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Sunday, March 21, 2010
Arden Arcade Business Walk surveying district businesses today
by Hal Silliman, published on September 25, 2009 at 11:47AM
Storyline: Regional Prosperity
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How’s business? What can be done to make it better?
With those questions, more than two dozen business people and Sacramento County staffers are visiting businesses Friday in the Arden Arcade district for the annual Business Walk to find out what kind of assistance can be brought to help improve the business environment.
It’s expected that more than 100 shops, offices and stores will be visited today along eight commercial corridors—including Watt Avenue, Fulton Avenue, Auburn Boulevard and Hurley Way, among others.
Business Walks help county officials make improvements in services to the districts, according to Howard Schmidt, chief of staff for Supervisor Susan Peters, District 5, where today’s event was taking place.
“Past business walks help us channel resources for things like law enforcement,” Schmidt told the participants before they hit the streets. The Sheriff’s Grinch Program to patrol the shopping malls during the holiday season is one example of the outcome of visiting businesses to find out what can be done by the county to improve the district. Last year’s holiday patrol of the malls netted more than 100 bad guys, he said.
Previous Business Walks (reports are available online) also helped the county craft flexible zoning regulations for business, curb aggressive panhandling and improve street pavement conditions.
And how is business doing right now?
Early reports from the teams show that many small businesses, such as computer firms, medical offices, real estate firms, are doing well.
Cary Warner of Aperio—an information technology administrator—said his business is doing well, improving through the use of marketing via social media outlets like Facebook.
He attends the Arden Arcade Business Council’s monthly mixers because they help him connect with people he finds via Facebook and social media. “That’s the small business pie I’m after,” he said. “The mixers are a great connector to see the people from online.”
Atlas Properities’ Elias Zumout, the onsite manger of the 2020 Hurley Ave. building, said he sees “business going up slowly.” After losing seven mortgage company businesses, he has 65% occupancy. He just signed a 3-year lease for new company moving into two suites.
To help business improve, he has dropped lease rates and is making improvements in the building. “You have to spend money to make money.” But he sees things turning around.
Zumout said the Arden Arcade district is “a very good area”—and, as a basketball fan—is hoping the Sacramento Kings will move into the CalExpo arena. “It will be fantastic for everybody.”
The Business Walk is a partnership of the Sacramento Metro Chamber Arden Arcade Business Council, the Fulton Avenue Association and Sacramento County. It is sponsored by Volt Information Services, the Fulton Avenue Association and Hampton Inn & Suites, with support from SETA/Sacramento Works.
Upcoming Business Walks are set for Rancho Cordova (Oct. 22), Power Inn (Oct. 29) and West Sacramento (Nov. 20). For more information, contact Matt Yancey at 916-321-9153.
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If I remember correctly, didn't Arden Arcade put a ballot out to become its own city? Did that ballot ever pass?
I just find Sacramento suburbs interesting. I have lived Downtown on P then on H Street, in Arden Arcade, Natomas, near the Fab 40s, and now in Elk Grove. I always just felt that Arden Arcade had a more distinct "town within a town" feel to it. Neighbors would have block parties and community events. Either way, it was my favourite move and I wish I lived there longer!
Arden-Arcade is one of the first postwar suburbs in the area, which means that it's just getting to be old enough to have buildings that look definably old-fashioned--not Midtown victorians or East Sac bungalows, but things like Googie diners, Modernist supermarket facades, a bit of Fifties roadside architecture, and early suburban ranch houses. New enough to be familiar but old enough to remind us of the past.