I thought one of the smartest moves the Americana made was to award one free year of valet parking. Because of that I visit once a month… movie, lunch, shopping;  my outings always involve money spent at a shop, movie or restaurant.  But, each time I go, I am amazed at how the Americana encourages traffic – people to come and enjoy the day without spending money.  There is the water “show”, the train that rides to nowhere… The Americana is a very interesting business model. 

Last Saturday, I went to the Americana - Farmer’s Market and we lunched at Amici’s, which serves excellent Italian food.  I was pleased to find that the restaurant was fairly full and only an outside table was available for our group of five.  I have dined at Amici’s previously, but never on their patio.  The patio overlooks the children’s play yard. I imagine that the play area was thought to be a perk for the residents but as a business person, I think it should be gated and kept solely for the residents.  I don’t believe a park like atmosphere is conducive to dining or high end shopping.

The Farmer’s Market was full, but again not as many buyers as lookers.  I don’t know why the Americana feels the need to have a band playing while people are shopping for produce.  It’s just one more excuse for people to linger and not spend money… businesses require people spending money in order to survive.



I also observed people with outside food… Mac Donald’s, In and Out, etc.  They sit at the Americana’s outdoor tables and eat.  I have no idea how much the restaurants are paying for rent, but I imagine it is substantial and this doesn’t seem fair to them. 

On Saturday they even had a petting zoo… I just don’t know how the restaurants and especially the shops benefit from these activities.  In order for retail to survive, they need to encourage people to spend money.   

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