The sign says: "Open September 29, 7:00 a.m." That's a Tuesday.
There is a phone number to call for those interested in employment: "Apply within 9 am - 2 pm, or call 812-941-8582."
The hours are just barely visible to the left on the door: Closed Monday, open 7:00 a.m. otherwise from Tuesday through Sunday, closing at 2 or 3 in the afternoon.
I haven't heard any recently updated scoops on Wick's Pizza, to be located in the building that formerly housed the Speakeasy, although my assumption is a first Tuesday of October date with the state's alcohol regulatory authorities and an opening soon thereafter.
Better hurry, before Papa Cappuccino does the copperhead shake and takes away the riverfront development district. Perhaps he plans on swapping it for an autioneer's license.
Last I heard, Hour of Power is still objecting to Wick’s license. Since next to church, Wick’s cannot get one of the special riverfront licenses so repeal presumably would not apply in this case. Cannot confirm, just what I heard.
ReplyDeleteI can't wait! I ate at the original on opening day and quite often when I worked around the corner. Huevos Ahogados ("Drowned Eggs"- 2 poached eggs in a tomato cilantro sauce) was one of my favorites. For St. Alfonso's Pancake Breakfast it's always a toss-up between Gingerbread or Lemon Souffle.
ReplyDeleteI’ve bought four Toast gift certificates for banker clients, all of which were very well received. They’re eager to have a new breakfast/lunch place downtown.
ReplyDeleteI guarantee you that "Hour of Power" folks, probably the same ones who objected the license, will be eating at Wick's Pizza with their kids.
ReplyDeleteall of this downtown cafe/athletic facilities/wineries and assorted louisville highlands-frankfort ave. development is nice, but my question is when is this administration going to get to the real meat of economic development, like high tech jobs and industrial jobs that pay a sustainable wage instead of the mediocre current wage conditions that permeates new albany's economic reality.
ReplyDeleteAll the current development does is cater to the professionals who for the most part work in corporate Louisville and of course the doctors and attorneys who for years have dictated public policy here.
This kind of development does not create true economic prosperity. I am not saying we shouldnt pursue these types of ventures, but lets get the main engine of economic gowth in place first, workforce development and retraining programs, industrial expansion and new jobs that pay a real wage for the bulk of new albany's workforce.
The current administration thinking that toast on main and the other assorted downtown fluff is an accomplishment is as ludicrous as when regina overton touted Kohl's and the Great Escape theaters as a great feat of her economic devlopment legacy.
England has had two years to prove himself, personally I think his Economic Development is toast and its getting stale.
Good points tim. I agree that industry is where the jobs are yet, though it is also important to have quality of life features that help entice big factories to come. There is a big industry in the pipeline, likely will be here next year. To his credit, I know the mayor has spent quite a bit of time personally coaxing them. also the infrastructure updates he's pushed at grant line west lay the framework for more industries to come. The council extended tif districts which should help pay for some infrastructure projects when they do come.
ReplyDeleteThat said, with the economy hurting, not really the best time for factories to move.
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ReplyDeleteAll the current development does is cater to the professionals [...]
ReplyDeleteIncreasing the number of professionals and educated people in the city is a very good thing for attracting economic development of all types.
and Brandon how do you create additional educated professionals in NA, one way is high tech jobs in the city as I mentioned, the other way and most critical way, is a real investment in workforce development programs that retrain industrial workers to ramp up technologically so existing industries and potential new industries will have a trained workforce to chose from, thus raising everyone's standard of living. More cafes and art galleries isnt the silver bullet of Economic Development and wont bring the kind of new jobs that the city really needs. As I said, I am not saying don't pursue those opportunities, but ignoring the real challenges of economic development seems to be the current mantra among the power elite here and the current, educated, professionals you seem to think matter most.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, I am one educated professional who hasnt turned my back on New Albany's majority. So why dont you ask the $8 an hour factory guy if he would like to join you for lunch at Toast on main and maybe a glass of wine , perhaps the the two of you could view some art downtown as well.
