Feminized urbanism: is there a name for this kind of neighborhood?

[Queen B]

Name of it. Free Market.
If you provide a service someone else will pay for.

( Dan, just think if you had stayed there you would probably be the daddy for one of those mom's pushing the baby buggy! Pregnancy is a high pressure deal among girls that age! )( now that I say that your interpretation of my comment could be, OMG!she is right or WOW you are right why didn't I stay I would be settled my now! No hard feeling either way, as my tag line says. All a matter of perspective.) QB slinks away and hides.

[Maister]

This feminine marketing is not limited exclusively to urban areas. I think we’re neglecting to identify their rural counterparts. They may not have quite the same frou frou exterior glitz, and one might have to drive quite a ways to get there, but even country gals need a special place to shop now and then.

There’s the (usually faux) native American merchandise store



Featuring the finest in native American crafts. Where else should one go to buy their: medicine bags, art, jewelry, dream catchers, black tees, fancy baskets, and other merchandise?





And let’s not forget all those cowgirls who need a special place to shop too. There’s often some overlapping with the merchandise described above, but the equestrian/country emphasis is there in more significant proportions. Sometimes it shares space (or is synonymous) with tack shops:





Catering to that inner ‘sassy cowgal’

[kjel]

Place name for the urban estrogen infused nieghborhood with all the baby shops:

BREEDERVIL!

(running for cover fast)!

Am done breeding and I hate to shop. Where's the brewpub??

[Richmond Jake]

Place name for the urban estrogen infused nieghborhood with all the baby shops:

BREEDERVIL!

(running for cover fast)!

Maybe Beaverton?
I think that's what I'll go with.

[kjel]

Maybe Beaverton?
I think that's what I'll go with.

ROFLMAO. I grew up in Beaverton, Oregon. Graduated from Beaverton High School...home of the Beavers!

[Dan]

I think it's because lime green is trendy, eye-catching, and evokes a sense of environmental friendliness which is all the rage.

My guess is that neighborhood is likely full of DINK's and young, well-to-do families. Probably highly educated. It reminds me a lot of parts of Wicker Park, Lincoln Park, and Lakeview neighborhoods in Chicago.

I would guess the same thing; green invokes environmentalism, and the lime green makes it OH MY GOD SO FUN WOOOO!

What I saw in West Highlands/Berkeley yesterday, and to some extent the Stapleton development today, really reminded me of the late, lamented Lincoln Park Trixie Society Web site; upper middle class women living in small houses or condos in gentrified urban neighborhoods with their Chads and, if they're lucky, babies.

[Veloise]

...( Dan, just think if you had stayed there you would probably be the daddy for one of those mom's pushing the baby buggy! ...

Mebbe that explains the gazillion shots Dan took, looking for a likely suspect 8yo (did I do the math right?).

[Zoning Goddess]

Also, a lot of these women business owners have spouses with very-high paying jobs and so they can dabble in running their own small business comfortably.

Assumed, or documented fact?

You guys are being jerks about all this, I hope you know that.

[illinoisplanner]

Also, a lot of these women business owners have spouses with very-high paying jobs and so they can dabble in running their own small business comfortably.

Assumed, or documented fact?

You guys are being jerks about all this, I hope you know that.

Notice, I said "a lot", not all. And that statement just applies for my town, from my experiences with our businesses as part of my work-related responsibilities in working with businesses in our area. Sure, there are a few women that run these places independently and where their survival depends on the success of their business, but I know from experience, that there are plenty of women (in my area) that do dabble in these sorts of business ventures as supplemental income because they already make enough, either in another job, or from their spouse.

[btrage]

Notice, I said "a lot", not all. And that statement just applies for my town, from my experiences with our businesses as part of my work-related responsibilities in working with businesses in our area. Sure, there are a few women that run these places independently and where their survival depends on the success of their business, but I know from experience, that there are plenty of women (in my area) that do dabble in these sorts of business ventures as supplemental income because they already make enough, either in another job, or from their spouse.

This may be true of "your experience", but I agree with ZG that the notion that wives are "playing" with their husband's money is pretty degrading.

As "A Dude", I'd much rather walk around one of these "feminine urban areas" than some prototypical neighborhood business district with a bar, a barbershop, a few small-time restaurants, a bookstore and a coffee shop.

