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Downtown more than bars PDF Print E-mail
Written by JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN Sentinel County Editor   
Wednesday, 30 January 2013 11:11
BGSU_BG_City_Visioning.2762_story
Bowling Green Mayor Dick Edwards speaking during BGSU/BG City Joint Visioning Update at Olscamp Hall on the campus of Bowling Green State University. (Photo: J.D. Pooley/Sentinel-Tribune)
Downtown Bowling Green business owners want BGSU students to realize there is more to the downtown than its bars.
During a meeting sponsored by BG Chamber of Commerce and BGSU on Tuesday, business owners voiced concerns that many students aren't aware of the offerings in the downtown area.
Ginny Stewart, owner of Bowling Green Hats and Apparel, said she recently encountered a college senior who discovered downtown during her last year at BGSU.
"She said, 'I wish I had spent more time downtown. I didn't know this was all here,'" Stewart said of the student.
Some shop owners asked if BGSU's shuttle bus could make a downtown stop, rather than just passing it by on its way to other locations.
"It would mean a great deal to the downtown merchants," Bowling Green Mayor Dick Edwards said. "We see the buses passing through," but they don't stop downtown.
City officials would gladly work on finding an appropriate downtown bus stop, the mayor said. "We're very eager to work with you and identify a spot."
The only downtown stops now made by the BGSU shuttle are along a bar route in evenings. The shuttle also makes grocery and pharmacy stops elsewhere in the city.
Stewart pointed out that a daytime downtown shuttle would not only help student shoppers but also student interns who have jobs in that area.
The owner of Serenity Spa and Salon said a thriving downtown benefits BGSU as well. But right now, many students are unaware of the area.
"They don't even know what's downtown," she said.
Stewart also suggested that the shuttle work both ways, by transporting city residents from downtown to sporting or theater events at BGSU. However, BGSU Director of Public Safety Monica Moll said that shifting the shuttle to public service could mean different regulations.
"It's not as easy as charging money and letting everyone hop on board," Moll said.
Moll added that students would soon be surveyed about shuttle usage, and the university is open to more stops in the city.
Sandra Tebbe, of Project Hope riding center, suggested that information be made available to students about downtown services, such as where to get haircuts, where to shop for gifts, and where to go to dinner with parents.
"The students have no idea what is out here," she said.
Jill Carr, senior vice president for student affairs, said several programs already exist to familiarize students and parents with the community.
Faculty member Dr. Neocles Leontis said getting students' attention is getting increasingly difficult.
"That's a problem I've been confronting for 25 years," he said.
He suggested using technology rather than paper, and possibly creating Apps for downtown businesses.
"We may be digital immigrants, but they are digital natives," BGSU President Mary Ellen Mazey said of students.
In an effort to promote BG and BGSU, the two entities have teamed up so the BG Convention and Visitors Bureau will soon operate the visitors center near the Stroh Center. Students will be used to staff the center.
The shift at the visitors center comes soon after ODOT's decision to close its visitors centers at the Interstate 75 rest areas south of Bowling Green.
"I think the time is really, really good here," said Wendy Stram, head of the convention and visitors bureau.
Edwards and Mazey also talked about efforts to improve signage on I-75. Mazey said she would ideally like to see a sign that reads "Welcome to Bowling Green, Home of BGSU."
 

Comments  

 
# 2013-01-30 15:55
I am sure that any and all ways to promote our BG town to the students would generate.more revenue for the business district. I would suggest an 8-6 drop-off and pick-up for the bus route. Anything past those hours would encourage bar hopping and drinking. I think M-S would be the appropriate days.
That is a good suggestion to advertise in the digital world through BGSU websites. The students are used to this media more so then the rest of us. The word will spread over the years.
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# 2013-01-30 16:56
And here we go. Soon students like myself will have NO bars and NO tattoo options, even though I have no tattoos, no head shops, like they did to the Shed, Mesmorize, I met the owner, no activist cafes, no anything. Because that is how cops do things....in Bowling Green Ohio!
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# 2013-01-30 16:57
Why not just automatically start mandating that all ADULT students attend a year or two in NA, AA? Perhaps the military or local police state Orwellian youth brigade can follow short? Just let it happen you idiots and leave the students and young people ALONE!
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# 2013-01-30 17:00
They shut down an Internet café and I think a certain sergeant who knows me was the ringleader on that specific operation. What did they replace this icon of Internet technology and our encroaching digital future with? An antiques store. What did they place the savvy, popular Mesmorize with? A CHURCH! As a hopefully open-minded student, this disgusts me. And so does ODRC!
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# 2013-01-30 17:56
Expensive hats, spa treatments, and dinners are not what draws the college crowd. Most of the stuff in downtown is aimed at a different, more affluent crowd.

