Another great piece from Claudia Bullmore of Sky marketing... dowtown Phoenix's chief advocate.
The real voyage of discovery is not in finding new landscapes but in looking with new eyes. Marcel Proust
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I have lived in Phoenix for over fifteen years and have been patiently waiting for the sprawl to retreat back to our urban core. About ten years ago I moved from North Scottsdale and bought a house in Phoenix because I worked for design firm downtown and hated the commute. Back then on my way to work I would drive past derelict looking houses, sandy parking lots, run down businesses and homeless people. 
Gratefully, I see some positive changes happening as our downtown matures. But sometimes it is hard to see the changes from inside of the fishbowl, or should I say dustbowl. Recently, I read an article by Andrew Bender who came to visit from Los Angeles, California. He was surprised to discover that over 10,000 people come out on a single night for First Fridays, making it one of the biggest grass-roots arts events in the country.
This phenomenon seems to indicate that people want a sense of community, something other than what they find in strip malls with their chain stores that all look and sound alike. Bender’s friends also showed him some of the cool, local spots such as Matt’s Big Breakfast, Carly’s Bistro, Cibo and Lux coffee bar. So often Phoenix has been regarded as a stepchild of Los Angeles; it feels encouraging to have Bender to point out that we have as many interesting places like you would find in LA or another West Coast city.
Every time I travel, I find myself defending Phoenix, assuring people that our city is not just composed of endless strip malls, sand-colored condo’s and parking lots. Unfortunately, that is the perception many visitors have of us.
For sure, the distincts and local businesses are what make a city memorable. As a growing city, we ought to do whatever we can to support and frequent local small businesses. Not only are we helping sustain the local economy, we are also bringing the tide back to city-center and build community at the same time.
Let’s take a stand and support the places and businesses that give Phoenix its unique appeal, to find the gems amidst the concrete, dust and stucco. This time of year when we have lots of winter visitors, I challenge you to show them some of the cool spots in town. Organize an outing for your friends on a Saturday and introduce them to a new boutique, coffee shop or record store or the Phoenix Public Market.
If you need a brush up on your ambassador skills, pick up a copy of Small Wonders, the guide to downtown places recently published by Local First and the unstoppable Kimber Lanning. You can also access that information by going to www.localfirstaz.com. Every one of us has the potential to shift how we see Phoenix. It will take no small wonder for Phoenix to rise to its true greatness; we need to look with new eyes.
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Claudia Bullmore is chief strategist of SKY Marketing, a consulting practice geared towards design firms and entrepreneurs. Companies can select from a menu of marketing and communications programs developed to achieve better business results by design.
http://www.skymarketingaz.com or 602-909-0157
Claudia’s passion for anything forward-thinking, creative and urban was the inspiration behind IGNITE phoenix, a networking group aimed to stimulate spirited dialogue among cultural creatives who care about how Phoenix evolves. If you would like to learn more about joining this group, please go to IGNITEphoenix.net and come to one of the monthly meetings.
