Salt Lake City's dense, walkable spots are great for business—if businesses can find one
Small Lake City
By Erin Moore @errrands_
In the new development landscape, there may be no more idiosyncratic sight than that of the historic Cramer House, built in 1890, said to be one of only two single-family homes left standing in downtown Salt Lake City. It's become part of the landscape surrounding the modern, recently completed Aster apartments on 265 S. State.
You'll pass by the modest, two-story Cramer House on the now-opened pedestrian pathway between State Street and Edison Street, making an already vibrant downtown area poised for even more foot traffic.
And for the folks behind local bar Water Witch, the Cramer House will fit right into their portfolio of invitingly human-size drinking and dining establishments.
Central 9th's Water Witch is always packed, or at least pleasantly buzzy—in part because it is so tiny inside, but also because it's in the middle of a fast-growing neighborhood that's dense and walkable. Water Witch's other ventures—Bar Nohm next door and Acme Bar Co. in Sugar House—share in these qualities, though the latter is a roomier space.
Cramer House is slated to host two bars, Cramer House on the first floor and The Florist above. Those names make me feel like a future Small Lake City column will need to be written for the amusement park-ification of historically preserved spaces in developing cities, but, for now, let's focus.
The old flower-shop-turned-watering-hole is poised to reap the same benefits as Water Witch—brushing shoulders, as it does, with dense apartment housing and other businesses, off an alley people already love to use as a shortcut between nightlife locales.
There is a lot that goes into a successful bar. While any business can have a sexy cocktail menu or charismatic, knowledgeable staff, its location and how people get to it are a critical part of the equation.
The Water Witch folks have cornered this limited market because they know the benefit of operating a bar in a dense, walkable neighborhood: You get a regular community popping in, day to day, giving the establishment the shine of a local spot—or what's known as a "third place"—even if it's also a weekend destination for taking flaming shots.
While SLC may be in the midst of a development boom, structures like the Cramer House couldn't be built today. Ever notice how many giant apartment buildings have a yawningly large lobby, mail room or gym on the first floor?
That's because not all city zoning allows for commercial spaces within residential buildings and, when it is allowed, the area doesn't always have the necessary density to support ground-floor retail.
So, even if more local businesses wanted to follow Water Witch's lead, they'd be shopping around in a city where the glass windows and open-air parking lots don't reflect a great deal of opportunity for the kind of human-scale, neighborly spaces that beckon people in.
About The Author
Erin Moore
Erin Moore is City Weekly's music editor. Email tips to: music@cityweekly.net.
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