another one bites the dust.

josh from inertia posted here earlier today about heartworks closing. joey beat me to the post! ha ha!

i am really so sad to see them go! there are not enough delicious vegetarian (josh-i've got to make it to the next potluck!!!) places in town!!! my only beef with them was that every time i wanted to go there, they were closed. you will be missed!

i wonder what's going to go in there? is there any chance that they could be moving to 5th and main? i just hope the space doesn't sit there vacant!!! i will have to find out how much rent is going to be. when i find out about urbane (which can be split into 2 spaces i think), i'll post that too.

you know, i was listening to npr this afternoon and there was a really interesting piece on wall street. the discussion was that september is supposedly/superstitiously the worst month of the year, economy wise. everyone has been on vacation for 2 months and spent all their money. honestly, it really is true. and it's trickled down to the tiny little mom and pop businesses. 5 points has been really DEAD lately. i mean, scary! and for some reason, i feel like all these random bills are popping up this month.

it's not cheap to run a business. rent alone costs SO much every year. (especially as it goes up and up in 5 points and really everywhere for that matter) and then the little things that really add up... bags, wrapping, credit card fees, etc... plus there's that expectation from the customer to always have new exciting inventory in! i know i'm not alone in saying that there's been some stress this month. plus, coming off a slow summer, that's really hard. don't get me wrong, i love what i do and am so thankful i have the freedom i do. sometimes though, the security of a normal paycheck and benefits is wonderful feeling!!!

i love what i do and will fight for it! i'm not going anywhere. there are some wonderful businesses that have deep roots in the neighborhood. others have been popping up in the last few years and have beaten the odds as well! gunnel (who owns edge city with her partner tom) has one of the most long standing businesses in 5 points. 30+years. i've had conversations with both her and tom about the constant reinvention you should undergo. 5 points is always reinventing itself. that's what makes it so unique. you never know what you are going to find.

ladies and gentleman, so long september. here's to a fresh start for 5 points in october (and to no more people closing)! we're going to have a great month. i feel it!

we really need to take some new pictures of 5 points and put them up on here. joey has a really cool one.

mmmm...

if you have a sweet tooth at night like me, you've got to pick up an 'endangered species chocolate' bar next time you are at grassroots. they have an assortment. my favorite is the one with the bat on the front, it's dark chocolate with crunchy little cocoa nibs. (i am enjoying a bite right now!) it's 100% ethically traded cocoa AND everytime you buy one you are helping ... 10% off this companies net profits go towards species, habitat and humanity. yay for chocolate!

hyp-NO-tique?!?!

what has happened to curtis's first store??? if you aren't familiar, hypnotique has been a staple in 5 points for years and is now never open. this has been going on now for over a year! it's sitting there, with sparse merchandise and a few broken mannequins. why? wolfgang, curtis's other store, is what really brings in the bacon. it's a great store with alot of great lines and it's really an asset to the neighborhood! that store is now a combination of the former satu (women's) and old wolfgang (men's only). it's now all under one name. curtis recently opened a new store in gainesville and maybe that is where he's putting all his energy/capital but the merchants aren't the only ones wondering what's going on with this prime retail space. customers are always wondering what happened to hypnotique. leave the space for someone that will actually put it to good use and be an asset to the community. why is he just letting that space sit there and rot? it really pulls that end of the block down. just wondering what's going on. does anyone want to enlighten me? i say either shape up or close up, completely.

goodbye urbane!

yes, urbane will be missed. it was wonderful having keith and clay in 5 points and i am so sad they are leaving us. i am just so bummed!!! it looks bad when stores open and close like this! first procyon... but then one of each gifts opened and jonathan is SUCH an asset to our neighborhood! now urbane... but who knows, maybe it just wasn't the right fit. they are moving their location to baymeadows/phillips, 'the furniture district'. hopefully they will flourish over there! the whole store is on sale now through when they sell everything... 25-75% off!

i have to say when i heard urbane was leaving, i almost didn't believe it! there are some people out there who call 5 points 'san five marco points' and then to others, 5 points is scary! that's the most ridiculous thing i've ever heard. our wonderful area is stuck in this weird nomansland! too alternative? or not eclectic enough? there is so much opportunity in 5 points! open your business here!

when was the last time you were in 5 points? people, this is how a district close to the urban core is. there will be transients, there will be litter, but we are fighting every day to clean it up and keep it the wonderful, pleasant and fun area that it is. if you see garbage on the ground, just pick up a few pieces. every little bit helps! and if you are a litterer, shame on you!

i see homeless people in avondale and san marco all the time. yes it is sad and yes they sometimes smell and yes you probably think he or she did it to himself but these people are harmless. you may get asked for some money, but give them directions to the city rescue mission there and walk away. when someone asks me for "money for food" i always offer to go buy him/her a burger at wendy's. when that offer gets declined i simply say that i am a merchant in 5 points and do not support panhandling. period.

so sick of it!

what is up with all the shoplifting these days??? yesterday there were 3 black tranny-hookers (got nothing against black tranny hookers, these just happened to be slimy low-life THEIVES!!!) roaming the streets and taking whatever they could from the shops! midnight sun had 2 items stolen, anomaly had a pair of $100 womens jeans stolen (a size that this idiot will never in hell fit in!) and phil from time warp had a womens shirt stolen. PLEASE STOP STEALING! BUT ESPECIALLY STOP STEALING FROM SMALL STORES!!!

First Fridays in 5 Points! Oct. 5th!

Starting Friday, October 5^th, 5 Points will launch it’s monthy First Fridays promotion with a screening of Alfred Hitchcock’s classic, “Rear Window”. First Fridays will take place, as the name suggests, the first Friday of each month. All the stores in 5 Points area, and particularly along Park St. will stay open until 9PM and the area’s restaurants and bars will offer drink and food specials. Once the retail shops close at 9PM, 5 Point’s own theatre will open for a screening of ‘Rear Window’ at 9:15. Tickets for the film will be $5, concessions will be available, but BYOB, and a blanket or lawn chair is a good idea as the theatre no longer has permanent seating.

here it goes...

are blogs sometimes worthless acts of self promotion? of course. people love hearing themselves talk, and this gives someone the perfect outlet to do it. other people love being in another person's business, so i can see why blogs have become an attraction to many!

without further ado, may we present a little promotion... 5 points buzz! forget the malls! check out jacksonville's most unique independent shopping.