Tuesday, January 12, 2010
My favorite coffee haunt
I am a frequent visitor of Cafe Vita on Pike St. The ambiance that it provides allows me full anonymity. Not only is the coffee superior, but the upstairs portion that the cafe has allows me to be able to sit in a dark corner and read my book or people-watch from a second-story view. I normally go to Stumptown in the morning for a quick wake-me-up only because it is in closer proximity to me than Vita. However, what Vita has that Stumptown does not have is the ability to sit down and not run into practically everyone that you know in your life. Stumptown, because of its closeness to Seattle University, is a favorite among people on campus and it acts as a social networking tool. When I drink my coffee, I want to be in complete relaxation without being forced to make small talk. Cafe Vita also houses a certain handsome dreadlocks barista that I come in sometimes just to oogle at. Stumptown does not employ said handsome dreadlocks barista.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Rhetorical analysis of Michelle Obama's 2008 DNC speech
“I love this country!” Michelle Obama said fiercely at the Democratic National Convention in 2008. The audience present at the DNC, consisted of people from “Main St. America” –which is a euphemism for the middle-class. During Michelle’s speech, she channels Dr. King’s charisma and addresses the audience about a very simple and iconic message: the American Dream. Her advice to the throngs of hopeful faces was to never give up; that it is possible, the American dream is real and she is a living example of it. She emphasizes on the topic of unity throughout the twenty-minute speech to appeal to the mass. Everyone wants the same thing. Everyone wants opportunity. Everyone wants the American Dream. These are all the national views that everyone can agree upon – including those not part of the middle-class.
Michelle’s appearance comes off as very maternal. This includes her wardrobe attire. She continues to appeal to the idea of ‘unity’ –that everyone has a mother or even a sister to look to and respect. Her wardrobe, though conservative, seems to mimic the style of Jackie O: simple but elegant. Michelle has come a long way from her first public appearance to the speech she made at the convention. She was first criticized for being too overpowering and coming off as having a very harsh exterior; but it seems she has ‘dumbed’ or softened herself down from her Harvard law background into being a mold of how the First Lady should be and act.
Her use of nonverbal language includes using gentle flourishes of her hands to make an emphasis on what she is saying – instead of what she used to do with her hands, which once including making a ‘whooping’ gesture in the air. She has overtime, transformed into the character that America expects of her. This sets women back decades where Michelle unfortunately has to downplay her intelligence to cater to America – this situational need is partly because of the culture that society has cultivated when it comes to women in power. Hilary Clinton, an exceptional woman who has accomplished a lot in her lifetime, has been criticized many times for being seen as “cold”.
Michelle continues to repeat the idea of the American Dream using her maternal side as a plea. She uses her father and children as examples – which everyone has and everyone was once a child. Her audience responds positively because they believe in what Michelle and her husband will bring – their reaction is nothing negative but full of hope. Their only concern is to not repeat past mistakes and not go the same route as the last president gave them.
Michelle’s appearance comes off as very maternal. This includes her wardrobe attire. She continues to appeal to the idea of ‘unity’ –that everyone has a mother or even a sister to look to and respect. Her wardrobe, though conservative, seems to mimic the style of Jackie O: simple but elegant. Michelle has come a long way from her first public appearance to the speech she made at the convention. She was first criticized for being too overpowering and coming off as having a very harsh exterior; but it seems she has ‘dumbed’ or softened herself down from her Harvard law background into being a mold of how the First Lady should be and act.
Her use of nonverbal language includes using gentle flourishes of her hands to make an emphasis on what she is saying – instead of what she used to do with her hands, which once including making a ‘whooping’ gesture in the air. She has overtime, transformed into the character that America expects of her. This sets women back decades where Michelle unfortunately has to downplay her intelligence to cater to America – this situational need is partly because of the culture that society has cultivated when it comes to women in power. Hilary Clinton, an exceptional woman who has accomplished a lot in her lifetime, has been criticized many times for being seen as “cold”.
Michelle continues to repeat the idea of the American Dream using her maternal side as a plea. She uses her father and children as examples – which everyone has and everyone was once a child. Her audience responds positively because they believe in what Michelle and her husband will bring – their reaction is nothing negative but full of hope. Their only concern is to not repeat past mistakes and not go the same route as the last president gave them.
