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Beacon Hill residents gird to fight off Capital One barbarians
By adamg on Sat, 01/07/2012 - 9:18pm
Ross Levanto explains the growing outrage on Beacon Hill over Capital One's plans to turn the Charles Street Market into Yet Another Bank:
One neighbor noted how the market is the only place on the street she can visit late at night when she feels threatened. Another talked about the over saturation of banks on Charles Street.
Capital One goes before the Zoning Board of Appeals on Feb. 28 for permission to financialize the corner market.
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Comments
It's Capital One, actually.
It's Capital One, actually. Wrong in the original blog.
Fixed
Thanks!
Fixed on Original Blog
Thanks for the catch. Major goof on my part. Ross
Isn't this bizarre
Don't understand. Weren't the BH peeps against the 7-11 going in there but now they want it to stay?
And what's wrong with a bank?
Don't understand.
Too many banks already
A convenience store, whether chain or local, is much more useful to this (or any other) neighborhood.
Banks deaden the street after 4:30 or 5 pm.
No disagreement on my part
I don't disagree at all, Ron. Just asking for info from a resident. Banks are solid neighbors b/c they usually take care of the streets and are also quite benign, but, like real estate agencies, they aren't open enough hours to warrant being in major locations.
My recollection is that BH neighbors hated the idea of having the 7-Eleven in there b/c it was "down market" and required a lot of changes to the exterior design, etc. I'm simply pointing out the irony of the situation.
Not a 7-11
This current store is not at all like a standard 7-11. It's a real neighborhood market with much more class. They work pretty hard to sell exactly the kinds of things local residents need — good breads, for example. I walk all the way from Mass. Ave to get a fresh loaf of Iggy's there. And they have other "boutique bakery" brands, too. They sell prepared foods and grocery items and are always tweaking things to improve the inventory and be more successful. And on top of that, everyone who works there is nice and friendly.
Given the bars, liquor stores, and restaurants that keep the street semi-lively into the evenings, I think it's great that there's one — ONE — place where people out for a stroll can get a coffee, soda, or ice cream sandwich while they are window-shopping and enjoying the neighborhood.
There are plenty of banks on the street to be "solid citizens." This place is a god-send.
The probelm with bank branches...
... is that they aren't open in the evening and they don't create pedestrian traffic. Look at any of the new bank branches in the neighborhood - Citibank and People's United on Cambridge Street, Hingham Savings on Charles Street, etc.... and there's just about never anyone in them. They don't add vitality to a retail district, they suck the vitality out.
How odd
"One neighbor noted how the market is the only place on the street she can visit late at night when she feels threatened."
That's odd. She feels threatened at night so she visits a market? What is theatening her? The munchies?
Clueless snark
OK, put yourself in her shoes. You're a woman walking alone down the street late at night, and you realize there's a creepy character following you. Which would you rather see ahead of you: A closed bank branch, or a well-lit, staffed convenience store with customers going in and out?
Your comment is as ignorant as it is pointlessly condescending.
place of refuge
An open business like a convenience store, with lights and people around, and someone available who can call for help, can serve as a refuge if someone is out and about at night and feels threatened by someone or something. A bank branch that's closed at night wouldn't provide that benefit.
Yet another reason I wish so many communities in eastern Mass. would get over their hatred of late-night and 24-hour businesses. The more people who are out and about doing legitimate business at night, the less room there is for criminals.
I agree mostly, but
A bank branch is going to have many security cameras. If you feel threatened by someone, you could do worse than to hang out in front of the security camera.
Doesn't help much
Security cameras inside of a closed bank branch aren't going to be much help at night. Typically the only security cameras attached to the *outside* of a bank, are located at the ATM, and they're focused on the ATM. Not that much of a help, really.
Yep, a security camera is
Yep, a security camera is going to be a sure deterrent from someone grabbing your purse (or you). But hey, if she gets raped at least she can prove it wasn't consensual with that grainy footage, amiright?
I'm with BikerGeek here.