Or maybe I just like looking at women more than I think.

[illinoisplanner]

This may be true of "your experience", but I agree with ZG that the notion that wives are "playing" with their husband's money is pretty degrading.

As "A Dude", I'd much rather walk around one of these "feminine urban areas" than some prototypical neighborhood business district with a bar, a barbershop, a few small-time restaurants, a bookstore and a coffee shop.

Or maybe I just like looking at women more than I think.

Well, I guess the truth hurts sometimes. Like I said, it's not true in all circumstances, but it certainly does occur and I have my own personal experiences to back it up. But, I've also seen the complete opposite, where the women are the breadwinners because of their successful endeavors.

Nevertheless, I think these businesses are great and I enjoy walking around in my town much more because of their existence. They bring an element of uniqueness & character, daytime activity, and they really enchance the independent business climate. And my downtown would be the equivalent of a bar, barbershop, restaurants, insurance/realty offices, and that's it, were it not for these businesses. It's really a nice eclectic mix.

[Rygor]

Nevertheless, I think these businesses are great and I enjoy walking around in my town much more because of their existence. They bring an element of uniqueness & character, daytime activity, and they really enchance the independent business climate. And my downtown would be the equivalent of a bar, barbershop, restaurants, insurance/realty offices, and that's it, were it not for these businesses. It's really a nice eclectic mix.

Agreed. We just started attracting a lot of these types of businesses to our downtown whereas we had almost none before. The majority are female owned. Many of them have some sort of art component to them which has added greatly to the character and ambience of the downtown, and has begun to attract a younger, hipper crowd than I think used to go downtown. There are more people on the sidewalks than I can remember since moving here 11 years ago, so I'm all for the urbanized femininity, Breederville, or whatever you want to call it as it seems to have a positive economic effect that is good for the City.

[mike gurnee]

After reading these posts, I changed my opinion. I would enjoy living there and watching the dynamics of this revitalization.

[Super Amputee Cat]

So, is there a name for this kind of neighborhood? Ever encounter this phenomenon elsewhere?

I hate places like this. Not for what they were but for what they've become. If you cater to the suburban yuppie soccer mom types, you're automatically going to get fake, santized, generic noplaces like this. Anyone in need of a hardware store or second hand goods store is $hit out of luck.

This kind of places make me feel good about the economy in the tank. I want them to fail. Hopefully the entitled elitist pricks that run these places will go under because people will finally come to their senses and stop buying this overpriced, sanitized crap. But it seems unlikely. As soon as the economy rebounds, the high-maintanance yuppies that see value in these meaningless places will be out in droves spending like nothing ever happened.

[Zoning Goddess]

I hate places like this.

I hae places like this, too, and I won't pay their prices. You can get perfectly good kids' clothes at chain stores, and nobody needs gourmet dog treats, as long as you occasinally cook beef and throw the dog a bone. The main drag of my hometown is full of overpriced specialty stores and I could maybe afford a backscratcher ($5 or so) from Restoration Hardware, but that's about it on the whole street.

My comment was based on the idea that all these "what my generation would have called yuppie shops" are hobby shops for trophy wives to run.

When will the day come when we look at some overpriced business and say "There you go, another a$$hat third husband playing store."?

[btrage]

I hate places like this. Not for what they were but for what they've become. If you cater to the suburban yuppie soccer mom types, you're automatically going to get fake, santized, generic noplaces like this. Anyone in need of a hardware store or second hand goods store is $hit out of luck.

This kind of places make me feel good about the economy in the tank. I want them to fail. Hopefully the entitled elitist pricks that run these places will go under because people will finally come to their senses and stop buying this overpriced, sanitized crap. But it seems unlikely. As soon as the economy rebounds, the high-maintanance yuppies that see value in these meaningless places will be out in droves spending like nothing ever happened.

I hae places like this, too, and I won't pay their prices. You can get perfectly good kids' clothes at chain stores, and nobody needs gourmet dog treats, as long as you occasinally cook beef and throw the dog a bone. The main drag of my hometown is full of overpriced specialty stores and I could maybe afford a backscratcher ($5 or so) from Restoration Hardware, but that's about it on the whole street.

My comment was based on the idea that all these "what my generation would have called yuppie shops" are hobby shops for trophy wives to run.