Ideas for Class Project 1/7/2010
-lowering the drinking age to 18 instead of 21
-raising the driving age to 19 or 21
-issue of homelessness in Seattle
-Take Back Your Time (Simplicity) Movement, Paid Vacation Movement: http://www.timeday.org/
-a proposal to make Seattle University more eco-friendly and reduce the use of papers in class: Utilize Angel website more; ask students to turn in their essays in PDF format or through email; use blogs (like this class) to turn in work... etc.
-raising the driving age to 19 or 21
-issue of homelessness in Seattle
-Take Back Your Time (Simplicity) Movement, Paid Vacation Movement: http://www.timeday.org/
-a proposal to make Seattle University more eco-friendly and reduce the use of papers in class: Utilize Angel website more; ask students to turn in their essays in PDF format or through email; use blogs (like this class) to turn in work... etc.
Deconstructing the Syllabus; 1/7/2010
The course description about CMJR 320 located in our class syllabus utilizes the concept of rhetoric in several areas. Professor Bammert addresses us (the audience) first as students of journalism. This means that she recognizes that we are here to learn more about persuasive writing, which means that we are to adhere to our biases and to use our own opinions to convince others of our sound and valid argument through persuasive writing. The description advises us to first deconstruct other examples and then to use those skills towards constructing our own. Her argument is that the use of rhetoric should be broken down into an educated, critical and well-researched reasoning and that we should use the same before we are able to persuade others of our convictions and biases.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
‘Whip It’, Seattle-style
by: Carolyn K. Huynh
SEATTLE, WA – Drew Barrymore may have hyped up roller-derby with her directorial debut, ‘Whip It’ – which came out on Oct. 2 – however, the Northwest calls dibs on cultivating their very own all-girl roller-derby scene first.
They call themselves Rat City Rollergirls – RCRG for short. Founded in 2004, RCRG’s ‘official’ headquarters is located just south of Seattle, in an area known as White Center – which is also nicknamed ‘Rat City’. There are several theories as to how it got its nickname. Some attribute it to the rat problem that once invaded the city – or to the old military relocation and training (RAT) center during WWII.
Rat City Rollergirls consists of 100 member-owners – who are divided among four teams: the Derby Liberation Front, Grave Danger, Sockit Wenches, and the Throttle Rockets. The fifth team, called the All-Stars, represents RCRG in regional and national play. According to RCRG’s official website, RCRG’s resume consists of being ‘the first flat-track, all-female roller derby league in Seattle and the Northwest’. RCRG, LLC was not available for comment.
Roller derby is more than just a roughhousing contact sport – it is actually more intense. According to doubleex.com, "Roller derby is like an alternative-universe version of corporate American sports. It operates on something like the values of a commune—players really do play for love, and the good of the sport really does come first. At less than a decade old, derby has created a full-blooded internal world—and has done so without corporate cash, deep-pocketed owners, or even a shred of attention from mainstream sports media."
The politics of underground roller derby is simple - it's for the players by the players. Everyone is their own boss – but as a collective unit. It’s for love of the game. And yes, it doesn’t hurt that there are bunch of hot girls with tattoos skating around, hurling themselves at each other.
It can also be looked at as a new kind of female empowerment movement.
“When I first moved to Seattle, I experienced what you guys call the ‘Seattle Freeze’,” said, a frequent volunteer for RCRG, Maura Nickums. “Then I decided to join RCRG, and I have to say – if you want to make life-time friends, join a roller-derby team.”
Not only does RCRG parallel Barrymore’s movie in terms of the undeniably strong female friendships that are formed, but it’s just a heck of a lot more fun. Instead of watching the great sport of roller-derby in a movie theater, go check out RCRG at their next game on Oct. 11 against White Bout II at Key Arena.
The Rat City Roller Girls:
Drew Barrymore, Ellen Page - 'Whip It' trailer:
Check out the Rat City Roller Girl's official website.
SEATTLE, WA – Drew Barrymore may have hyped up roller-derby with her directorial debut, ‘Whip It’ – which came out on Oct. 2 – however, the Northwest calls dibs on cultivating their very own all-girl roller-derby scene first.
They call themselves Rat City Rollergirls – RCRG for short. Founded in 2004, RCRG’s ‘official’ headquarters is located just south of Seattle, in an area known as White Center – which is also nicknamed ‘Rat City’. There are several theories as to how it got its nickname. Some attribute it to the rat problem that once invaded the city – or to the old military relocation and training (RAT) center during WWII.
