Down but not out on the Ave

By Chelan David

Like many who venture into University Way Northeast (better known as the Ave), Chris Styron of Lake City can’t travel a block without a panhandler asking for spare change. Although prices at the Ave are comparatively lower, he’d rather walk the distance to shop and dine—or sit at a café—at the University Village.

“When I want to hang out and relax, I prefer the U-Village because I would rather spend time where I won’t be bothered,” Styron says. “I have a lot of friends who won’t shop there anymore (at the Ave) because they fear for their safety.”

Styron is not alone in his perception of the Ave, which has gone worse over the years. Although hope for the Ave remains, many complain about the presence of panhandlers and the high amount of crime. Unfortunately, police and city officials have yet to solve the problem.

Aleph Geddis and Joanna Segault, co-owners of the new Moksha clothing store at 4542 University Way NE, share similar concerns. They opened their doors six weeks ago and already they have witnessed several fights and illicit drug activity across the street from them.

“It’s a shame that the police department won’t do more about the problems around here,” says Geddis. “They will patrol every once and a while and make a few arrests but not consistently.”

The rate of major violent and property crimes in the census tract that includes the Ave jumped from 1996 to 1997, dipped in 1998 but increased in 1999, according to Seattle Police Department statistics. In 2000, the tract’s crime rate of 1,302 major crimes per 10,000 people was more than double the city’s median of 606 incidents per 10,000 people.

In an effort to spruce up the image of the Ave, the city is funding a renovation project meant to support businesses in the area, creating a more pedestrian-friendly street. The project calls for a facelift that includes wider sidewalk, pedestrian-level lighting and landscaping enhancements.

The renovation began last June and is expected to be completed towards the end of 2003.

While the majority of business owners agree that the renovation will improve the Ave, they doubt it will solve all the problems they are facing today.

“Instead of making this area shiny like the rest of the city’s shopping areas, the money would be better spent on providing more security and making this area a priority for the police department,” stresses Segault.

Richard Leffel who works at University Used and Rare Books located at 4213 University Way NE, fumes about the project. He estimates that business is off by 80 percent since construction blocked the road outside.

“If you ask me, the construction project is a boondoggle. What this area needs is more parking and that is why so many stores have left this area.”

Indeed, many businesses have fled the area recently. Porter and Jensen, which had been a steady presence at the northwest corner of NE 45th Street for 42 years, closed in October. McDonald’s, Pier One, Taco Bell and Wizards of the Coast left in the past year and a half.

Yet, hope for the Ave remains.

Holly Arsenault, manager at M.J. Feet, which has been in business for 29 years, points to the bright side of the Ave. As national chains like McDonald’s and Taco Bell abandoned the area, smaller restaurants—like Rushen Mongolian Grill and the Pita Place—have filled the vacated spaces.

“There will always be 35,000 people from the university who need to buy products and many of them don’t like to shop at generic corporations,” explains Arsenault. “Shopping in Seattle can be so sanitized. The Ave represents the human side of business and there will always be a place for stores like that.”

Even with the periodic bouts they have had with crime, Geddis and Segault remain happy in opening Moksha in the U-District.

“The main reason we chose to open our store on the Ave is because it is nothing like a strip mall. And as long as the college students are willing to experiment with new things, businesses like ours will succeed,” says Segault.

Styron agrees, saying the Ave is known as a great place to find a bargain. “You can’t beat the prices on the Ave,” he says.

However, like many, Styron says he’ll be back on the Ave “as soon as I feel safe”—which could take a long time.

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