Zuni to Wyoming

Michelle Worley here, blogging Central Avenue for Live and Learn New Mexico (L&LNM).  I want to remind readers that this project started out simply looking at how many businesses on Central have gone out of business in the last 20 years or so. I also wanted to hear from readers who have lived and worked in the areas I talk about, and I am. Love all the stories!

Then A.R.T. construction began fast and furious and I realized I had to take it into account as I made my way across Central. So it became a two-part project -- one part looking at the past to see what happened to cause so many businesses to go out of business, the other part looking at how A.R.T. will affect existing businesses down the line. The first part is the most important to me and I feel the need to document it before A.R.T. destroys everything I'm looking at. 

Today's leg of the journey
Okay, let's get to today's blogging. This evening, Danny and I blogged between Zuni and Wyoming. One effect A.R.T. has had on Central is on pedestrian traffic. There is almost none. There used to always be people on both sides of the road and groups gathered at the bus stops. But it has become a ghost town. Where are all the people? (It's the same in front of UNM, where A.R.T. construction is going hard and heavy. Very few people are out walking on Central. Where are all the students?) 

Danny rides his skateboard while I tally in- and out-of-businesses. There are two strip malls, one with all but one suite in business, and the other about half in- and half out-of-business. One had a laundromat, the other a massage place and a smoke shop, the types of businesses we are seeing a lot of on Central, all around town, really. There was one apartment building and the Luna Lodge as well. 

The numbers
For the Zuni-Wyoming stretch, we counted 21 in-businesses and 9 out-of's. For the entire stretch so far, from Tramway to Wyoming, we have 186 businesses, 132 (71%) of which are in business and 54 (29%) of which are out of business. 

Obviously, some of these buildings we post have been closed for a long time. I'm hoping readers will know something about them and share their stories. Thanks to those who are already doing just that. We are learning so much! Go New Mexico!