Quote:
Originally Posted by bob rulz
I grew up in Sugarhouse in the 90s. It was a lovely neighborhood to grow up in, but it was also somewhat of a dying neighborhood. Stagnant, at least. We can reminisce all we want about how Sugarhouse used to be, but I don't see any scenario in which old Sugarhouse survives into the 2020s.
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I grew up in SugarHouse in the 90s and 00s. It wasn't what I would call a dying neighborhood but it definitely was hit hard by the 80s and there was a resurgence of sorts in the heart of SugarHouse by the early 2000s that brought back a lot of the funky vibe that I think has come to define the neighborhood.
The problem is that it isn't funky anymore. There's nothing unique about SugarHouse. Most cities have a cluster of very unique, vibrant and hip neighborhoods. Salt Lake has one now - 9th and 9th and it's not very big. I think that's been my biggest gripe about SugarHouse is that it went from a place with a lot of locally owned businesses, in fact having some of the highest per capita of any area in the state, to a neighborhood overrun by chain stores and restaurants that literally can be found in multiple areas of the Salt Lake Valley.
To be sure, that didn't just start in the 2010s. It started in the 90s with the Sugar House Center. But there was a far healthier mix of locally owned businesses, including a cluster of bars and more progressive shops, than there is now.
I've posted this photo before but I'll post it again because there's no part of SugarHouse now that looks like this:
This is that location today:
I don't see how anyone can look at the current development and think that's more charming and engaging than what was there before. Especially when you see the vibrancy of unique stores that were forced out for a hole and then subsequently this development.
Instead of those unique shops you can't get anywhere else in the valley, you have:
A dental office
Ramen Legend (credit here - it's a local place)
Aubergine Kitchen (another local place, so cool)
Cubbys (11 locations along the Wasatch Front)
Buffalo Wild Wings (8 locations along the Wasatch Front)
Cold Stone (multiple locations along the Wasatch Front)
Standard Optical
It's sad. I think that's the biggest difference. SugarHouse went from a hip neighborhood to just another area overrun by chain stores.
I get that started in the 90s but it's accelerated significantly the last ten years. To the point that I don't have faith much of the original development on 2100 South will survive the next decade. I think it'll be bought up, demolished and more development like this will spring up, which will price out a lot of the local smaller businesses and they'll be replaced by chains.
Only a matter of time before Millie's is sold and the land turned into a mixed use development where we might get a Five Guy's on the main floor!
Anyway, that's enough rambling about that.
Here's a cool aerial from the Trib posted of eastern Salt Lake:
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