Does one less watering hole in Wenatchee mean downtown is suffering?
Earlier this afternoon Applesauce heard a rumor that downtown restaurant and drinking establishment The Raven served its last drink and dished up its final meal Tuesday night.
Typically Applesauce doesn’t report on rumors, but a cryptic comment on the restaurant’s MySpace page that states “Well, it was a good run,” combined with the fact The Raven has been up for sale for several months, and its closure all day Wednesday makes it appear as if the restaurant and bar is closed. So it seems likely that dining at The Raven will be, um, nevermore.
So it looks like unfortunately The Raven, which is in the former location of the failed defunct-but-cleverly-named-restaurant The Restaurant, is no longer open. It’s a bummer too because that’s where you were most likely to find World reporters congregating for cold adult beverages after a long day at work.
That made Applesauce wonder about the health of downtown Wenatchee. Considering the number of empty storefronts downtown and the current economic crisis,
In October I asked Annette Pennington, former executive director of the Wenatchee Downtown Association and current inside sales manager here at The World, whether she thought the downtown area was suffering because at the time there seemed to be a lot of empty storefronts. Annette told me she thought downtown was doing pretty well compared to other downtown areas in cities of comparable size. She said business offices on the upper floors of many downtown businesses have allowed the area to remain relatively healthy.
Applesauce hasn’t looked into whether Annette’s speculation is true, however she knows way more about the economics of downtown than I do so it’s safe to assume she is correct.
What do you think? Is downtown Wenatchee suffering, or doe sit seem financially fine given the current circumstances?
1/17/09 UPDATE: Phone calls to the owners of The Raven seeking comment on whether or not the establishment is closed have not been returned. A statement that was expected to be released Friday to World business reporter Christine Pratt was not received.
5 Comments
“So it seems likely that dining at The Raven will be, um, nevermore.”
Great line, Travis. I love it!
Interesting blog, also. I know L’worth is having a few closures of its own, and we have been wondering about Wenatchee.
For starters, it may be unfair to say the “….cleverly named restaurant The Restaurant…” failed. Didn’t the owners retire after a very long run at that location? It’s also comparing apples and potatos. The Resturant was a breakfast/lunch place.
I never figured out exactly what The Raven was. A restaurant? An upscale bar? Maybe the folks just misjudged the market. The folks at Cafe Mela seem to be doing OK in their downtown location, and McGlinn’s (gawd, I miss The Orondo sometimes….) hasn’t kicked the bucket.
As to the shape of Downtown Wenatchee, it’s hard to judge, not knowing sales figures of the merchants. I know there are some open storefronts, but in general it looks to be in good shape. It’s got a good mix of the type of shops you’d want in a downtown, that is stores that do not rely on heavy foot traffic but carry the type or quality of item that people will seek out. Mills Bros, Palmer Shoes, Read it Again Books and Arlberg Sports come to mind right off.
Granted, I do with the landlords of the old P.N. Hersh/Sofa World location had been more agressive and rented it to something other than a bingo parlor, but it takes creative Grand Central Building type thinking to rent out large spaces like that, or the old Sears building. In general, I give downtown a B+. I wish there was a good music store down there, but that’s just me. Given the economic condition of the times, downtown’s doing a pretty good job…..
Thanks for the clarification Doug, I have changed the post so it is more accurate. I definitely think there was some identity crisis there with The Raven. I don’t think it did much to distinguish itself from McGlinn’s and other restaurants that offer similar fare downtown.
I know nothing about Cafe Mela’s financial situation, but I would guess they are doing okay because they are the sole coffee shop downtown (or at least the sole shop I am aware of).
And I’m in your boat about the need for a music store. I’m a massive music nerd and I think a record store or a music shop that sold instruments, music and offered up occasional live performances would be very well received by consumers both young and old in Wenatcheee.
And Joanne, thank you for the compliment.
You can’t have a high-end pub in a low rent town, even though in this economy it’s sad to see any small business go down.
Travis- We’re losing a bar/ restaurant in Leavenworth too now that Dragonfly is closing its doors. Folks seem to be blaming the bad economy, but I think that’s a red herring. 50% of new businesses fail – period. Restaurants are a tough business and in any economy in any town, many will fail.