Cervantes wrote “… there are no limits but the sky …” in Don Quixote. We used to believe the sky’s the limit in America and that anything was possible with hard work, a vision and a little luck. It seems the American Dream has been shackled by the nay sayers, the “we’ve always done it that way” people, the blinkered and the rigid regulators. The latest example is the rough waters The Scoreboard has run into trying to get permission to put a rooftop restaurant space on top of their new location.
We’ll get back to The Scoreboard in a minute. First, when was the last time we saw real economic progress in Mitchell? There have been bright spots, like the recent opening of Mya’s Teriyaki on the corner of 5th and Sanborn. However, there also have been the closings of Chef Louie’s, Whiskey Creek, The Lake House and Burger King in the dining sector of the economy. Other businesses have closed leaving holes in our business sector, limiting consumer choice along with empty buildings left behind – businesses like Kmart and Shopko.
There has been some recovery of abandoned business buildings in Mitchell. For example, Krohmer Plumbing bought the Shopko building. Muth Electric bought the building where Runnings was (and prior to Runnings it was Campbell Supply and even earlier than that old timers will remember it was Kmart) before Runnings moved across the street to where Kmart used to be ( back in the day, Kmart did the same thing Runnings did, moving from across the street to what is now the current location of Runnings). Some progress will further be made when some buildings are knocked down like those at the corner of 1st and Lawler, getting rid of dangerous structures that are also eyesores thus opening the way for new development of those sites.
The medical “industry” has changed radically from when I was a kid. It used to be individual professional practitioners ran their own business as entrepreneurs in the medical field. Now there is nary a private practice person to be found. They are employees of Sanford and Avera. When those behemoths took over, they abandoned the offices of the private practitioners and built new edifices like the Avera Grasslands. Many of the old medical offices have been repurposed but some of those empty structures dot Mitchell as well.
It seems to me the manufacturing sector is strong in Mitchell. Of course, those businesses are buffeted by the national economy and the vagaries of the world market. However, when was the last time a major new business was brought to town? Cabela’s came to town about thirty years ago. Graphic Packaging is more recent but still around the 20 year or so ago mark. There are individual business owners in town that have expanded their business (like The Scoreboard is trying to do) or branched out into new, but adjacent, businesses – like the development we see on the bypass and that is to be applauded, But what is the Chamber doing about new business recruitment? It seems we have been on “autopilot” for a long time now as it relates to efforts to get businesses to relocate or expand in Mitchell.
I know economic development is difficult. There is competition from the ease, convenience and wide reach of the internet that hurts brick and mortar recruitment and development. There is competition from other states and even within South Dakota for the attraction of new businesses. There is the Black Hole of Sioux Falls, siphoning talent, industry and young people from other communities around South Dakota. However, even given all that and more, it seems to me that economic development in Mitchell is on hold from the City and the Chamber.
The entrepreneurs that made Main Street a shopping destination are aging out. The Toggery closed, not because it wasn’t viable but rather because the couple that ran it didn’t want to be working until the day they died. There are options for women’s clothing in town and some stores are run by dynamic young business owners (like Tickled Pink) but where (besides Walmart) would you go to buy men’s apparel in Mitchell? Harve’s Sport’s Shop, Ed’s Pet World, Charlie’s Shoe Repair etc. are all iconic and successful Main Street Businesses but their owners and operators are at retirement age or beyond. Some Main Street enterprises, like the Diamond Store, have been successfully sold to a younger generation of entrepreneurs who are committed to the community and to the Main Street way of doing business. The Mercantile, across from the Corn Palace, is another wonderful example of a positive addition to Main Street as well.
All of that success and new development has been local. That is important, valued and welcome. However, for Mitchell to thrive we need more. We need another Cabela’s or Graphic Packaging. We need imagination for sprucing up Main Street The Streetscape is a fine start along those lines. Most importantly, we need to get out of the way of innovation.
A major part of the problem with our Main Street is, it is “historic” as in – it is 100 and more years old. Buildings have fallen down (the old Longhorn Bar) and burned down (the old State Theater) and others were so expensive to maintain their owners eventually gave up on having businesses in them (the old Ben Franklin building).
The good news is some buildings have been repurposed, like the old Balloon Museum that is now the home of the Area Community Theater. The space where the Longhorn Bar was is now the very attractive Veteran’s Plaza. The Ben Franklin building has been bought by a visionary transplant from California and is being refurbished into, among other things, an Italian restaurant (I’m looking forward to the opening of that establishment). More excellent news is our local business go getters have a vision for expansion with unique features. Which brings us full circle to The Scoreboard.
I taught history for 36 years and it is ridiculous to consider something historic simply because it is old. That is especially true of a building. If it was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright or I M Pei or some other famous designer then perhaps leaving the structure pristine as it was originally makes a lot of sense. If something historic happened in the building, Lee surrendered to Grant thus ending the Civil War as an example, then an excellent argument can be made for leaving everything as it was as well.
None of this applies to the plans The Scoreboard has for roof top dining. The comment, “I’ve never seen roof top dining on any building” is inane and shows that individual has not traveled widely in the United States. I’ve eaten on top of roofs of establishments in several cities, including Grand Forks, North Dakota. The comments about weather are also foolish. The Scoreboard has outdoor dining now and people with the brains God gave geese don’t eat outside when it is hotter than hell or it is chilly or raining. The same would be true of a facility with a roof top dining option. I suspect that when this renovation is completed by The Scoreboard that the roof top space will be THE hot ticket in town.
I love history. I taught history for nearly four decades. I still read and enjoy history. I’m telling you from the heart, there is “history” and then there is “old”. They are not synonymous. If the Bradley’s want to spend their time and resources remodeling a building to include roof top dining, I say “God Bless Them”.
Our dining options are limited and have gotten more so in recent months. There are still great places to eat in town. For example, The Depot is an innovative repurposing of the old train depot (hence the name “The Depot”) into a wonderful atmospheric dining experience. I see no reason why The Scoreboard, in a significantly less historically valuable building (if it has any historical value at all) can’t be equally innovative and creative by putting roof top dining on their new establishment.