Bunsreng Sok of Thmor Da Restaurant on Shirley Avenue has been an early voice in the new effort of businesses on The Ave to organize into an association. So far, they’ve had one meeting and are looking towards more, but the ideas are coming quickly. Sok said to get more people to come to his restaurant or any other business, everyone has to work together to make the street comfortable, clean and safe.
January 7, 2016
By Seth Daniel-Revere Journal
For years, Shirley Avenue has been a bustling center of business, but none of the businesses have ever been able to unite behind creating a unified district as exists in our areas.
That, however, has changed recently as businesses have begun to unite to form one voice.
There were occasional complaints, or calls for help here and there to the City, but it was a fractured effort.
Now, that is all changing as the businesses along Shirley Avenue – from a Spanish hair salon to a Moroccan bakery to a Vietnamese restaurant to the tried and true Bagel Bin.
Already, they have had one meeting of the Shirley Avenue Business Association, and though it is still in its infancy, another meeting is planned and business owners are taking the lead.
“I think it’s a great idea,” said Silvia Argueta, manager of the Tedeschi’s on Shirley Avenue. “I don’t see any of my neighboring businesses so much as competition, but as someone who can help. We need to work with each other to make things better. How are we going to keep the streets clean and safe for our customers if we don’t work together? If I shovel my sidewalk, and another business doesn’t, how is anyone going to get to any of the businesses? We need to have the same voice – all of us.”