It mostly IS bars, and those are all segregated culturally.

The restaurants and art shops are great; but where is the pool hall, the deli, the thai joint, the community center, the arcade, the martial arts dojo, and the many other things college students would do besides get wasted and stumble home after accidentally enlisting?

It seems like Grounds and is all there is in BG sometimes. I know that's not entirely true, but...at lest they all maintain free public wireless.
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# 2013-01-31 12:19
As a student I have to agree with you Brian, there is clearly NOT enough to do in this town.....I feel their is an ultra-conservative moralist element to it all, this is not a college town, in my experience, having lived in NYC and Toledo, this place is a conservative NIGHTMARE.
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# 2013-02-04 11:39
This has more to do with being good neighbors. The businesses you are ranting about were bad neighbors and irresponsible and therefore are no longer.

Anyone is able to own and operate in BG, they just need to be responsible.
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# 2013-01-31 12:28
However, Brian, I will tell you it still is strategic. There might be students here who can afford such nice hats and such, and would indeed make a purchase. Demographics are....complicated, as are personal preferences, which is why the businesses, even the alternative, sort-of taboo businesses, need to be left ALONE.
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# 2013-01-31 15:14
I totally agree. The problem is there is an element of backward conservative control entitlement in BG. It is not the majority, but the college students are kept complacent in their culturally segregated alcohol hazes. They have more power than they are informed of.
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# 2013-02-04 11:45
They have the power of purchase. Make no mistake people have tried. 2 local coffee shops, the Shed, a carryout, etc. were all by campus. They closed not do to public influence but to lack of student support.
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# 2013-02-04 18:40
Wrong, they closed due to harassment from the local prosecutor and the cops.

Everyone knows that.
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# 2013-02-04 11:42
If you feel any or all of those can succeed then please invest and try to open and run one! I think you are missing the fact that for a small downtown the storefronts are full and there is more diversity then you are saying ... Happy Badger, Cycleworks, Art-o-cite, 2 screen printers, 2 cookie shops, banks, hardware store, etc.
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# 2013-02-04 18:41
Banks? A hardware store?

Are you kidding?
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# 2013-01-30 19:13
The BG News website is marginal. The print editions are pointless. The loss is that we were once able to use the classifieds and ads to know more about what was going on in town. They should end print editions entirely, partner with the Sentinel to provide a print option. They should work to build a truly comprehensive digital outlet, working with the Sentinel, and restore a way for people know what is happening and where.

The Sentinel should likewise build on the framework on this site. It should be as frequent a feature of local life as the print edition. It should provide more value for the time we spend here.

