The Changing American Dream

We're excited to inaugurate a new series for our Patch Readers: "Dispatches: The Changing American Dream."

Every day, the national media is full of stories about how American families, businesses, and neighbors are adjusting to these trying times. There are so many changes happening so fast that it's dizzying: national debates about unemployment, foreclosures, debt, religion, government and private enterprise all touch on fundamental ways in which we see ourselves and our communities. At Patch, we want to explore that conversation on a daily basis so we can better understand how our neighbors are adjusting to the challenges and opportunities that surround us.

We don't think there is one American Dream, but a multitude of American Dreams which a multitude of people are working toward. Looking out across nearly 900 Patch sites, we see businesses holding their breath deciding whether to expand; college graduates returning home because they can't find jobs; and senior citizens bringing boarders into their homes to help pay their bills. We also see bold new volunteer efforts, inspiring stories of local businesses that succeed because they innovated, and locals who've taken these trying times as a signal to engage more, not less, in their government.

At the local level, we want to know where we, as South Tampa neighbors, fit along these fault lines.

In South Tampa, one of the ways people gauge how the economy is doing is by the number of empty storefronts.

As small businesses struggle to keep their doors open, a shopping complex like the long-struggling Hyde Park Village is attracting new vendors. A new management group has re-branded the Village as a lifestyle center – with eateries, shopping, free parking, green space, and opportunities to socialize. Amid such a calamitous economic environment, new businesses are coming to Hyde Park and filling the empty storefronts.

"The economy hurt for a while," said Hyde Park Village General Manager Susan Martin. "[But] our leasing department is working very hard to bring in retailers that aren't even in this market yet.”

Downtown Tampa has also seen an increase in small business, namely restaurants. According to Paul Ayres of the Tampa Downtown Partnership, there are now 69 downtown venues that serve dinner. This increase in eateries began in the mid-2000s as the economy started to head south – but as downtown rents stabilized and more people began to move into the city.

Individuals who may have lost their jobs, or budding entrepreneurs who were looking for a career change, saw the shifting downtown landscape – a shift due in part to the struggling economy – as an opportunity.

“Sometimes, there’s more creativity and energy when people are against the ropes,” Ayres says. “They’re tired of trying to chase that next job. They figure now’s the time; it can’t get any worse. People start thinking of the craziest things when they’re stressed.”

Tampa restaurateur Dan Bavaro – the former owner of a Manhattan limousine company – saw an opportunity downtown. After developing his restaurant concept for over three years, he opened the Neapolitan-style pizzeria/restaurant Pizzaiolo Bavaro in 2009.

He says he witnessed Tampa’s emerging downtown during vacations here with his wife and longed to be a part of something new – “you don’t get that opportunity too often.”

South Tampa restaurateur Lynn Love is another example of a resourceful entrepreneurial spirit. When the economy turned sour, the former car salesman – a 22-year veteran of the used car industry – saw his auto sales start to dwindle. In 2010, Love converted his car business, Love’s Auto Sales, into a restaurant and bar. Starting out with a mobile kitchen in his parking lot, Love remodeled his MacDill Avenue dealership into Love’s Artifacts Bar and Grill, an eclectic eatery that serves up comfort food and barbeque.

It’s stories like these that will be chronicled in Dispatches. In fact, the ongoing series will be built upon the compelling vignettes and snapshots unearthed across all our Patch sites.

And, of course, we want your help: Tell us what issues and what stories in South Tampa go to the heart of your American Dream.