You dont get it Brandon because you have an elitist attitude.
I resent that elitist remark. Everyone knows I'm the elitist around here, not Brandon.
ReplyDeleteat least you arent an attorney elitist, thats worse
ReplyDeleteThis comment:
ReplyDeleteIncreasing the number of professionals and educated people in the city is a very good thing for attracting economic development of all types.
Gets me this insult:
You dont get it Brandon because you have an elitist attitude.
Looney.
I think the $8/hr. factory guy wants his kids to stay in New Albany after they finish college. Right now, there’s not much for them here. Good restaurants, clean streets, professional jobs, those help stop the brain drain.
ReplyDeleteI think the $8/hr. factory guy also wants a nice park visit with his younger kids. I think he wants safe streets to walk. These are helped by the increased tax base that comes with more high paying jobs.
Not all of the new restaurants downtown cater to professionals. Two new fried fish places seem to be doing well. Neither likely would be downtown if we weren’t in the beginnings of an urban renaissance. The Grande hosts weddings for all types of people. New downtown construction would mean new construction jobs for plenty of tradesmen.
Redevelopment helps everyone.
Dan, you're just an attorney elitist too livin' in your fancy mansion on Main Street. lol
ReplyDeleteRedevelopment helps everyone.
As does having an educated workforce to attract business...but my point was lost somewhere in the personal attack.
I think his point is one good sized factory would mean more for New Albany in terms of tax base and employment than possibly all the businesses downtown combined. People tend to move for a job first, and the sexiness of the city second. Some have the option of considering both. Living here, you want nice places to go and cool venues to check out, but you're not going to get those people here if you don't have jobs.
ReplyDeleteI don't think enjoying a nice museum or restaurant makes you an elitist, but there's a sizable portion of the population here that probably doesn't care to come downtown ever except for maybe Harvest Homecoming or to get to the interstate.
B.W.,
ReplyDeleteI’m an elite? Cool!
It sure didn’t seem that way a few years ago when I spent summers as a press operator in a plastic mold injection factory at $5.90/hr to pay for college. With time-and-a-half though, I did feel pretty rich.
And I do have a big house on Main St. But I paid less for it than what seen many blue collar workers at Ford and JeffBoat pay for their homes. It will be nice some day and if any other elites want to help me hang drywall or refinish floors, you’re welcome to join in.
The Elitistist.
I think his point is one good sized factory would mean more for New Albany in terms of tax base and employment than possibly all the businesses downtown combined.
ReplyDeleteAnd no one disagreed with that. The question is how does a city attract business, especially a more cutting-edge factory?
You do it with improving your human capital, which means getting people trained and educated and attracting and retaining talent.
According to Richard Florida, the people driving the economy and creating jobs do not, in fact, choose where to live based on the location of a job. This is why lifestyle amenities are important.
No one is saying they are the only thing or the most important thing. We've had this discussion before.
I recommend reading Rise of the Creative Class and Flight of the Creative Class for starters.
Another point lost on people is that New Albany is part of the Lousiville/S. Indiana region, not an isolated little city. We should be looking at economic development on a regional level. Sure, it would be nice to have a high-tech facility here, and we might get one (we have a new engineering school), but if one were to open up in Louisville it would also help us out, and vice versa.
@Dan - Yeah, I thought you needed to know, it was a shock to me too. You know, dad worked his entire life (and still does) on the railroad, I am first gen to go to college, worked since I was 14 in various jobs including factories and grocery stores and still drive a beatup old car...but you know...elitist. lol
ReplyDeleteOK, I half regret that last comment. I don’t, and I’m sure Brandon, doesn’t like being called an elite. Neither of us are especially wealthy, neither come from privilege and neither of us hold elected office. By calling someone an “Elite,” we’re just calling people meaningless names instead of discussing real issues. There’s a lot of research out there about what type of culture and what type of city policies attract certain types of investment and new residents. Let’s discuss that.
