To the editor:
Before spending a nickel to dig up cobblestones, etc., people should think about what they want Salem's Essex Street pedestrian mall to be. Is it strictly for tourists or a combination of visitors and local people?
Right now, there are almost no businesses other than CVS and a nice toy store to attract local people, and that's a shame! T-shirts and trinkets, and that's practically it from Washington Street to Hawthorne Boulevard. Maybe it's time for property owners to go all out to create an environment conducive to lure retailers like a men's shop, a ladies' sportswear store, men's & ladies' shoe stores, a modern grocery store, etc. People would return to Essex Street to shop.
But right now, why go there? No reason!
A really nice market right in the Museum Place Mall would make a whole lot of sense. If you build it, they will come!
Saul P. Heller
Salem





