Roosevelt and Thomas for our second year anniversary. There are so many people involved in this, that I don't know where to start.Calle 16 is a true success story in the making. It is business development, community development, art expression and political statement all rolled in to one. Calle 16 means many new restaurants, galleries and shops all moving on to 16th street, despite the recession.Calle 16, the organization, is itself a non-profit seeking to create a district committed to developing art, local and ethnic cuisine and culture along 16th St.Calle 16 has resulted in new art and a focus on the Latino culture along 16th St.; most famously with its mural project, which has grabbed attention in and out of Phoenix.And wrapped around all of that, Calle 16 is a political statement about human rights, identity and the permanent place of Latin culture in Arizona.Our sponsor for this evening is the remarkable Silvana Salcido Esparza, owner of the Barrio Cafe. Esparza wants you to know about Calle 16. She wants you to experience Calle 16 and see the vision that she and others have for this proposed district. Our hosts for the evening are Julia Fournier and Steven Helffrich, owners of The Hive (the gallery) and The Bees Knees (the resale boutique and gallery), both located at 2222 N 16th St. Julia and Steven have an inviting mixed use space that is quickly becoming a center for art and show. We want to highlight their success. I can't tell you yet everything we have in store for you. We are going to roll this one out with announcements on Facebook as we get closer. But I can tell you that there will be amazing food, art, artists and an introduction to all of the murals on Calle 16.January Get Your PHXThursday, January 20th from 5:30 to 8:30.The Hive2222 N 16th St. Phoenix, 85006
Map herePlease RSVP to me via email or through Facebook so I can get an accurate count.
Also learn about the Calle 16 Urban Wild Flowers project here.
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In Other Market News...
Contradictions and Opportunity
Any time you hear somebody telling you that there is a massive wave of foreclosures coming down the pipe, or that everything will be rosy tomorrow, just remember: it will be a mix of good and bad. As a home buyer or a home seller, your best option is to make plans as you normally would and to your best to mitigate any negatives. Learn more here.
The Dilemma of Choice
You go to a store to buy a watch. You choose one out of thousands and you are still not happy. Why? And what does that have to do with buying a house?
Monroe 44 -For Sale or Lease??
I reported in October about Monroe 44 coming back on the market for sale, after being sold in foreclosure. Well, now they are choosing to lease them instead. It's just too difficult to sell condos in that price range right now.
I know this cool cat who has a wonderful house for rent, starting in April. Check it out here.
For Less than the Price of a Car...
A 2br/1.75ba, 1,100 square foot condo for $55,000? A 1br/1ba condo for $22,000? You can't buy a car for that! Check them out here.
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CenPho Community
Congrats Kate Benjamin!
I love when I see friends get a little digital ink. Kate, of Moderncat Studio has done an incredible job starting a new business that is drawing over 200,000 hits per month to her website. I could learn a thing or two!
In Search of a Dog Park
Open meeting laws are meant to protect. But when volunteer citizen committee members of the Ad Hoc Dog Park Committee started sharing ideas via Tweets and blogging, they ran afoul of the law...maybe. This is an intriguing trend story that points to some of the problems we have with greater civic participation through digital means.
A Bar Dedicated to Rum? Who Knew?
Breadfruit is expanding to include a rum bar with 108 different types of rum. Can you imagine trying to "go around the world" in that bar? It can't be done!
Look for more recent posts on www.GetYourPHX.com.
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A Bit About Redistricting
Well, if you made it this far, dedicated reader, I commend you. This clearly means that you are the type who is willing to get down in the weeds; who is willing to take the time to see it through. You are just the kind of person we need on our team at the Arizona Competitive Districts Coalition. We are fighting to draw a greater number of competitive districts here in Arizona. Competitive districts are the key to more responsive leadership in our legislature. It is the key to long term problem solving. All of this partisan fighting around the redistricting commission really only highlights one thing: both political parties will do whatever they can to advantage themselves and not the voters. Did you know that if you count up all of the voters who live in districts where their votes don't count in the general election (because the district was drawn to overwhelmingly support one party or another), you would be looking at 46% of all voters in Arizona. Why did this happen?
Because in 2001 when we drew the last district lines, there was no natural constituency for competitive districts. Everybody and every party was fighting for their own winnings. There was no sense of the greater good.
Here is what we are doing about it:
1) Recruiting volunteers to monitor the commission and be that voice of reason, calling for more competition.
2) We are building the world's first ever free on-line mapping tool so that you can make your own suggestions to the commission.
3) We are hosting a contest for who can do the best job of meeting all 6 redistricting criteria.
We need your help. 1) Please go to www.azredistricting.com. 2) Sign up to for our workshops. 3) Organize a screening of Gerrymandering, the movie. 4) Make a contribution so that we can finish building the software. We can't do it without your help! |
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Final Words, Compliance and Other Legal Stuff
As always, I respect your right not to be bothered with annoying spam email. If you would like to be removed from my email list, just let me know. Thanks!
Sincerely,
Ken Clark
  
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Organizations Worth Supporting
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