ReplyDeleteI actually don't care what most people call me, but I did find that funny. Though, I think mom and dad would be proud that, with their support, I've made enough of myself to be in the running for the elite.
ReplyDeleteI know for a fact that there are two different high tech firms which have seriously looked at New Albany in the past two years. Each would entail at least a $10M investment. One is from within the region and the other is from outside of the region. The one from outside of the region is still considering us; their operations would involve a number of high paying blue collar manufacturing jobs. So far, both businesses continue to do business yet neither has jumped off the fence in New Albany’s direciton. Why is that? What can we offer them that other cities cannot? Sometimes it’s about more than just tax abatements. Sometimes employers and employees want quality of life.
ReplyDelete"You do it with improving your human capital, which means getting people trained and educated and attracting and retaining talent.
ReplyDeleteAccording to Richard Florida, the people driving the economy and creating jobs do not, in fact, choose where to live based on the location of a job. This is why lifestyle amenities are important."
The people creating the jobs might look at that, but the blue collar worker usually doesn't have the leverage.
As for your first comment, training workers I think we can agree on is fundamental, but it doesn't really have much to do with restaurants. I didn't go to UK because of food choices.
blue collar worker usually doesn't have the leverage.
ReplyDeleteAgreed, but we are talking about enticing someone to create a job here, not work at one.
As for training and restaurants, I'll repeat two prior comments that you may have missed:
Increasing the number of professionals and educated people in the city is a very good thing for attracting economic development of all types.
and
No one is saying they [amenities] are the only thing or the most important thing. We've had this discussion before.
You and Tim keep missing the point that no one on this thread has said anything about a restaurant being an economic engine, including me.
Luring a restaurant is one element of downtown development which is one element of having attractive amenities which is one element of attracting and retaining talent which is one element of improving human capital which is one very important element of economic development, but not everything...and some pretty compelling economic theory, which I have cited, backs that up.
But, feel free to keep blowing my comments out of proportion and making sideways comments. It is New Albany, after all.
If anyone is planning on developing New Albany as an old style manufacturing city, good luck. For the most part, those old style blue collar jobs are all but gone in the whole country. What remains and what few that will be created, will be fought over so hard...
ReplyDelete@Iam - so true, which again underscores the need for education, training, and talent.
ReplyDeleteNow, if you will excuse me I have to shop for an ivory backscratcher.
How much does that scratching gig pay? I ain't ivory but I'm cheap.
ReplyDeleteI think you are missing mine. My comments were about the workers, what they are interested in. Their plight in life. The white collar dealmakers make most of their bones in back rooms with city execs and yes, it usually has a lot to do with tax incentives and breaks. Of course the stuff they spit out in press releases that(yes Jeff, I have to write them too) make it to print are full of the good things...great places to eat, great workforce, a nice city park. But I can tell you that in my experience, and I used to work in a city that despite its size, had some of the biggest manufacturers in the world in it, proximity to interstates and tax breaks are pretty big.
ReplyDeleteBut for the worker, it's really about how much they can make, and just an opportunity to have a job. I agree that having quality of life features is important, but that wasn't really what Tim was getting at. He was saying there's been much attention on the downtown, but in the end the people of NA need factories for jobs. Pay before pleasure.
And down in Kentucky we don't really call them elitists, but that's another story.
But of course, another given, having smart people makes your community better as long as they don't start building a tower to the heavens.
ReplyDeleteWho are the white collar dealmakers in New Albany, Daniel?
ReplyDeleteRoger Baylor. He illegally got his sidewalk paved and I think he owns a tie.
ReplyDeleteBrandon, again you just dont seem to get it. The real challenge in New Albany is in the area of workforce development, yes we need the nice quality of life development you seem to adore but what about the middle aged workforce that lacks a college education but could be retrained to help the city's current industries have a competitive advantage and ramp up technologically?
ReplyDeleteDo you care about them as a viable stakeholder in the city's future or do you just want to cater development to your generation and the recent college grads?