The answers are there if people choose to see them.
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# 2013-02-01 08:16
It has long been the case that the Sentinel covers events even on campus--especially theater and music--far better than the BGNews does. It's not surprising that students remain uninformed about what is available only a few blocks away.
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# 2013-01-30 19:27
I'm gobsmacked. I had no idea the shuttle didn't stop downtown. That doesn't make sense! I agree, there needs to be a downtown route stop. There are several likely places. How about that green space across from the police station? Or any of the larger parking lots. I think Tuesday-Sunday is more viable than Monday - Saturday, because students are busy M-F.
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# 2013-02-04 11:46
FYI - the shuttle doesn't stop downtown because downtown doesn't pay them to stop there. The other stops are paid stops.
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# 2013-01-31 00:35
Anyone who has some affiliation with BGSU knows that the emphasis is now on the almighty dollar. The truth is that BGSU does not want their students going off campus for goods and services. They want to control the entire "experience" of the student. They want all their food, beverage, activities, healthcare, classroom, and other "services" to be found on campus, and most of those things they charge for. Ask a local merchant why they don't accept the BG1 card for student monies and they will tell you the fees and policies are too prohibitive. The university is becoming increasing less friendly to the community. Try to deal with facilities for a meeting, parking services, the bursar, or any other "service" on campus and you find people increasing difficult to work with. The community is just a necessary evil for BGSU.
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# 2013-01-31 10:02
Good point. What about Dunkin Donuts, etc. at Thurstin and Ridge. They operate on university property. I don't think they pay a property tax. If so, that is an unfair advantage.
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# 2013-01-31 12:14
Agreed man, the Walmartization of campus is top priority for the business model of this administration. It is truly amazing what they are doing here at BGSU, I am a senior, and I have never seen anything like it. My mother is an administrator on the campus, and even she is not amongst the elite circle so much that is the administration. The Master Plan of sorts is in full gear, I would expect even more new buildings and venues in the coming years, BGSU is starting to resemble more a company than a college. While I enjoy all the new perks as a student and young person, indeed, I do recognize that this model, perhaps, is not the friendliest to the faculty. I like all the college is doing except how they seem to be completely ignoring the very educators who have taught me so much.......sad.....
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# 2013-01-31 16:23
The "Internet Cafe" was a thinly veiled gambling parlor. Most towns and the State are working to get rid of them. We are lucky the city drove them away as efficiently as they did. The arcade was an interesting idea, but the model doesn't work as it was attempted. Students grind their MMOs in the dorm rooms, not downtown paying by the hour. The pool hall closed about 20 years ago. If demand was there, it would have been replaced. Delis have been tried repeatedly and all fail. And if the University wants to create an appealing environment, so much the better.

I actually like the fact we have dividing lines between "townie" and student shopping areas.
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# 2013-02-01 08:18
When the phrase "internet café" is used, students and townies probably imagine very different things. For students, it usually means a place to hang out and use the wireless. That's why they are packed in all day at Grounds and Panera.
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# 2013-02-01 16:19
The reason they shut it down apparently was online gambling.
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# 2013-02-01 23:02
That is true. Away from a university community such places tend to be online gambling fronts.
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# 2013-02-01 17:13
Wow! Crazy Mazey is all over this pressing issue. How many instructors have to be fired to pay for the "Welcome sign"? Or, perhaps one of her minions can beg ODOT for the sign and earn that hefty salary. Look, the city never integrated the university into the community. Townies moved across town to avoid students. Now, new faculty are more likely to move to Perrysburg and take there incomes and shopping dollars with them. So it should be no surprise that the Bar, Piercings and Tatoo district caters to the students. BG is not a college town, it is a tourist town nine months a year. If anyone is serious about making BG a viable destination with a thriving city center, the conversation has to expand beyond the possibility of a student shuttle stop near Main and Wooster. I'm out of symbols, suggestions will follow.
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# 2013-02-01 18:18
I see there are a lot of different comments here. Most of it is negative. This is why there has Always been a division between BGSU and BG community. Looks like it will NEVER change. Maybe there should be a huge wall built to keep students a bay. Most students are not from Wood Cty, you are guests in our town, what do we have to do to make you feel welcome? You will only be here for 4-5 years, we are a humble, conservative community that wants you to feel comfortable but when you make remarks like that, you show your true colors. I know lots of people who live in BG that are native Wd Cty residents and love this county but when students make rude comments about our town then what do you expect?
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# 2013-02-01 21:42
The problem is not where the bus stops but the fact that students need to have a bus. When I got to campus 25 years ago a couple of us walked downtown and checked the place out on foot. No bus or car needed. Downtown was and is great but experiences are mixed. I remember the friendly faces at some places but there were others where you were not welcome. I think that parts of the community still need to remember they are a university town and those kids have parents/families that will shop if they feel welcome.
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# 2013-02-02 18:42
Cj everyone else moves on form BGSU. The rest of us live here. If BG depended on students to survive they would close the first year or two. So they have to make the Cty happy and sell thongs to meet their needs. They have enough trouble supplying the needs of Wd Cty. People would never shop downtown if they satisfied students.
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