Welcome to my blog about the K Street Mall. Why a blog about a street? Mostly because a number of years ago I used to work Downtown and spent a lot of time shopping on K Street. I rode the Lightrail to and from work. Enjoyed the Thursday Night Market. (Remember that?) I liked K Street. It is a unique creation that you don’t find in most other cities. More than anything, I want it to succeed.
But K Street is also the “canary in the coal mine” for Downtown Sacramento. Not long ago, in doing research for this blog, I went Downtown to K Street again to have a look around. It was an eye-opening experience. The economic downturn has hit Downtown hard and K especially so. Much of the retail space along K is vacant or underutilized. It’s no wonder that, with all the talk about Downtown Redevelopment, that K Street always seems to be an anchor.
But let’s get back to that point about having a blog about a street. Why care at all? I’ve been thinking about this a lot in preparation for this introduction. Mostly, I think, because it matters. It matters to me because Sacramento matters to me. I’ve lived here in Sacramento for more than half my life. This is my community and I want to help, in whatever small way a blog can help, to make it better. Downtown doesn’t have to be a smoldering economic crater and it won’t be. Not with some good ideas and a little work.
So that’s it then. A blog about K Street. A little bit of cheerleading and optimism for making Downtown a better place to be. And because it will be better on K Street, it’ll be a little bit better all around. Let’s get started!