The carrot juice at Ones-a-meal kicked ass. Seriously, it did. Try to get that at Subway... I liked the food OK. But most of all, when I first saw the place, I wanted to go there, and looked forward to returning every time. When I was there, I had an almost subconcious revelry that I was there. I just don't get that feeling about Subway or Starbucks. It also helped define my sense of place for that stretch of Memorial. Sure, there's still Otto's, but, without O.a M., it looks bit more like any other stretch of anonymous street in the country. Bummer.
FWIW, I was at both a Subway and a Starbucks today Anyway, to answer a couple of remaining points: In possibly the only time I'll ever use this as an example, check out the film "You've Got Mail." This is exactly the (only) underlying subtext. The Tom Hanks character is a B&N executive, and they go into some detail about how big corporations target sites, and do their thing specifically to drive smaller competitors (local or not) out of business. As far as "excelling" goes, one only need have lived here long enough to remember the pre-"B&N" Bookstop (on W. Alabama), to see why a local chain catering to the interests of its immediate community is much more than just a "homey atmosphere." Similarly, compare Cactus on West Alabama with any of the Warehouse Music (isn't that what Sound Warehouse is now called?) stores. As to MTV. Television has (to a certain extent) always been about networks. MTV succeeded precisely because it was new and innovative. It continues on top because it has become a brand name. Radio, conversely, was a local thing through the mid-eighties. To bring another thread into this, you don't think the "guy talk" processional at KILT wasn't dreamed up by a suit wanting to mimic the success of the WIP Philadelphia, a very successful station owned by the same parent company? What we (the listeners) want, or what the on-air personalities want doesn't matter. It's all about the bottom line.
But in the end (it wasnt a B&N btw, just some made up store I think) the superstore ended up having nearly all the children's books at cheaper prices, more conveniently, and trying to hire Meg Ryan to head their children's section. If anything it is an example for what I was trying to argue. I had been into the old bookstop and the one it now is. It didn't do anything in the book business better than B&N or Borders does. It may have had a few books here and there that B&N doesn't have readily available, but you ask B&N, and theyll have it for you in less than a week at a cheaper price (I'd go for the cheaper price everytime). As I've said before I agree that we need some of these places. Some of them do actually do things better than their more modern, more commericalized relatives. I like the Bookstop that remains on Shepard and W. Alabama and I certainly enjoy the "homey feel" of many places. But, in my experiences with One's A Meal, which is what this thread is about, its food was no better than any old IHOP or House of Pies, so the only thing you got at One's A Meal was an "atmosphere" spurred on by the lack of late night dining in Houston until more recently. My argument is that mom&pop's are NOT the heart of any great American city. In the end, consumers drive the markets (because consumers lead to money). That is why VHS became popular over the superior Beta, etc, etc. Mom&Pop's add to the cultural experience of any city, but to deny the reality that strip malls and commercialization is innovation and just as necessary to the growth, both culturally and economically, to any great American city, is to look past the simple fact that more often than not, your B&N's and AMC's of the world provide better service and quality, generally at a cheaper price, than their less up-to-date ancestors.
I guess the thing is this we are a bottom line Dollar society We are more than willing to cut some of the frills for a cheaper product . . . All things being equal .. then we want our frills B&N is cheaper . . . screw the atmosphere This is the mentallity in america in general Rocket River
Yup... we are a nation of consumers. force feed us the same cookie cutter stores (Starbucks, B&N, WFM, etc) and the consumer will spend. Why? Because those stores are homogeneous and you feel as if you are in familiar surroundings and will spend the same at whatever store you're at cause they're all the same... my theory... rH
