No paper today. But hey, they got the advertising out. And what's this? A puff piece about Bend.? Guess that isn't all that different than normal, after all. Heh.


A couple of days have passed, and I'm pretty sure that I can replenish my coffers fairly fast if I just turn the budgeting screw another couple of turns. Interesting that the money always seems to be there when I need it, but not when I want it.


Looks like it is Washington Spring Break, and maybe Idaho and Montana, so there's a bit more activity than I expected. Answer me this, why would Washingtonians be more willing to spend money right now than Californians or Oregonians?


I see by the Source that several more new businesses have opened on the west side. I don't really understand this choice; as someone who has always struggled to find enough customers in all of Central Oregon, to purposely choose a 'neighborhood' concept, seems self limiting. Why do you suppose that Trader Joe's picked ugly old Highway 97 to open? With its fast food joints and empty lots? Or Barnes and Nobles picked Highway 20 with it's car lots and fast food joints? And so on?

I suspect they have plenty of data about traffic flows and visibility.

The west side has some second tier chains, like Ray's Food Market, but I wonder if they're not there because they know they won't get trounced by the really big boys.

It can't be just a zoning issue. Indeed, the formula would change if they did have a 'go to' destination store, but right now I can't think of any....

I'll say it again, the west side gained a cachet, I think, as much from promotional efforts as from any intrinsic or inherent virtues. Admittedly, I'm an east sider. And I don't consider either the Old Mill (with it's go-to movie theater) or Downtown as west side...but everything on the other side of the river...

But even now, if I had to reposition my store, I would choose Greenwood or Third or Highway 20 before I would go to the west side. Simply from my own driving patterns. The only reason I currently go the the west side at all is to visit the doctor once a year. Or to sight see.

It would be interesting to get into these new storeowner's heads -- to know how long they've lived in Bend, or whether they were so new that they were somewhat duped, sold a bill of goods, about the trendiness of the west side. Sports shops seem to be the right kinds of businesses over there, but any shop with a wider appeal and I wonder why they wouldn't chose a location with wider access.

Maybe I just haven't gotten with the program. Retail, after all, wasn't much a part of the mix on the west side when I was growing up, besides a couple of neighborhood groceries and ski shops.

I wish them luck.