As the chair of Pleasanton’s downtown merchant group, I thought it would be appropriate for me to update our customers on what is happening in our community. Many people have expressed concern about the empty buildings on Main Street. Unfortunately, this is a reality of our current economy and we are not alone. You can visit almost any downtown and see empty spaces.

That being said, the downtown merchant group is forward-thinking. We want to make sure that downtown is in a position to thrive as our economy gains momentum. We are looking at all aspects of the downtown shopping experience and how we can improve. We’re also working on a number of events to help promote downtown as a family-friendly environment. The first of these events is titled “It’s a Spring Fling” and will be held on May 8th. Stay tuned for more details!

At the city level, our group is researching other downtowns in CA. We are specifically looking at how these cities restrict the types of businesses inhabiting their main downtown areas. Pleasanton currently has 69 nail/hair/medi/spas, 7 banks, and less than 40 retail stores in the downtown footprint. This current mix of businesses doesn’t attract pedestrian traffic-flow up and down Main Street. Frankly, this has resulted in downtown shrinking to just a few successful blocks. So far research shows that a majority of successful CA downtowns (Carmel, Los Gatos, Los Altos, Napa, Petaluma, Alameda, etc.) have some sort of restriction in place.

Downtown Pleasanton is already a great destination, but improvements can be made. If you are interested in getting updates on downtown happenings and would possibly like to attend city council meetings, please email ptowncitizens@yahoo.com. You will be added to the email list for updates.

We are so thankful for our wonderful customers who help us maintain our business through these tough times. We are here to stay, and hope you are as well!

Thanks again for your support and pawtronage!

Melanie

Artwork courtesy of 3DBizMaps

Since opening in November 2007, we’ve tried to set ourselves apart from other dog boutiques. Aside from the unique product lines, Yappy Hours, and Bark Obama vs. John McCainine election fundraisers…we like to leverage technology. Seriously.

Nintendogs? Well, not exactly. But if you’ve visited Murphy’s Paw, chances are we’ve taken a digital snapshot of your canine family member. These pics are showcased on our two in-store flatscreens in random order…..24 hours a day. Pawloroids? C’mon!

But there’s more.

As I type this, we have over 2000 photographs on both Flickr and MySpace.

These pics are arranged by month for easy viewing. If you can’t find your pooch, don’t worry: we’ll take another photo or two next visit. You never know…your dog could be Pleasanton’s next top model!

Thanks for checking in.

Mike

P.S. Don’t forget to join the “Murphy’s Paw Pawtrol” on Facebook!