PROMOTE ALL DOWNTOWN BUSINESSES

Ok so there is a thread going on over at columbusunderground. What began as an informative(call to action) piece seems to have turned into a black/white issue. The Brownstone on Main a fine dining soul food kitchen abruptly closed with no word on if they will reopen or not. The folks at Flypaper turned it's closing into a piece about black owned businesses not being supported especially in the downtown area. What we know regarding the B-stone situation is this: when it was developing there were wayyy too many cooks in the kitchen as the saying goes. some partners had to be bought out some opted out. They decided to build a patio this month in an alley which after consideration the city pulled their permit. It is one of the main spot Frankie Coleman loved to get sauced at. There are tons of other black owned businesses in the downtown area that had to close but I don't think it whole-heartedly had to do with lack of support from the city. Heck wasn't Columbus named a top ten black city by a black magazine(Black Enterprise). It's one thing to realize that there was management disarray but another to just base it as a race issue. Brownstone was a very good restaurant that also helped showcase some Columbus talents and was a hotbed for some of Columbus' noted politicians. I really do hope the restaurant rises but don't make it an issue about race. Most of the leaders in this community are black and have a strong voice in what goes on. Maybe you should give Jeff Gilliam a call and get his account of what actually happened.

question for Flypaper- so why are we only to support downtown black owned businesses?