A contentious meeting of the Barrio Hollywood Neighborhood Association. July 2015. Listen
After a report of contentious relationships between small businesses and residents in Barrio Hollywood, owners of businesses along Grande Avenue, including Tanias, Pat's Chili Dogs, and Unique Trends, contacted Arizona Public Media in response.
Andrea Kelly speaks with Amanda LeClaire about what Erica Lira from Tanias had to say in response to allegations that businesses are trying to gentrify the neighborhood.
From the interview with Erica Lira:
There's been accusations from some residents, including former Barrio Hollywood Neighborhood Association (BHNA) Vice President Scott Egan, that businesses manipulated the last election for BHNA president in 2014. Is that true?
“No, absolutely not. There was no conspiracy. It was, frankly, just luck that there were enough supporters to out number [longtime BHNA President Margaret] McKenna’s bid.”
Owner of other businesses along Grande Avenue, including Charlie and Diane Hernandez of Pat's Chili Dogs, have said this conflict stems from asking to have more input in- and financial transparency from- organizers of the annual Fiesta Grande. Can you give me some background on that issue?
"Well, for years we were under the impression that Fiesta Grande and the neighborhood association [BHNA] were one and the same, up until the point where Margaret McKenna lost the election for president of the neighborhood association. Then it was made clear to us that they were two distinct entities and Fiesta Grande was something we had no right to be a part of, other than to give up two and a half days of income and the use of our street [Grande Ave] for."
You're saying that businesses in Barrio Hollywood, including Tanias, disagreed with how the festival was being run, but some barrio residents have said that businesses are against the neighborhood.
"Right. And that's completely untrue, we're not against the neighborhood. We're very much a part of this neighborhood. I've been a part of this neighborhood since my childhood when we first opened the restaurant [Tanias] here...and to say that we're unsupportive of the community because we have this crazy idea that we'd like to have a say in how the street fair is managed is insulting."
Some residents have said the businesses in the barrio are trying to gentrify the neighborhood. How do you respond to that?
"That it's ridiculous. Gentrification is never in the interest of a small business. For example, while there are businesses here that own their land and their buildings, we at Tanias do not. We have a landlord who is actually fantastic and very supportive, but in the end money is money. If gentrification were to happen at the scale that it's happened in other communities, I'm sure the rents would go up and we would be out. And that's not what we want."
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