I reiterate, sounds to me like you are an elitist and pompous snob who sees no value in helping the very workforce that built this city and yes they can be retrained and new industries, not necessarily the traditional rust belt industries would be more enticed to consider our city as a location with a retrained, seasoned workforce with a strong work ethic.
You may be an educated professional Brandon but in the area of economic development you are ignorant and regarding the "creative Class" that you seem to think has all this profound wisdom, perhaps Mark Twain said it best, "A man never reaches that dizzy height of wisdom that he can no longer be led by the nose.
- Mark Twain's Notebook
Ecology warrior's point is well taken. Workforce development is key to economic development. Anyone here tried to hire people to work on your historic house? The workforce locally contains some real pockets of abject purposelessness. New industry might look at the health care costs of various areas. I can't tell the patients from the nurses at Floyd Memorial, this does not bode well for "development", except of chronic disease burdens NO potential employer wants. Green industry? Apparently no one over 25 here has heard of it. This region is nothing if not a vast range of the slovenly and pridefully ignorance. Oh, and who killed all the big hardwood trees, yeh? Workforce training - GOOD IDEA.
ReplyDeleteI reiterate, sounds to me like you are an elitist and pompous snob who sees no value in helping the very workforce that built this city and yes they can be retrained and new industries,
ReplyDeleteThen you don't know me very well, but you do sound like an ass.
Retraining is education, which I supported in at least 3 posts, but I wouldn't expect you to actually read my posts and use critical thinking skills, because you are Tim Deatrick. Your track record speaks for itself.
@Daniel - do you actually read what people post before you respond? I'm starting to wonder.
ReplyDeleteLet’s assume for a moment that it has been empirically proven that B.W. is an elitist snob, the worst elitist who has ever lived. Where does that get us? Instead of calling names, let’s focus on the issue.
ReplyDeleteEcology, who do you believe should be responsible for workforce development? Are you proposing additional resources be allocated to retraining our workers? If so, how and to what extent?
I am not an expert on the issue, either on the policy of workforce development or economics of attracting specific high wage, blue collar jobs. These good jobs are often niche jobs. For which niche jobs do we train? Do we focus in industries that are already here or do we cast our lot with an industry new to the area?
In principle, I’m all for workforce development. But the devil is in the details. Also, let me ask a purely rhetorical question, one that does not necessarily reflects my personal beliefs. Someone might ask:
“Why should I pay for retraining workers when I had to pay for my own college?’
Alternatively, someone might ask:
“Why should I pay for retraining workers when that will just benefit the employers who hire those workers?”
Just a different way of looking at it.
Virtually all businesses have employees who are better educated and less educated, higher skilled and lower skilled, and higher income and lower income. If either side were unimportant to the business, that business would not employ that type of people. Since businesses seek people with all types of skill sets, we can safely assume that all have their place and their value.
Both increasing worker credentials/skills and increasing those amenities appreciated by professionals help keep, grow and attract business. Is it either or? How do we compare the apples with the oranges?
I'm sorry b.w did you say something, I wasn't paying attention? Hehe. Let's all breathe and read dans first graph, it's the best post of the day.
ReplyDeleteIf it helps find common ground I have a cat named pompous. He's a big cute orange ball of elitism. Unfortunately his little partner pepper was bitten by a tick this week and is battling for her life, which currently means more to me than all the economic development in the world.
You and tim seem to want what's best for new Albany. Surely you can find common ground in that.
Brandon you are a pompous ass, since you want to call me an ass and as to my critical thinking skills, I dont think you can lack those and still earn an MBA and over 30 hours of natural science coursework. I will put my track record against yours anyday smart alec, political wanna be.
ReplyDeleteNext time you accomplish anything significant for the city let me know because your work is completely unknown
Eco,
ReplyDeleteYou left out how many books that you have had published.
Nobody doubts that you are an intelligent person and have valuable knowledge, in certain areas, to offer. The problem is the application and presentation of that knowledge.
You can ponder that or you can call me whatever name you prefer.
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ReplyDelete