Did you ever see that Star Wars movie where the guy says, “we’re not the droids you’re looking for,” well it’s like that. “Your Downtown is not the downtown we’re looking for”. My downtown doesn’t exist anymore. The mix of stores downtown has changed:
The First Selectman’s office has asked that Westport residents take a survey. Here is the Downtown Activist survey website.
Remember the movies? Having Post Cinema 1,2 & 3 was a real treat. People swarming around until mid-night every night, waiting in line to see Star Wars and what-not.
And the book stores; the Remarkable Book Store, Kliens, and Atticus; it was among my favorite activities to peruse those shops, with my curiosity the way it was, as a child of that time.
Sally White’s record division was made special by Sally herself, back in the day. Then of course there was Record and Tape — that weird old hippie dude who worked there — I have a story about him— not appropriate for this blog.
Ships was an amazing restaurant where the scruffy contractors would mingle with the movie stars. Just ran into Nick, the dude who used to run the joint, today. I remember my mom telling me one time how she had too much to drink one night, with a bunch of people from work, and she was dancing on the tables. Not sure I believe that one, at the time I believed it, not really like her to be that far out but anything was possible back then. Plus the fact that my sister worked there as a hostess when she was a senior at Staples. Maybe she got up on a table for like a couple seconds.
In the morning you had Achorn’s Pharmacy opening very early. And then you have Ted, who became a rock star, who worked there. One day he foiled an armed robbery but the management was mad at him for doing so. The incident involved a crazed man with a shot-gun who was demanding drugs. Somehow Ted, who had just come back from making a delivery, walked in on the scene – confronted the robber. Ted was the guy who you would least expect this sort of superman type of activity, very mild mannered, but there is another side to him.
Westport Hardware on Main was very convenient. It was the days before Home Dep. When they finally closed up shop I was able to buy a huge spool of rope, I’m talk’n huge!, very cheap. Then I come to find out 20 years later Drew had bought almost the whole hardware section, you remember going down into the basement past the lawn furniture for various nuts and bolts?
The very first retail chain store on Main Street was Ann Taylor. They moved in in 1967. I didn’t move to Westport until 68; so to me they’ve always been there, heard they’ve changed their business model and are moving, haven’t yet followed up on that one.
Of course there was the smoke shop, back in the day everyone smoked, including kids. I remember spending endless hours watching my friends play video games.
There was the gas station on Main Street where Johnny D. worked.
When old man Klien rented his department store out to Banana Republic downtown changed, at that moment. They specialized in designer safari clothes, 500 dollar leather bomber jackets. Must have been around the mid 80′s. The Gap had already been across the street, but back then the Gap was just jeans.
Functional Clothing sold used jeans in that basement location. Remember Schaffer Sporting goods and Sport Mart?
The Post Office was downtown before email. The Library was on Main Street. There was a Fire House on the corner. The Town Hall was right across from it. I can remember those late nights tallying the election results in the basement.
All those stores are gone and they have been replaced with multinational chain stores. But who actually shops in the new stores? The signs on Main Street say welcome to Westport. Well I mean Jeeze, I’ve been here for 45 years, save for ten years in Hollywood, thanks for welcoming me. I could be saying welcome yourself – to whomever it was who put up those signs.
As far as the new town plan goes, hardy har har, they want to guide the evolution of downtown? The first order of business should be the establishment of a tourist information center, a little booth right at Jesup Green. Also, the perfect place for a marijuana dispensary now that weed is legal.
All kidding aside, I’m not sad that downtown has evolved into “what it is”, it’s just the natural order of things. It was a good move to get the needle addicts out of the little park at the corner of Post and Main. And the homeless now have a safe place to reside where the Mini-Bus pass registration office once was.
Downtown now is much more an elite type spot. Rich shoppers from out of town. I know Westporter’s who wouldn’t be caught dead shopping on Main Street now, way over commercialized – they think – they think it’s gross. Not me, I still love it.
But I’ll be honest, …………..no I can’t say that publicly. Downtown is….what’s the word….different. Hey man, everything has changed: The Beatles have been replaced with Bieber; Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert has been replaced with The Voice; Sears has been replaced with Amazon.
Remember when Apple computer first launched? They had to promise the Beatles’ record company, Apple Records, that they would never go into the music business!
The neat trick comes with rolling with the changes. Take my career for example – I was a die-hard rock & roller, literally, I was ready to die for rock & roll(and almost did), but then the president of the record company told me that I would be producing rap music. I hated rap, “no, not rap!” But I grew to like it a little. That was 20 years ago that I produced that Grammy nominated rap album. I thought I was late to the game but now the album is considered classic old school.
The point I’m trying to make is that the kids growing up will always remember the downtown the way it is now. It is true, that I, personally, have to re-invent myself – yet again, just like Main Street. There is no bitterness or existential angst. In this life you never know when that gold record is just gonna fall in your lap, no matter how inane you think the situation is, in the long run it all makes perfect sense.
I recently read this book by a dude from the 60′s called The Medium Is The Message. I loved reading it because it answered so many questions that had been rattling around inside my head. I can understand this “Your Downtown” campaign being pushed by the First Selectman’s office. It’s like, “Welcome to ‘Your Downtown’,”…. it’s a reminder that I’m welcome there(in case I forgot after 45 years) and that it’s mine (however, populated by multinational chains & shoppers from out of town).
Did you ever see that Star Wars movie where the guy says, “we’re not the droids you’re looking for,” well it’s like that. Your Downtown is not the downtown we’re looking for. My downtown doesn’t exist anymore.