Hear the one about the guy who spent $19 on a coffee drink? That guy is me.
On my way into work this morning, I stopped by Daily Grind, a new coffee house at Sutton Place. The coffee was good. The parking was not.
There are no very few spots if you just want to drop in for a quick coffee to go, other than a number of unused spots in front of it on Market that are marked for police vehicles only. That’s where I parked. When I left the store after no more than five minutes, a kind lady was printing a $15 ticket for me.
Now, should I have parked there? No. I’m a law-breaker and ready to pay for my crime. But the city is doing itself no favors in its efforts to revitalize downtown by having inadequate parking in front of a retailer. If a business is going to put itself out there with a downtown location, it needs spots for its customers to park.
4 Comments
That’s ridiculous! Why can’t the police allow 5 minute coffee parking at their coveted but seldom used parking spots? Apparently to “serve and protect” doesn’t apply to a cup of coffee!
There’s a nice Daily Grind coupon in rotation on Kansas.com. Just fyi. … I’ll be biking over to use it.
The city is to blame because a retailer chooses to do business in a spot without what you consider ample parking? That’s a good one.
Besides that… there’s parking all along Market St. How willing were you to walk a block for that coffee? It doesn’t take as long as you think.
I think you missed the point, Snarky. I’m not saying the city is to blame. I’m saying retailers might be less likely to locate downtown if they can’t provide parking for customers nearby. And if one of the goals of the city is to get a more active downtown, which I think it is, the might want to give a retailer one or two spots in front of the business for people who are running in and out.
I’m all for walking. But when I’m on my way to work, I’m not going to park two blocks away, walk to get coffee and then walk two blocks back to my car. What’s the point?