South Side nostalgia index high, but business sale price falling, says C-J.

On Monday, the Courier-Journal noticed that New Albany still exists. Predictably, the ensuing article focused on a hidebound tradition lost, implying that the absence of one steam table of several is something to be mourned.

South Side's fans recall past with hunger pangs; Generations ate at New Albany icon, by Dick Kaukas.

Wait -- don’t say it.

As a business owner, I’m not in favor of any fellow entrepreneurs failing, and although mounds o’ starch ‘n’ carbs aren’t my gig, I’ve always supported South Side for what it is even if it isn’t my preference for dining out. But, having offered this disclaimer, permit me to point out that the most important section in the C-J article is this one:

But while (the South Side’s closing) is disappointing, it is not a disastrous setback for the city, said Greg Sekula, head of the Historic Landmarks Commission of Southern Indiana and vice president of Develop New Albany, a nonprofit group that works for economic development and preservation.

"It's a loss, but it's also part of the evolution of downtown," Sekula said. "Businesses will not last forever. Tastes change. It's certainly not a nail in the coffin of downtown."

He said he was optimistic that a new tenant will be found for the space at 114 E. Main St., "and we'll move on."

“Tastes change.”

Truer words have seldom been spoken hereabouts, and presumably you’ll not be reading them in political campaign literature any time soon -- yet the sooner we come to grips with it, the better.

The fact that I can’t conceive drinking mass-market light lager doesn’t mean that there isn’t a market for it. Conversely, the fact that certain New Albanians wouldn’t be caught dead sampling sushi doesn’t rule out a gifted culinary artisan crafting the metro area’s best in the same place where fried chicken and dumplings once ruled.

Kudos to Greg Sekula for speaking the truth for attribution, and let’s hope that someone puts something in the South Side restaurant space that mirrors the future hope symbolized by the YMCA complex currently rising yards away. After all, just because the building is historic doesn't mean the concept has to be.