Restoring our cities - Take it to the people with an international mercantile center, fair,
bazaar, collectibles and/or a flea market center
Cleveland Downtown Airport Boardwalk...Feature " Pride of Cleveland Producst - Local Production for Local
Consumption - a real value added local economy.
In Cleveland Ohio like many other major cities across our land, leaders are wondering how
to make a comeback. Instead of talking about bringing back good paying jobs, they are trying to create an economy with
Casinos, Sports and Entertainment. They do not understand that the money for all this has to come from somewhere and only
value added economies work. They offer tax abatements and outright payoffs for foreign assemblers. They foster big box
stores where the money spent at retail quickly fans out to foreign countries where the products art made. Their priorities
are based on a tax revenue mind-set rather than on creating real commerce from the raw product stage up through
several levels to the retail or end user stage. This way an economy can recyle over and over again.
Cleveland has a downtown airport right on the lake.
The air traffic is down and there is talk about making a park or building condomiums area out of
it . A park would be nice but it would serve no real purpose in the recovery of Cleveland as one of the poorest
cities in our country . High priced residential units will not work either. It would help only a few. We
need to work from the bottom up and not from the top down.
We suggest using the airport as a Mini-Mercantile Center for business to business selling during
the day. Vendors could sponsor a buffet where business people could use their calling card as their ticket to get in for a
free buffet lunch or dinner. Vendors could present their products and services and have presenters going
from table to table with their items while the main presentation is going on too. The airport fees for vendors flying
in could be discounted. This in itself would highlight the downtown airport on the lake as a wonderful positive . There could
be charter flights ferrying people to the islands in Lake Erie and to nearby cities in Canada.
At night, the center could be used for business to people selling bringing in consumers.
Outside or in the hangars, a vast flea market or bazaar could be started. It could be used for in the selling of
art, antiques and collectibles too with an upscale area. Cleveland like many other major cities now
have what I call " the Gray Economy". I also call the people who picked through the rubbish on pick
up day "the Gray People". This is a big business that no one talks about. Why not have
a vast flea market or upgraded bazaar at the airport where many could sell the things they collect. Cable TV demonstrates
what is happening with shows like Pawn Stars, Pickers and Restoration shows. Something related to this , would bring many
people into the area to buy and sell . Auto restoration could prove to be a big thing too.
Businesses and restaurants downtown could have booths for people to sample their wares. There
could be a shuttle trolley bus going back and forth between the two areas and the West Side Market. Upper scale businesses
and restaurants could have limos taking customers back to their establishments. Coupons could also be given away
at the center only for the Rock Hall of Fame and the top Science Center close by to draw people from everywhere.
A ship could be docked near by to offer overnights rooms and even be an extension of the mini mercantile center.
A Kiddie Land could be built to draw families. A giant Ferris Wheel could be built and light
up the whole area off Lake Erie and on the lake itself.
The Mercantile Fair would be the attraction with the Rock Hall of Fame the Science Center close by. At the Science Center or at the airport , there could be a replica of a working old fashion windmill
or water wheel as an attraction and again to light up the area. A boardwalk could easily be had from E9th
to as far as E40th close to the Lake. Street Vendors could be located on the boardwalk for that long distance. There
could be test drives in this area for potential auto buyers. There could be a virtual auto show every day of the week.
In all it would have with many people
interacting with each other in selling and buying. It would be a people to people venture.
The world renown Cleveland
Art Museum could have mini-art museum could be a the downtown airport during this time or keep it as an ongoing
display. The World War 2 submarine can be highlighted too.
Even an E-Bay Rep could be on hand finding regional items for consumers worldwide right there
on the worldwide web.
A program could be started
to to promote a Made in Cleveland label perhaps calling it
Pride of Cleveland products!
following with a Made
in Ohio and Made in the USA label. The label program could be advertised heavily throughout the city, state and country as
a way of letting all know what a local value-added economy is and promote area manufacturing.
(We tried in many ways to tell our leaders and media here about this all but no one seems
to listen. It would not take much money to get it all going but our leaders talk Casinos, sports stadiums/ arenas and
parks instead.) And they talk education- education but when the core of the classroom is a $100 to $200 PC computer, that
is not even made in the USA, how can anyone expect anything good to come from this. The price of the device demonstrates
the demise of high tech in the USA . It is especially silly to push computer education when word processors only
make a bit over minimum wages. Who would have predicted that workers need computer skills just to earn a minimum wage.
A whole new view of the local scene and the national economy has to be adjusted to the real world as free trade remains
the major cause of our economic crisis. And making money on money economies instead of making things are
burning out.