When will the day come when we look at some overpriced business and say "There you go, another a$$hat third husband playing store."?

Jealous perhaps?

May I ask what's the alternative? Gentrification is sometimes a nasty word, but it's better than the alternative, in my opinion.

[supernerdgirl]

So, is there a name for this kind of neighborhood?

One I plan to avoid!

[Super Amputee Cat]

Dan, all these pictures are starting to make me feel nauseated.

Again, everthing looks so fake and sanitized, ever the more so jarring considering its against a backdrop of authentic, albiet extremely degraded, buildings.

If I could describe it in another word: Soulless



This picture stands out as a perfect example of how cookie-cutter these kind of no-places are. The people in this picture look exactly the same as they do in every other little snob-yuppie no-place, be it Stone Harbor New Jersey, Naperville, Illinois, or Stepford, Connecticut. You could take these four women - and the douchy-looking guy at the table - and transplant them to any snob suburb elsewhere and no one would ever know the difference.

These are the kind of people you see in those "upscale" and trendy Wal-Mart commercials of late. Or Sapphic Erotica. Take your pick.

I can't stress enough how meaningless and empty these kind of places are. Peel away the superficial surface layer and there really is nothing there at all.

[Luca]

Dan: “So, is there a name for this kind of neighborhood? Ever encounter this phenomenon elsewhere?”


Natski:
“…there has to be a lot of stay at home mums (not that there is anything wrong with that at all- just saying) and probably high socio economic status.”


“What ZoningGoddess said. I would cringe if my neighborhood turned into that kind of crap.”

I don’t GET IT people.

The neighborhood pictured by Dan looks:
> prosperous
> with a healthy, young demographic
> with nice street-level retail mixed into a residential area

WHAT exactly is not to like? Lime green or frozen yogurt may come and go but that looks to me like a GOOD place.

Or are we still in the “I like grunge; though not personally for me, because it gives me an aura of street cred” stage????

[Wannaplan?]

WHAT exactly is not to like? Lime green or frozen yogurt may come and go but that looks to me like a GOOD place.

Yeah, I'm not quite getting the gist of this thread either. I mean, "feminized urbanism" is a rather provocative title for this thread, and I'm surprised more criticism hasn't been heaped upon Dan. (Maybe it's a way to draw some "Google Juice" to Cyburbia?) But I think more people take a thread of this type created by him with a grain of salt, given his "equal opportunity" observations of "rugged" suburban strips in the past. His observations are always fun and interesting to read, to say the least.

[Rygor]

Dan: “So, is there a name for this kind of neighborhood? Ever encounter this phenomenon elsewhere?”


Natski:
“…there has to be a lot of stay at home mums (not that there is anything wrong with that at all- just saying) and probably high socio economic status.”


“What ZoningGoddess said. I would cringe if my neighborhood turned into that kind of crap.”

I don’t GET IT people.

The neighborhood pictured by Dan looks:
> prosperous
> with a healthy, young demographic
> with nice street-level retail mixed into a residential area

WHAT exactly is not to like? Lime green or frozen yogurt may come and go but that looks to me like a GOOD place.

Or are we still in the “I like grunge; though not personally for me, because it gives me an aura of street cred” stage????

I'm with ya. I don't exactly see the problem there...

Vibrant paint schemes
Nice signage
Busy sidewalks
Occupied storefronts

Maybe it's just coming from my economic developer perspective, but isn't that what most cities WANT? Isn't that especially what most want in their downtowns? Aren't those some of the very things that the Main Street Program tries to promote?

What's wrong with fostering an entrepeneurial spirit? Maybe it's not the goods you want to buy, but if such places survive then there are clearly enough people out there that do. A market is being served. Would you say the same thing if it were a bunch of second-hand and dollar stores serving a poor populace?

[Dan]

Great discussion, all.

It makes sense for these businesses to appeal to women. Most men wouldn't be as interested in upscale, little retail shops. *

But ... there are plenty of upscale urban neighborhoods that don't seem to have the "Girls only! Boys keep out!" character that West Highland increasingly has. Take Williamsville, New York, for example; there's stores on Main Street that sell golfing supplies, high-end men's clothing and accessories, and upscale gender-neutral businesses like opticians, art galleries, and coffee houses,

Yes, there are girly-girl uses on Main:



But they don't dominate.











