The Coral Gables Times

Thursday, May 25, 1961 THE CORAL GABLES TIMES

Merchants Ponder the Imponderables

By MAURICE LABELLE Times Staffer | 'When business is good, everybody takes credit for it. When business is bad, brickbats fly at the leaders. This was central in the background of the special meeting held last week by members of the Miracle Mile Merchants Association as they sought to lick the problem of increasing competition from outside shopping centers. The association, with little formal organization of late, has been led by Albert H. Friedman. It was policies of this organization that were questioned by a group of other merchants, led by Simon Berman and Carroll Seghers, and which resulted in the May 16 meeting. MANY SALES | The challengers felt too many sales were being held and that merchants had too little voice in what is being done. An unsigned letter had been sent by the dissident group, prompting the meeting. Nat Winokur served as meeting chairman. The meeting proved a soul-searching one for the Mile merchants. While they generally agreed that six sales, four held by association, and two by Chamber of Commerce, were too many, it became evident that the subject of advertising itself overshadowed the problem. Said Don Mullen, elected temporary chairman of the organization at the meeting: "How much money have you spent on advertising? How much have you spent to build the Mile? There is no other way. The problem is to get traffic in the street which we are not getting." COOPERATE | Friedman called for a spirit of cooperation. "Let's look ahead," said Friedman. "There's no use in rehashing the past. Let's talk about the future." William Saulson, a critic of the existing setup, called for concerted action. "We must act as a body," he said. Paul School, appointed to a committee to study ways and means to bolster the Mile economy, along with Friedman and Saulson, also called for efforts in cooperative advertising. "We have a need for advertising. We have a need for good advertising. Let's not let this structure die," School said. "Maybe this is the beginning of cooperation," said Leon Rubenstine. He favored all types of advertising. Marty Sutta, former owner of The Gift Isle and ex-president of the Retail Merchants Division, traced the lack of cooperation among merchants. A UNION | Chamber Manager Lee Smith suggested a possible union between the Miracle Mile Merchants Association and the Chamber of Commerce. He was supported by Berman who said, "We can't divorce ourselves from the Chamber. But Charles Finkelstein was opposed. "I think the Chamber is handled by a cozy few," said Finkelstein. Seghers sought upgrading of Miracle Mile and opposed advertising copied from the shopping center techniques. "We ought not have a house divided against itself," Seghers said, supporting a union with the Chamber. "You have here what every shopping center would cut their right arm off for," said Finkelstein in championing that type of advertising. Time will tell which view will prevail.

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City Fathers Leave Train On Track

A proposal to rescind a previous City Commission action approving the merger of the Seaboard Air Line Railroad with the Atlantic Coast Railroad split the Commissioners 3-2 Tuesday. Commissioner C. L. Dressel Jr. introduced the move and was backed by Commissioner George Wilson. But Dr. Franklin Evans and holdover commissioner Joe Murphy and Mayor Robert L. Searle joined to table the move. "I believe the City Commission should remain neutral," said Dressel in making his proposal. He said the city had nothing to gain by backing the SAL-Atlantic Coast merger. "We all know that the FEC has not given the people a fair shake," said Commissioner Joe Murphy. "It's my duty not to assist them." Wilson called Murphy's position "punitive action."

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