Rat City Rollergirls consists of 100 member-owners – who are divided among four teams: the Derby Liberation Front, Grave Danger, Sockit Wenches, and the Throttle Rockets. The fifth team, called the All-Stars, represents RCRG in regional and national play. According to RCRG’s official website, RCRG’s resume consists of being ‘the first flat-track, all-female roller derby league in Seattle and the Northwest’. RCRG, LLC was not available for comment.
Roller derby is more than just a roughhousing contact sport – it is actually more intense. According to doubleex.com, "Roller derby is like an alternative-universe version of corporate American sports. It operates on something like the values of a commune—players really do play for love, and the good of the sport really does come first. At less than a decade old, derby has created a full-blooded internal world—and has done so without corporate cash, deep-pocketed owners, or even a shred of attention from mainstream sports media."
The politics of underground roller derby is simple - it's for the players by the players. Everyone is their own boss – but as a collective unit. It’s for love of the game. And yes, it doesn’t hurt that there are bunch of hot girls with tattoos skating around, hurling themselves at each other.
It can also be looked at as a new kind of female empowerment movement.
“When I first moved to Seattle, I experienced what you guys call the ‘Seattle Freeze’,” said, a frequent volunteer for RCRG, Maura Nickums. “Then I decided to join RCRG, and I have to say – if you want to make life-time friends, join a roller-derby team.”
Not only does RCRG parallel Barrymore’s movie in terms of the undeniably strong female friendships that are formed, but it’s just a heck of a lot more fun. Instead of watching the great sport of roller-derby in a movie theater, go check out RCRG at their next game on Oct. 11 against White Bout II at Key Arena.
The Rat City Roller Girls:
Drew Barrymore, Ellen Page - 'Whip It' trailer:
Check out the Rat City Roller Girl's official website.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
The Little Shop that Could
By: Carolyn K. Huynh
SEATTLE, WA – Growing up in Garden Grove, CA during the 80s’, Huan Vu witnessed the first of what would later become a trilogy of economic recessions in his life.
After recently migrating from Vietnam with his family, he saw his parents scrimp and scrap for pennies and their ideals about the American Dream slowly sour. From 82’ to 87’, he saw all the major department stores begin to shut down and optimism turn into pessimism. The first company that he witnessed to fall was Imagnin, a clothing line – which would later ironically be a coveted label that would Vu would scour for his shop.
When Vu was in his early 20s’, he opened his first shop in Portland, Ore., that’s when the second recession hit. The 9/11 aftermath left him no choice but to close up shop and gamble his next move in Seattle.
For eight years, the little independent vintage shop, VU has been squeezed between Wall of Sound Records and Bauhaus Coffee and Books on Pine St. With its constantly changing bright and quirky window displays filled with shop owner, Huan Vu’s own reconstructed vintage designs – it catches many curious eyes as passerbys pause and stare.
The shop – barely bigger than a studio apartment on Capitol Hill – carries with it an eclectic range of merchandise from Vu’s own in-house design pieces to vintage couture pieces and all the way to obscure jewelry designs from China and Germany.
Within the past year, Huan Vu has been hit with his third economic recession. This time though, he isn’t fresh out of college with a business degree in his pocket. He’s a little bit older and has replaced his BA with a fistful of real-life experiences. With graying hair and looking sharp in a v-neck vintage sweater paired with brown slacks, Vu, now 37 is ready to face this recession head on.
Because this time he thinks he’s going to survive.
For Vu, survival means not having to put up a huge sign on his store window that says: STORE CLOSING, EVERYTHING MUST GO.
“This is real, this recession is very much real,” says Vu. “We are 30-40% behind than where we were last year. Last year has been one of the best years this store has ever done.”
Capitol Hill is a neighborhood that mostly comprises of apartment buildings and independent shops. Home to such famous streets such as Broadway, Pike, and Pine; the Hill has been going through an evident rough patch as the current economic crisis brings small business owners closer and closer to bankruptcy.
However, according to real estate agent, Linda Casse, while small businesses are worried – the market right now is hot. The Hill is no stranger to homeowners. Condo and interests prices are lower than ever. Mortgage rates has gone down significantly. And residents are fully aware of this. In fact, the prices of homes being sold on the Hill are 5.2 percent higher than last April.
“Capitol Hill is having a tough time however, compared to other area’s Cap Hill is seeing more transactions. It is still a very desirable area. Some people could not afford to live here before, and in this market buyers suddenly or should we say finally, find a house or condo in their price range on Cap Hill that they would not have found, two years ago,” says Mrs. Casse. “This is a good time for small business though it may not seem like it. Same for homeowners on Capitol Hill – they should hold on to their property and wait until the market kicks back up. In my opinion, they should also consider buying other property. Strike while the iron is hot.”