Security cameras aren't as helpful as some think they are. Beacon Hill also does have a history of sexual attacks on women. The North End also has had many sexual attacks. In one of the North End attacks, we did have video footage, and I've never heard of the perp being captures (hopefully someone will prove me wrong by showing he has been capture). In other North End attacks, all that was produced was a drawing of the perp based on the victims description.
Anon's Ignorance
As a woman, who gets out of work at 11pm, I take the train home to my apt on Charles St, I feel totally safe knowing I can come into this wonderful, well lite store and get something to eat. Charles St can be very scary at Midnight. It is the only place open - and I would be lost without it.
Well, if you love the store so much
Patronize it to the degree where they make so much money, they would never sell it to a banking company.
"Look at me! I live on Beacon Hill! I'm a moron who doesn't know anything about business because I've never had to actually earn money!"
Correct me if I'm wrong
But this sounds like the bank is either the leaser, or is working with the leaser to kick the market out; and not the market trying to leave, or move on their own accord.
Also, a variance is needed for a bank to go in that space.
I'm all for issuing zoning variances for empty storefronts that are showing no sign of being utilized anytime soon (Dunks in the SE was a good example). But kicking out a currently operating convenience store in an area where there aren't many alternatives, and needed a variance to do so on top of it.... well I can understand the residents getting angry if that's the case.
It's not a case of "build nothing" and more a effort to save whats there and was doing fine and benefits the community more.
It's nice if the store benefits the community
But does the community benefit the store?
Speaking of empty Beacon HIll locations
There is a storefront near Charles Circle that has been empty 2 or 3 years. Near MGH. Why not that location.
Why not, indeed
I imagine the bank is not going into that location for the same reason nobody else has gone in: Charlie Talanian is holding out for a price that the current market won't bear.
I have been in that place
I have been in that place many times. From my observation it is usually busy and people are buying. Life's too short to limit yourself by being so judgmental.
i wish we could pull your
i wish we could pull your resume against that of 10 randomly selected Beacon Hill residents and see how it rates for professional experience and business acumen
ugh Capital One Bank
I've been waiting for Capital One to start to open up their banks here in town. I was in Texas over the summer and my friends out there says they were popping up like a bad rash.
Just what we need yet another chain of banks that dot Boston neighborhoods with no real purpose.
Capital One just tickets me off (not only because I have a credit card with them) is the *only* reason why they are opening branches period is because they realized after the whole TARP mess that they weren't able to get TARP funds to save their asses because they aren't a real bank. So now they open branches even if no one ever uses them, just to make sure they are eligible for a bailout next time. Because god knows Capital One doesn't do predatory credit cards /sarcasm *eye roll*
(I mean wtf kinda company issues a person 4 $500 limit cards and won't combine them? A shifty one who just wants to charge their customer for over limit fees)
(Look at Ally Bank (formerly known as GMAC Financing) as another example of a company who quickly became an internet bank just to get TARP money because they were going under as people were defaulting on car loans)
What's in your wallet?
It's easy to be critical of the big banks, but Capital One is the most hypocritical of all--with their advertising scheme positioning themselves as some sort of champion of the people, when, in fact, they are well-practiced in how to rip off customers through late payment fees, interest rate adjustments based on a revised credit review of you after you run up a bunch of debt, and absolutely no grace period. If your check is a day late, you pay fees and fines--while most other credit card companies will forgive a day or two late payment if you call them and have otherwise perfect credit.
That's not what grace period
That's not what grace period means.
A grace period is when you charge some stuff and pay no interest if you pay it on time.
It's nice when banks forgive the fees and interest on a payment that's late, but that's not what grace period means in a credit card context.
I've had no problems with them
Very few complaints against their services too. I use their online bill pay, and always have payments credit the same business day, or next business day. As long as you follow their rules, which are spelled out, you will have no problems. I've been with them for at least seven years, not missed a single payment, and this is reflected on my credit report.
They do have one thing I don't like at all. Every time I've had a new card arrive due to expiration, I've had uncomfortable calls. When activating the new card, I've always had a live person come on the phone, and attempt to sign me up for credit card protection. Just tell them no 101 times, and they finally get it. Other than that, no problems with Capital One.