What’s Old is New

I receive quite a bit of email from folks concerned about the future of Old Town. In many cases, their worry extended to all ‘old towns’ in general, not just ours. After some thought, I’ve come to the conclusion that I don’t share the same trepidations. Here’s why.

First of all, there’s a reason it’s called “old”. It means it’s been around a while. The key question is, why? Are the conditions that prompted its longevity still in play? Or has the environment changed to the point where the future of our beloved brick oasis is in jeopardy?

To be sure, the intersection of Main and El Camino Real is no longer a prime stop on the trail from Los Angeles to San Diego. And the local trains long ago started transporting more commuters than orange crates.

But Old Town didn’t go away. 

Add an interstate, a major state highway and a couple of toll roads and folks don’t even have to drive through downtown anymore to get somewhere if they don’t want to.

But Old Town didn’t go away.

Build one of the largest commercial shopping districts in California on the other side of town and fill it with every imaginable kind of restaurant and store to draw folks from far and wide.

But Old Town didn’t go away.

The latest assault comes from the Legacy and its commercial district, the size of which rivals Irvine’s Spectrum. But if I had to bet, Old Town will weather that distraction too with the grace that only comes with age.  

Why am I so positive? 

For one, you can’t manufacture an ‘old town’ with all it’s charm and flavor any more than you can substitute knowledge for wisdom. Yes, in 100 years someone might be making this very same case for the Marketplace (talk to you in a hundred years) but you can’t do it now. So from that perspective, Old Town’s only true competition is from other historic downtowns – not from strip malls and giant entertainment complexes. 

Another reason is these things run in cycles. Something starts new then gets old. It’s at the tail end of that first cycle that the future is cast. Either that something dies for good or is reborn. Lucky for us, Old Town has renewed itself many times. For whatever reason it hasn’t gone away and shows no signs of doing so – just count the number of new businesses that move in every year. Prospect Village, and with it, Old Town’s next cycle, opens in the next couple of month.

Finally, I think every generation always comes full circle. People are looking for authenticity. They are looking for a break from constant helpings of fast food, malls, chain store experiences, having to drive everywhere. In short, most of us eventually become our parents.

Admit it. The older we get, the more we value the familiar. Places like Old Town, with its non-palm tree lined streets, exquisite ‘everyone is different than the other’ non-tract houses and customer-service based family businesses can’t help but survive. About the only way ‘old towns’ will ever be in real jeopardy is if suddenly no one ever got older than 29.

See you on Main Street.

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