I would like to thank
Mr. Ryan Rogers of The Raven's Flight Creative and Culture Shock Community Project and Clockworks Cafe & Cultural Center and Flywheel Skate & Style ...
PHEW
...for guest blogging today!
Do you want cool
stuff to happen in Salem? You think that Salem is
boring? Or
lame? You want to
see that change? Well, I’ve got the solution. Do you think I’m wrong?
Read on and disagree.
For those of us who live in Salem, we’ve all heard the curse whispered
(or sometimes yelled) on the lips of the people we live with.
That curse is that there is nothing cool to do in Salem.
(This is a fallacy, as there are definitely cool things to do in Salem, but I will agree that there could and should be many more) Or that most of the cool, hip, unique or alternative
things that do happen in Salem go away or close in a very short period of time.
(Which again, isn’t always true, but certainly happens a LOT).
Well, I am going to propose a plan to end that
curse once and for all. But first,
the problem:
Here is the
honest truth. As a producer, promoter and organizer of
many Salem projects, it is
VERY hard to survive
(and even more difficult to THRIVE) in the Salem market. This is the reason that
Trader Joe’s hesitated for so long to open a Salem branch. Luckily, it appears that they are doing well; but
they are a chain, and for those of us without the
corporate capital or marketing behind us face a grander challenge.
Because of this, it is often a
very dubious financial risk to open a business or start a project in Salem; especially one that requires a little money to pull off.
But why?
What causes this divergence? Why,
with as much extra competition, is it a far more
“safe” business proposition to try something in
Portland rather than Salem?
The answer is going to seem a little
crass, and probably a little
over-simplified, but here it is:
You need to spend a little money and you need to spend it in the right places,
AND you have to be
positive and supportive of the new things that are happening.
That’s right, if you want promoters and entrepreneurs to roll the bones and try their hand at bringing something cool to Salem,
you HAVE to give them support. I know that sucks to say so flatly. In this economy,
when jobs are scarce (and cash is scarcer), spending money is not something so easily stated.
But it’s the God’s honest truth.
When bringing an artist to Salem, I’m constantly faced with the
choice:
will people actually come to see this? If I were to do the show in Portland, or even Eugene,
I know I would have an audience. But for some reason,
in a town that often complains about so little going on, Salemites seem
hesitant to support the things that do happen (especially if they are new or, perhaps, a little experimental)
And besides, look at it another way: it’s
cheaper than the cost of gas (or cost of living) to drive up to Portland or down to Eugene
(or out to the coast) for your enjoyment and entertainment.
Spend a little here or spend a lot in gas.
Salem often is
s l o w to warm up to things. Perhaps, partly, this is because so
many things do disappear that no one wants to “lose”
another favorite event/show/shop, but I think it’s
often more insidious than that. I think we have
so fully convinced ourselves that nothing cool could possibly happen in Salem that when something potentially cool starts to happen, we deny the likelihood of its success or even its existence.
So pay the covers.
Buy the tickets. Pay the slightly higher costs of a local shop.
Tip your waitress or barista. Drink up, eat up, and be merry. Buy the painting, the CD, or the T-Shirt.
But wait…you have to go one step further, and this is where you really have to take a leap.
Even when something isn’t
exactly the way you think it should be done, by your exact desired parameters, exactly your ultimate perfect taste, or doesn’t really fully excite you,
you should still support it.
Wait, what?
Yes,
I said it. Because here is the truth;
an influx of local support will allow businesses, promoters and organizers to really see that there is a viable market, that they aren’t
risking losing their shirts, and that they
may actually have some success. When they see that,
more people will invest and build in this city because it is
WORTH IT to them, to do so. Furthermore, by supporting businesses or events that may not be exactly perfect for you,
you then have a voice to encourage them to evolve and get better.
Now,
no one is suggesting that there be
unnecessary consumption. Don’t buy doilies for yourself if you have no use for doilies. But if you like the genre or arena that someone is working in…
give some initial support.
We heard so many complaints from people about how no
“big names” performed in Salem, and how much gas needed to be spent on concerts up North. So we decided to start,
at pretty serious cost to us, booking some shows with
“known” names, at
affordable ticket prices. Then, when we were able to book
Andy Dick to
kick-off the performance series,
people weren’t sure if they wanted to see “that” show (not even knowing what “that” show would be)
I hear the same thing from people
about local bars, or dance clubs, or coffee-shops, or events, or boutiques: There is a constant stream of critiques of how it could be better.
And yes,
it could be better.
But unless someone sees that it is worth investing some money into
MAKING Salem better
(and that they will not go broke doing so) they never will.
So, my friends.
It’s really simple.
Put aside a little money each month and put it
into the local community,
support local shops, events, shows, and artists. Spend some extra scratch.
You will be damn glad you did.
By. Ryan Rogers
ryan@ravflight.com