Owning and running your own business on one of the busiest streets in Seattle can be considered almost suicidal during these times. Especially when the only means of survival is relying solely on the residents of Capitol Hill as the only source of incoming revenue.
“In this current time, the saying ‘the customer is always right’ is out the window,” says Vu. “It has now become, ‘the customer is my Alpha and Omega; they are my ruler and King’. Without customers, the recession isn’t going to get any better. We need customers.”
Fortunately for VU, the store lives on the Hill. Known for being environmentally conscious, residents of Capitol Hill tend to shop second-hand. But the cons of shopping at VU will leave a black mark on your wallet. Though it may be a vintage shop, it is certainly no Value Village. The clothes are most often hard to find designer pieces and are scoured from all over the nation and the jewelry is handpicked from Vu’s travels to Asia and Europe.
But what about the customers that actually do their shopping at Value Village and Life-Long? Or, what about the people that have joined the simple-living movement and choose to consciously not spend any money on unnecessary items?
“Personally, I think it’s great if people are being thrifty and only buying used,” said Vu. “But mentally, it’s not realistic. People are only doing it for the short-term period to help ease temporary problems. Is it hurting us? Yes, to be frank, it is. But that can’t be helped. I have had to extend our sales and discounts from the usual twice a year up to almost one every month.”
With only two employees running the store, there is no such thing as individualism. The VU employees are all in it together. Instead of letting go of all the employees or cutting their wages to minimum wage to make significant cutbacks – they all find different ways to help lower the costs. For example, dry-cleaners don’t exist in their world. Vu’s washer and dryer in his apartment building works perfectly fine.
“We know the store is in trouble and it is up to us to make sure we don’t close,” says Aubrey Jackson, 20 an employee who has been working there for 8 months. “The store should be making around $5,500 a month, but that’s a very low number. We really should be making around $7,000 a month. For the past few months, we’ve only been able to make around $2,500 a month.”
During this economic downturn, the rate of unemployment on the Hill has also been one of the plethora of reasons affecting local business sales. People walk up and down Pine St. with a stack of resumes and drop them off at almost every business on the sidewalk. About 2-3 people walk in and drop off resumes a week at VU – in fact, it’s not a regular week without people coming in and dropping off resumes or inquiring about available positions.
“I had a girl who just graduated Brown University last year come in asking if there were any openings available at VU,” said Kevin Walker, 17, another VU employee. “I just couldn’t believe it. What’s a girl with an ivy-league degree wanting a job in retail for minimum wage for? Is it really that bad out there?”
It’s a little bit more than scary. Galactic Boutique, another Pine St. popular haunt and only a few doors down from VU, closed its doors after a 3-year run only a few months ago from lack of sales. According to the shop owner’s blog, Karl Fjellstrom, “I remember our first sale was a postcard for 2.95. So small yet so huge… It has taken quite a while to get back on my feet. You’d think that opening and setting up the store was hard work. But tying up all the loose ends was just as if not more stressful. It was so worth it though.”
For Edie’s Shoes (also another independent Pine St. business), the figures are rivaling Vu’s – if not, more or less than his current incoming revenue.
“We’re supposed to make $700 a day,” says Faith Hale, 21 a long-time employee for Edie’s. “I’m going to let you in on a not-so-secret-secret: we’re not doing so hot. So far, we’ve been making $200 a day. And that’s if we’re lucky. We aren’t breaking even and it’s getting costly to even turn on the lights in the store.”
So why even gamble? Why take the risk?
“It’s business. With or without the recession – business is always a gamble. You do it for the chance of making a small impact in your community,” says Vu. “Fortunately for me, my neighborhood [Capitol Hill] was more than welcoming during my first few years when I first opened up shop in Seattle. I trust that they will still show up on my door mat until the end – whenever that may be.”
Vu’s regulars have so far proven their loyalties. One loyal customer, local Capitol Hill resident, art performer and yoga instructor for 8 Limbs Yoga, Lady Krishna, has been shopping at Vu since the beginning.
“I love VU. It’s not about the prices, it’s all about supporting your local independent stores,” says Lady Krishna. “It was the greedy CEOs and evil corporations that made this recession a reality. I love living on Capitol Hill because the people here support local small-time businesses. Hell, we drove out Taco Bell, Jack in the Box and just recently KFC. We know who we want setting up shop here and who we don’t want.”