Williamsville does have a couple of fatal flaws; a busy four lane road with parking lanes running through the middle of it, and a staid "carriage trade" flavor that makes it something of a throwback to the 1970s. Yes, there's even a store on Main that specializes in European educational toys, something that disappeared from so many "quaint" villages and old-money urban neighborhoods years ago.

Elmwood Avenue in Buffalo -- and I should get some more current photos when I head back to visit for a reunion next week -- has a lot of girly boutiques, but again they don't overwhelm.

Chagrin Falls, Ohio has its share of boutiques, but it isn't overwelmingly "BOYS KEEP OUT!" girly-girly. Something for everyone, from the old guard carriage trade crowd to younger adults.

















A scene you definitely won't find in West Highland ...



Speaking of lime green, here's a few West Highland buildings that I neglected to photograph. I found these on another site.

http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/d...hlands_192.jpg
Yeah, the sign is in Papyrus.

http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/d...hlands_095.jpg[

There's even lime green townhouses!

http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/d...keside0224.jpg

The baby boutique in West Highland used to be a furniture store. One of the purse stores was a restaurant known for having a great breakfast; the other sold interior accessories.

Please understand that West Highland isn't entirely filled with yoga studios and boutiques with lime-green signs. There's a couple of pubs, a deli/ice cream parlor, a couple of coffee shops (one chain, one indie), one of the original Chipotle locations, an upscale wine store, and a pizzeria. It's just that I've never seen a neighborhood retail district that was so oriented towards Generation Y/young Generation X upper-middle-class urban women than West 32nd.

[stroskey]

This may be true of "your experience", but I agree with ZG that the notion that wives are "playing" with their husband's money is pretty degrading.
As "A Dude", I'd much rather walk around one of these "feminine urban areas" than some prototypical neighborhood business district with a bar, a barbershop, a few small-time restaurants, a bookstore and a coffee shop.
Or maybe I just like looking at women more than I think.

In my experience the women who run these shops have wealthy husbands. That's not to say they weren't well-off before they got married but on the street like this were I grew up the women who owned these kinds of shops all had spouses who were doctors or high-priced lawyers. I know this because a large percentage went to our church. I don't think that's degrading in any way to suggest that may be why they are geared towards women. Women who are used to staying home because they don't need to work will probably create stores that cater to women who are just like them... well-off with plenty of free time.

I hate places like this. Not for what they were but for what they've become. If you cater to the suburban yuppie soccer mom types, you're automatically going to get fake, santized, generic noplaces like this. Anyone in need of a hardware store or second hand goods store is $hit out of luck.

This kind of places make me feel good about the economy in the tank. I want them to fail. Hopefully the entitled elitist pricks that run these places will go under because people will finally come to their senses and stop buying this overpriced, sanitized crap. But it seems unlikely. As soon as the economy rebounds, the high-maintanance yuppies that see value in these meaningless places will be out in droves spending like nothing ever happened.

I hope you're not the same person that complains about Walmarts after reading this. Also, how insensitive do you have to be to wish harm to these people who are trying to make a good store and fill a gap in the local economy? That's like wishing everyone who bought a Hummer would crash and die because of their fuel economy. It's not just opinions here, it's people's lives you're talking about.

[jmello]

Femitopia..with Park Slope, Brooklyn being the epicenter. More baby carriages and nannies than you can shake a stick at. Jamaica Plain in Boston is a close runner up, but that's still a little too granola.

[Dan]

In my experience the women who run these shops have wealthy husbands.

It might seem degrading, but in my experience it's true. A business plan to sell Etsy-style handmade purses of a very specific style in a retail space leasing for $20 to $25 per square foot in a neighborhood that doesn't attract regional shopping traffic doesn't seem to make sense.

"Hobby businesses" are the bane of many small towns trying to revitalize their main streets, because of their irregular hours, lack of uniqueness and limited appeal. One never knows when "Grandma's Antiques" or "Patti Lou's Consignment Store" will be open, and just about every small town in Ohio seemed to be filled with the same types of businesses. How different can all the hundreds of antique and consignment stores be? At least in the breederhoods, the hobby businessess have regular hours, and they're unique.

I think the day spas, yoga studios and wellness centers can pull it off because they charge a fortune. Still, I've seen urban neighborhoods that have yoga studios everywhere, and I wonder how they all can survive?