Dear Editor,
What I predicted five years ago about what would happen to Steveston is unfortunately coming true. This is a case where I am very unhappy about being right about something.
Every community has a soul — a character and set of values that ranges on a continuum from historic, traditional, roots-based, and meaningful at one end to shallow, superficial, generic, and transitory at the other end.
Steveston is slowly but inexorably moving from the former to the latter and it is not just because of the architectural and development changes that are occurring.
Whenever a long-established merchant leaves Steveston (and the numbers are increasing) it is hoped that the new merchants and businesses that replace them will either maintain or improve the quality of service and products that consumers in this area have enjoyed for many generations.
But in an unfortunate number of instances exactly the opposite is turning out to be the case.
A number of the stores and restaurants that we nearby residents have grown to love and depend on over the years no longer exist and in far too many cases the replacement businesses seem to represent either fly-by-night business concepts and planning, an absence of concern for researching consumer demograhics and shopping preferences, an obvious intention to attract one demographic rather than a variety of tastes and needs, and/or the use of a business for purposes other than establishing a viable business.
This is how the soul of a community is undermined — from the inside out. Over the years, I have come to know several of the long-established merchants in Steveston and I am familiar with their concerns about being able to remain in Steveston and to continue being an integral part of the community.
There will be a tipping-point where the character and soul of Steveston, as long represented and supported by these merchants, will finally be surrendered to the development forces that will make the town as generic in personality as the rest of Richmond.
Why would tourists want to visit the village then, or film production companies want to use it as an effective site for their storylines?
Why would I want to visit the village if the fun of talking to my merchant friends is no longer available?
How do we feel about having to now drive all the way across Richmond to buy products that have, until recently, been available in Steveston?
Kudos to those new businesses that are seriously committed to offering quality services and goods and becoming staunch defenders of this historic townsite’s heritage character.
To those who do not or will never care about such things I can only say … well ... you won’t be getting any of my family’s business.
Ray Arnold
Richmond