And it seems that Capitol Hill has done just that.
The Capitol Hill Community Council just recently rallied together in the past few months to pull together and help out struggling businesses – in the most fashionable way imaginable. Local businesses unveiled the “Capitol Hill Discount Dollar” on April 1st in an attempt to stamp out the economic slump from the Hill.
The fake monopoly-esque money features famous Seattle icons as opposed to faces of presidents and can either be taken for 10% off or at face value of a dollar at certain businesses. The “Capitol Hill Discount Dollar” is available on the Capitol Hill Council’s website or at Perfect Copy and Print on Broadway.
According to an article blurb that the P.I. did on the “Discount Dollar”, owner of Hollywood, Jennifer Straight said, “Bring the businesses out. Spend your money locally. Keep'em around. They've been here for years and they deserve every cent of our support.”
Right now the list of businesses that have the coupon taped to their window are a decent amount, but the list continues to expand as more and more businesses join together to create get the residents of Capitol Hill to buy locally and help support them.
Dickens once wrote “It was the best of times, It was the worst of times…” as his opening line for his magnum opus A Tale of Two cities. For someone who has lived through three different recessions, the dot-com boom, 9/11 – and just recently having to make personal sacrifices and switch from his 2-bedroom apartment with a view of Volunteer Park to a much less expensive 1-bedroom apartment with a view of Hillcrest Market – for Huan Vu, having seen his little shop begin in Portland and then survive for 8 years in Seattle this far has been something of a miracle.
Though it may not seem like it, this right now might actually just be the best of times for Vu.
“I was aware of the financial crisis when I was kid, and I’m more than aware of what’s going on now,” says Vu. “But you know what? Sometimes you just have to cross your fingers and hope for the best. Hey, third times the charm, right?”
To find out more on the Capitol Hill Discount Dollar go to: Capitol Hill Community Council
SEATTLE, WA – Growing up in Garden Grove, CA during the 80s’, Huan Vu witnessed the first of what would later become a trilogy of economic recessions in his life.
After recently migrating from Vietnam with his family, he saw his parents scrimp and scrap for pennies and their ideals about the American Dream slowly sour. From 82’ to 87’, he saw all the major department stores begin to shut down and optimism turn into pessimism. The first company that he witnessed to fall was Imagnin, a clothing line – which would later ironically be a coveted label that would Vu would scour for his shop.
When Vu was in his early 20s’, he opened his first shop in Portland, Ore., that’s when the second recession hit. The 9/11 aftermath left him no choice but to close up shop and gamble his next move in Seattle.
For eight years, the little independent vintage shop, VU has been squeezed between Wall of Sound Records and Bauhaus Coffee and Books on Pine St. With its constantly changing bright and quirky window displays filled with shop owner, Huan Vu’s own reconstructed vintage designs – it catches many curious eyes as passerbys pause and stare.
The shop – barely bigger than a studio apartment on Capitol Hill – carries with it an eclectic range of merchandise from Vu’s own in-house design pieces to vintage couture pieces and all the way to obscure jewelry designs from China and Germany.
Within the past year, Huan Vu has been hit with his third economic recession. This time though, he isn’t fresh out of college with a business degree in his pocket. He’s a little bit older and has replaced his BA with a fistful of real-life experiences. With graying hair and looking sharp in a v-neck vintage sweater paired with brown slacks, Vu, now 37 is ready to face this recession head on.
Because this time he thinks he’s going to survive.
For Vu, survival means not having to put up a huge sign on his store window that says: STORE CLOSING, EVERYTHING MUST GO.
“This is real, this recession is very much real,” says Vu. “We are 30-40% behind than where we were last year. Last year has been one of the best years this store has ever done.”
Capitol Hill is a neighborhood that mostly comprises of apartment buildings and independent shops. Home to such famous streets such as Broadway, Pike, and Pine; the Hill has been going through an evident rough patch as the current economic crisis brings small business owners closer and closer to bankruptcy.
However, according to real estate agent, Linda Casse, while small businesses are worried – the market right now is hot. The Hill is no stranger to homeowners. Condo and interests prices are lower than ever. Mortgage rates has gone down significantly. And residents are fully aware of this. In fact, the prices of homes being sold on the Hill are 5.2 percent higher than last April.
