Friday October 27, 2023
12:30-1:30 p.m.
Meeting Both In-Person and by Zoom
Alternate Room: Mather House 100
Case Western Reserve University
Dear Colleagues:
Our discussion this Friday will focus on a topic that is rarely mentioned as part of grand, partisan public policy debates. Yet it is part of the architecture of our lives.
Once upon a time – actually for decades – town centers were being slowly (or quickly) decimated by first the creation of malls and then the rise of “big box” retailers. After many reports (and examples) of malls declining, there is now some indication of malls stabilizing – but at best the model is changing to more of a focus on entertainment and higher-income customers. Bankruptcies among chains of big box stores are rather common (anyone been to a Bed Bath and Beyond recently?). Amazon has turned some of the malls into warehousing centers. There is talk and a bit of action to revitalize local walkable town centers and shopping districts. But how well can that work in the Age of Amazon?
It’s a national story that has been played out in our area over the decades. Gleaming Severance Town Center was built in Cleveland Heights and a few years later the downtown Cleveland department stores declined, eventually all gone. Severance in turn was challenged by malls further east, and its department stores died, replaced by big boxes (Home Depot and Office Max) and then Walmart. Now Walmart has moved to another center in South Euclid, accompanied by different big boxes (TJ Maxx and Burlington Coat Factory). Randall Park Mall, briefly the world’s largest, is now an Amazon fulfillment center – as is Euclid Square Mall.
Meanwhile traffic planners work to make old local retail areas more pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly, as can be seen with recent work on both Coventry Road and Lee Road. New developments seek to create more lively, walkable areas with mixes of retail, restaurants, and some housing – as at Shaker Heights’ Van Aken District or, for that matter, Uptown Cleveland. “Live, Work and Play in the Unique Uptown Cleveland Area,” proclaims the development’s website. The dream is that districts like these or a revitalized Cedar-Lee will rebuild both communities and community.
It’s an attractive dream. But will it work – and in particular will it work for retail? It should not be news that local retail stores are struggling. As Michael Goldberg has pointed out, on top of the long-term trends the pandemic and its economic fallout transformed retail. They made it normal for people to avoid other people and form habits of shopping online. They drove workers out of downtowns and, while many companies are bringing workers back, others are shedding office space. Personally, I assume some white-collar workers will go to the restaurants and coffee shops to work and then do a little shopping – but will there be enough of them and will they buy anything but t-shirts and fancy coffee?
This is all part of our lives; we all have experience; our own attitudes are part of the story. So we should be able to have a wide-ranging discussion with two colleagues who share broad experience of the worlds of commerce.
In-Person and Virtual Attendance
This Friday’s meeting has been moved from the Kelvin Smith Library to Mather House 100. Mather House is the building in between the Thwing Center and the Church of the Covenant. The main entrance faces east, towards the Church.
We will return to the Dampeer Room of Kelvin Smith Library for our gathering on November 3, and hopefully for the rest of the semester.
We continue also to offer the meetings on Zoom. We do require pre-registering so as to avoid “zoom-bombing.” The pre-registration link is posted below.
The discussion begins at 12:30 p.m., but the room should be open no later than Noon. We try to have beverages and refreshments set up soon after that. Participants should be able to sign on to Zoom also by Noon. But please remember not much will be happening online until the talk begins at 12:30 pm. You do not need to show identification to enter Mather House, but I don’t understand why anyone would walk around without any, anyway.
Zoom participants should speak up when asked for questions or comments, or submit thoughts through Zoom’s chat function. Please keep yourself muted until you are choosing to speak.
Each week we will send out this newsletter with information about the topic. It will also include a link to register (for free) for the discussion. When you register, you will automatically receive from the Zoom system the link to join the meeting. If you do not get the newsletter, you should also be able to get the information each Monday by checking http://fridaylunch.case.edu Then if you choose you can use the contact form on that website to request the registration link.
This week’s Zoom link for registration is:
https://cwru.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJIocO2rqj4pE9JgkOhBH6rUc2DaTkLBJUux
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
Please also e-mail padg@case.edu if you have questions about arrangements or any suggestions. Or call at 216 368-2426 and we’ll try to get back to you. We are very pleased to be partnering this semester with the Siegal Lifelong Learning Program to share information about the discussions.
Best wishes for safety and security for you and yours,
Joe White
Luxenberg Family Professor of Public Policy and Director, Center for Policy Studies
About Our Guest
Michael Goldberg earned his BA from Princeton University, MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, and Masters in International Relations from the School of Advanced International Studies of Johns Hopkins University. As Associate Professor at Weatherhead and inaugural Executive Director of the Veale Institute, he is active in entrepreneurship from Cleveland (through mentoring in Jumpstart and Plug and Play) to around the world. His teaching about entrepreneurship includes a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) on Coursera titled “Beyond Silicon Valley: Growing Entrepreneurship in Transitioning Economies.” The course has attracted over 175,000 students from 190 countries. Professor Goldberg has taught about entrepreneurship as a Visiting Professor or Fulbright Fellow in Vietnam, Namibia, Spain, Portugal, Turkey and Greece. He has conducted seminars on entrepreneurship for the U.S. Department of State in 29 countries, as best I can count. In between his graduation from Princeton and his further studies, Professor Goldberg worked for the National Democratic Institute in South Africa, on citizen education for the nation’s historic first post-apartheid election.
Among his business activities, Professor Goldberg was Director of International Business Development for America Online, worked for Microsoft and the International Management Group (IMG), and co-founded the Bridge Investment Fund, a venture capital fund focused on investing in Israeli medical device companies that have synergies with health care industries and institutions in Cleveland.
Mike Fisher earned his PhD and MBA from the Weatherhead School of Management and an MS in Information Systems from Hawaii Pacific University. Before that he earned his BS in Computer Science from the United States Military Academy and served on active and reserve duty as a pilot in the U.S. Army for nearly ten years. His deep experience of online retail includes working most recently as Chief Technology Officer for Etsy during its massive growth during the pandemic. He has also worked as co-founder and managing partner of AKF Partners, a boutique consultancy focused on helping companies scale, as chief technology officer of Quigo (acquired by AOL), and as vice president of engineering and architecture for PayPal, Inc. He has authored dozens of articles and papers as well as three books.
Schedule of Friday Lunch Upcoming Topics and Speakers:
November 3: Dobbs and Doctors. With David N. Hackney MD, Division Director, Maternal Fetal Medicine, University Hospitals of Cleveland.
November 10: Who’s Legally Responsible When “Self-Driving” Cars Go “Eyes Off?” With Cassandra Burke Robertson, JD, John Deaver Drinko – BakerHostetler Professor of Law.
November 17: Axios Cleveland and the Future of Local Media. With Sam Allard, reporter for Axios Cleveland.
November 24: Thanksgiving Break
December 1: Civil-Military Relations in Egypt. With Dina Rashed, Ph.D., Associate Dean of the College for Academic Affairs, University of Chicago.
December 8: To Be Determined. |
