Contrary to a recent comment in The Herald, Snohomish has long been a well-known “shopping destination,” the hunt for parking only adding to the experience of the treasure hunt that is “Historic Downtown Snohomish.” As an antique dealer and employee at Remember When, I have yet to hear a serious complaint about parking.
In addition, as former owner of a mall with no parking limit, we were often the happy recipients of customers of other malls in the area who did have limits and issued tickets — unhappy visitors who vowed to “never darken their doors again.” News like that spreads like wildfire, and the entirety of the regulated area gets burned.
Consider for a moment Girls’ Day Out: Coffee and croissants at the bakery at 10 a.m., enjoy the shops from 11 to 2-ish, linger over lunch at a favorite nearby eatery, then back to shop ‘til the stores close at 5 p.m.! And yes, we recommend the local eateries to our customers every day in the hope that we all thrive.
Why on earth would anyone give them a reason to leave town? That’s exactly what we’d be doing by limiting their time and issuing a ticket if they enjoy themselves too much. It boggles the mind. It also begs the question: “Are there other motives at play?”
As dealers and customers start vacating the malls and restaurants due to inconvenience, the city might be humming a line from Joni Mitchell’s “Big Yellow Taxi”: “You don’t know what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone.”
Linda Wright
Everett
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