“Capitol Hill is having a tough time however, compared to other area’s Cap Hill is seeing more transactions. It is still a very desirable area. Some people could not afford to live here before, and in this market buyers suddenly or should we say finally, find a house or condo in their price range on Cap Hill that they would not have found, two years ago,” says Mrs. Casse. “This is a good time for small business though it may not seem like it. Same for homeowners on Capitol Hill – they should hold on to their property and wait until the market kicks back up. In my opinion, they should also consider buying other property. Strike while the iron is hot.”
Owning and running your own business on one of the busiest streets in Seattle can be considered almost suicidal during these times. Especially when the only means of survival is relying solely on the residents of Capitol Hill as the only source of incoming revenue.
“In this current time, the saying ‘the customer is always right’ is out the window,” says Vu. “It has now become, ‘the customer is my Alpha and Omega; they are my ruler and King’. Without customers, the recession isn’t going to get any better. We need customers.”
Fortunately for VU, the store lives on the Hill. Known for being environmentally conscious, residents of Capitol Hill tend to shop second-hand. But the cons of shopping at VU will leave a black mark on your wallet. Though it may be a vintage shop, it is certainly no Value Village. The clothes are most often hard to find designer pieces and are scoured from all over the nation and the jewelry is handpicked from Vu’s travels to Asia and Europe.
But what about the customers that actually do their shopping at Value Village and Life-Long? Or, what about the people that have joined the simple-living movement and choose to consciously not spend any money on unnecessary items?
“Personally, I think it’s great if people are being thrifty and only buying used,” said Vu. “But mentally, it’s not realistic. People are only doing it for the short-term period to help ease temporary problems. Is it hurting us? Yes, to be frank, it is. But that can’t be helped. I have had to extend our sales and discounts from the usual twice a year up to almost one every month.”
With only two employees running the store, there is no such thing as individualism. The VU employees are all in it together. Instead of letting go of all the employees or cutting their wages to minimum wage to make significant cutbacks – they all find different ways to help lower the costs. For example, dry-cleaners don’t exist in their world. Vu’s washer and dryer in his apartment building works perfectly fine.
“We know the store is in trouble and it is up to us to make sure we don’t close,” says Aubrey Jackson, 20 an employee who has been working there for 8 months. “The store should be making around $5,500 a month, but that’s a very low number. We really should be making around $7,000 a month. For the past few months, we’ve only been able to make around $2,500 a month.”
During this economic downturn, the rate of unemployment on the Hill has also been one of the plethora of reasons affecting local business sales. People walk up and down Pine St. with a stack of resumes and drop them off at almost every business on the sidewalk. About 2-3 people walk in and drop off resumes a week at VU – in fact, it’s not a regular week without people coming in and dropping off resumes or inquiring about available positions.
“I had a girl who just graduated Brown University last year come in asking if there were any openings available at VU,” said Kevin Walker, 17, another VU employee. “I just couldn’t believe it. What’s a girl with an ivy-league degree wanting a job in retail for minimum wage for? Is it really that bad out there?”
It’s a little bit more than scary. Galactic Boutique, another Pine St. popular haunt and only a few doors down from VU, closed its doors after a 3-year run only a few months ago from lack of sales. According to the shop owner’s blog, Karl Fjellstrom, “I remember our first sale was a postcard for 2.95. So small yet so huge… It has taken quite a while to get back on my feet. You’d think that opening and setting up the store was hard work. But tying up all the loose ends was just as if not more stressful. It was so worth it though.”
For Edie’s Shoes (also another independent Pine St. business), the figures are rivaling Vu’s – if not, more or less than his current incoming revenue.
“We’re supposed to make $700 a day,” says Faith Hale, 21 a long-time employee for Edie’s. “I’m going to let you in on a not-so-secret-secret: we’re not doing so hot. So far, we’ve been making $200 a day. And that’s if we’re lucky. We aren’t breaking even and it’s getting costly to even turn on the lights in the store.”
So why even gamble? Why take the risk?
“It’s business. With or without the recession – business is always a gamble. You do it for the chance of making a small impact in your community,” says Vu. “Fortunately for me, my neighborhood [Capitol Hill] was more than welcoming during my first few years when I first opened up shop in Seattle. I trust that they will still show up on my door mat until the end – whenever that may be.”
Vu’s regulars have so far proven their loyalties. One loyal customer, local Capitol Hill resident, art performer and yoga instructor for 8 Limbs Yoga, Lady Krishna, has been shopping at Vu since the beginning.
