Defunct Five Points Merchants Association rekindled with fresh eyes
Jacksonville’s Five Points District resides within the historic Riverside neighborhood and is known for its eclectic collection of restaurants, bars and boutiques and its unique, bohemian vibe.
Many small business owners call it home. Some have called it home for several decades; others are new to the neighborhood. Regardless of how long their business has been open, however, they all share a desire to see Five Points and its businesses thrive and prosper.
To that end, Matthew Clark, senior vice president at Colliers International Jacksonville, is spearheading an effort to revive the currently-defunct Five Points Merchants Association, in collaboration with Riverside Avondale Preservation (RAP). Clark is a nearby resident and real estate professional with extensive experience in the Five Points area.
Past iterations of the merchants association date back several decades. While the nearby communities of San Marco and Avondale have thriving merchants associations, Five Points struggled to get its merchants association off the ground with consistent merchant participation. When Clark realized the association was, at this point, virtually non-existent, he decided to integrate both the district’s business owners and property owners, who have, to this point, been uninvolved with prior iterations of the merchants associations.
“One of the things that we feel is important is that the merchants are able to be merchants and run the merchants association [in a way] that helps bring business back into Five Points, drive business into Five Points,” he said. “So, what we’ve established is we feel like there are three pillars that should be the responsibility of the property owners: trash and general street upkeep, security, landscaping.”
Clark and his team developed a budget for these three factors, which, he said, when spread out across the 17 property owners on Park and Lomax streets, “ends up being actually really affordable.”
Trash and clean-up are regular issues at Five Points. Over at Edge City, Gunnel Humphreys routinely takes the time to pick up any trash in front of her store in the morning before she opens for business.
“I always make sure my store is spotless, absolutely spotless,” she said. “No cigarette butts, nothing like that. I would like to see that every merchant would take care of their front and the neighbors on both sides.”
Clark is working to schedule a meeting with the Five Points property owners to discuss what he feels their responsibilities are to the area. The meeting will include representatives from RAP, the City of Jacksonville and, possibly, a liaison from the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office to discuss safety and security issues. The property owners he’s contacted thus far have “all been on-board.”
“I think that the merchants need to feel like they’re not in it alone and that it’s the merchants and property owners working together,” he said. “I think that is what we were missing, and really, we’re in it together. I think when you look at San Marco and you look at Avondale, those streets look drastically different, and it’s because the property owners and the merchants association both have really good relationships.”
Clark added that his team has been working closely with RAP Executive Director Shannon Blankinship to help create this baseline foundation for the Five Points Merchants Association.
“RAP supports the 5 Points area through bi-annual cleanups and can do the work to see installation of new bike racks, trash cans, benches, or whatever is needed to support the merchants and property owners,” Blankinship wrote in an e-mail. “New businesses in the area are sparking new interest in bringing the merchants together again for communal upkeep, safety and landscaping. I hope to see more soon.”
A successful merchants association, Clark said, would provide “a level of consistency, so when you’re going into these areas, you can have a consistent experience, you can have a family-friendly experience, and at night, you can have a fun experience for everybody.”
By Michele Leivas
Resident Community News
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