Originally Posted by
Detroitnerd
I'll tell a story that I think is a good analogy to some of the problems we have with development in Midtown.
I was walking through Greektown to get to my favorite hole-in-the-wall, and I saw the same old blues busker I always saw, playing on the corner of St. Antoine and Monroe streets. But this time, I notice he wasn't alone; another busker was playing electric guitar catercorner. Well, being a joker, I rolled up to the bluesman and offered him a dollar, saying, "This is for you because I see your competition has gone electric."
But you know what happened? He refused the dollar. He said, "I can't accept your dollar because you're giving it for the wrong reason. You see, we're not competing. The more buskers down here, the more people come. The more people come, the more money we all make. So keep your money and please understand we're trying to make something bigger than us here."
Boy, was I humbled. I was just trying to make a joke and I got schooled. But the truth is, many of our local "developers" would be better off to understand this gentleman busker's point: It's not about creating your own personal monopoly and just wiping out and harassing the competition just because you're on one corner and there's somebody across the street doing something similar. It's about creating a critical mass. The more the merrier. Ultimately, that's what makes a city: Lots of different players creating something that has plenty of choices, which draws more people, which helps everyone make more money.
But instead of this forward-thinking mentality, why do we still have people who think they must own it all, eliminate competition and buy up every property? It means fewer people doing creative things! And, really, we should be growing up and doing just the opposite.
My 2 cents.