“I love VU. It’s not about the prices, it’s all about supporting your local independent stores,” says Lady Krishna. “It was the greedy CEOs and evil corporations that made this recession a reality. I love living on Capitol Hill because the people here support local small-time businesses. Hell, we drove out Taco Bell, Jack in the Box and just recently KFC. We know who we want setting up shop here and who we don’t want.”
And it seems that Capitol Hill has done just that.
The Capitol Hill Community Council just recently rallied together in the past few months to pull together and help out struggling businesses – in the most fashionable way imaginable. Local businesses unveiled the “Capitol Hill Discount Dollar” on April 1st in an attempt to stamp out the economic slump from the Hill.
The fake monopoly-esque money features famous Seattle icons as opposed to faces of presidents and can either be taken for 10% off or at face value of a dollar at certain businesses. The “Capitol Hill Discount Dollar” is available on the Capitol Hill Council’s website or at Perfect Copy and Print on Broadway.
According to an article blurb that the P.I. did on the “Discount Dollar”, owner of Hollywood, Jennifer Straight said, “Bring the businesses out. Spend your money locally. Keep'em around. They've been here for years and they deserve every cent of our support.”Right now the list of businesses that have the coupon taped to their window are a decent amount, but the list continues to expand as more and more businesses join together to create get the residents of Capitol Hill to buy locally and help support them.
Dickens once wrote “It was the best of times, It was the worst of times…” as his opening line for his magnum opus A Tale of Two cities. For someone who has lived through three different recessions, the dot-com boom, 9/11 – and just recently having to make personal sacrifices and switch from his 2-bedroom apartment with a view of Volunteer Park to a much less expensive 1-bedroom apartment with a view of Hillcrest Market – for Huan Vu, having seen his little shop begin in Portland and then survive for 8 years in Seattle this far has been something of a miracle.
Though it may not seem like it, this right now might actually just be the best of times for Vu.
“I was aware of the financial crisis when I was kid, and I’m more than aware of what’s going on now,” says Vu. “But you know what? Sometimes you just have to cross your fingers and hope for the best. Hey, third times the charm, right?”
To find out more on the Capitol Hill Discount Dollar go to: Capitol Hill Community Council
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Sin City
By: Carolyn K. Huynh
SEATTLE, WA - Every city has crime – it’s all part of the urban ladder. You start off with a studio apartment in a questionable neighborhood, you get promoted, so you upgrade to a trendy neighborhood, eventually you decide to settle in the city with a significant other, so you move into a nice area that’s rumored to be pretty ‘safe’ but is still considered a prime hub culture of city-living.
But you still know the truth. No matter how far you climb up the ladder, you can’t escape crime.
Capitol Hill has an image of being ‘pretty safe’ and it prides itself on being the cultural epicenter of Seattle. The Hill has a thriving population of urban families trying to raise their kids in what they believe would be a nice area to grow up in.
If you’re comparing the Hill to New York City’s East Village, we’re living in Bill Gate’s mansion.
Until you get your wake-up call.
Two-year resident of Capitol Hill, Cherlaine Ordona, 20, just recently became a victim of urban living. A few days ago, her car window was broken into and her iPod, iPod connector, some loose change, and a few CDs were stolen. The burglar unsuccessfully also tried to hotwire her car by taking apart her steering wheel and tooling around with the wires, unable to connect which red wire to whichever blue wire.
“I’m not afraid of walking alone at night, but I’ve certainly become more paranoid,” says Ordona. “I’ve heard that there has been a string of cars being broken into around my area, but I never thought I would be one of those people that drove around with their windows covered with trash bags because it has been broken into. I live on Spring St. for Chrissakes!”
Living in the second most densely populated neighborhood of Seattle, petty theft is pretty common. Some thefts are almost absurd. A few months ago in the parking lot at Piecora’s, a burglar smashed a car window and stole a puppy.
However, there are some crimes that are just unexplainable and out of our hands. Just this past weekend there was a shooting on Madison across the street from Chop Suey. Last year, a woman walked out of her home in broad daylight on 15th and was stabbed repeatedly in the chest by a madman.
According to the 2007-2008 City of Seattle’s crime statistic report, the number of reported crime incidents on Capitol Hill has significantly dropped by 40%. Why is this? Have the residents of Capitol Hill become jaded to crime of any kind?
“I think Capitol Hill is safe, but you should use your judgment and you shouldn’t take unnecessary risks,” says Aubrey Jackson, an employee at Vu Clothing on Pine St. “I was considering getting another job on the hill that required me closing up shop around midnight, but I went against it because I thought it would be unsafe.”
Crime is an essential part of urban living. There’s no escape and there are no pros to having it happen to you. The only thing you can do is help weed it out and strengthen the community. Revamp the Hill and make it safe for kids to grow up in and for puppies to stay in the car while their owners are eating pizza.
Here are some tips given by the Seattle Police Department on how to stay safe in the city and who you can contact to get involved:
Tips on being safe in the city:
1. Plan Ahead – travel in groups of two or more
2. Stay Aware – travel on streets with open businesses
3. Don’t Hesitate – call 911 immediately
4. Act Appropriately – use any defense you are comfortable with (i.e. screaming)
5. Report Incidents – if you are a victim, report it to the Seattle Police Department
DEPT. OF PLANNING and DEVELOPMENT 684-7899
COMMUNITY POLICING TEAM OFFICERS Chronic, ongoing problems 684-4370
SUSPECTED DRUG ACTIVITY Call Narcotics at 684-6797
SEATTLE, WA - Every city has crime – it’s all part of the urban ladder. You start off with a studio apartment in a questionable neighborhood, you get promoted, so you upgrade to a trendy neighborhood, eventually you decide to settle in the city with a significant other, so you move into a nice area that’s rumored to be pretty ‘safe’ but is still considered a prime hub culture of city-living.
But you still know the truth. No matter how far you climb up the ladder, you can’t escape crime.
Capitol Hill has an image of being ‘pretty safe’ and it prides itself on being the cultural epicenter of Seattle. The Hill has a thriving population of urban families trying to raise their kids in what they believe would be a nice area to grow up in.
If you’re comparing the Hill to New York City’s East Village, we’re living in Bill Gate’s mansion.
Until you get your wake-up call.
Two-year resident of Capitol Hill, Cherlaine Ordona, 20, just recently became a victim of urban living. A few days ago, her car window was broken into and her iPod, iPod connector, some loose change, and a few CDs were stolen. The burglar unsuccessfully also tried to hotwire her car by taking apart her steering wheel and tooling around with the wires, unable to connect which red wire to whichever blue wire.
“I’m not afraid of walking alone at night, but I’ve certainly become more paranoid,” says Ordona. “I’ve heard that there has been a string of cars being broken into around my area, but I never thought I would be one of those people that drove around with their windows covered with trash bags because it has been broken into. I live on Spring St. for Chrissakes!”
Living in the second most densely populated neighborhood of Seattle, petty theft is pretty common. Some thefts are almost absurd. A few months ago in the parking lot at Piecora’s, a burglar smashed a car window and stole a puppy.
However, there are some crimes that are just unexplainable and out of our hands. Just this past weekend there was a shooting on Madison across the street from Chop Suey. Last year, a woman walked out of her home in broad daylight on 15th and was stabbed repeatedly in the chest by a madman.
According to the 2007-2008 City of Seattle’s crime statistic report, the number of reported crime incidents on Capitol Hill has significantly dropped by 40%. Why is this? Have the residents of Capitol Hill become jaded to crime of any kind?
“I think Capitol Hill is safe, but you should use your judgment and you shouldn’t take unnecessary risks,” says Aubrey Jackson, an employee at Vu Clothing on Pine St. “I was considering getting another job on the hill that required me closing up shop around midnight, but I went against it because I thought it would be unsafe.”
Crime is an essential part of urban living. There’s no escape and there are no pros to having it happen to you. The only thing you can do is help weed it out and strengthen the community. Revamp the Hill and make it safe for kids to grow up in and for puppies to stay in the car while their owners are eating pizza.
Here are some tips given by the Seattle Police Department on how to stay safe in the city and who you can contact to get involved:
Tips on being safe in the city:
1. Plan Ahead – travel in groups of two or more
2. Stay Aware – travel on streets with open businesses
3. Don’t Hesitate – call 911 immediately
4. Act Appropriately – use any defense you are comfortable with (i.e. screaming)
5. Report Incidents – if you are a victim, report it to the Seattle Police Department
DEPT. OF PLANNING and DEVELOPMENT 684-7899
COMMUNITY POLICING TEAM OFFICERS Chronic, ongoing problems 684-4370
SUSPECTED DRUG ACTIVITY Call Narcotics at 684-6797
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