Thursday, April 30, 2009
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Downtown wedding bells woo bridal businesses
Despite economic woes and a high rate of vacancies, the plan to turn downtown Turlock into a one-stop bridal shopping destination is moving forward."We do have movement going on in downtown Turlock," said Turlock Downtown Property Owners' Association President Stephen Backus.The TDPOA held an open house Tuesday in their continual efforts to entice new bridal-themed businesses to the downtown shopping area and convince established companies in and out of the area to relocate.The association has recruited two new stores that fit into the bridal plan - Angela's Sweets and Two Guy's Gourmet and Gift Shoppe - and both will be opening stores in the downtown sometime in the near future. So far, no major bridal shop has been recruited as an anchor store for the area, said Trina Walley, the executive director of the TDPOA."We're looking more for those unique shops than the anchor stores right now," Walley said.To help create a foundation for the bridal plan, the TDPOA is in the process of putting together a bridal business incubator. Essentially, the incubator plan would lease out one site and parcel it out to several businesses at a lesser rate. The goal is that the businesses would not only attract brides to the area, but also hopefully within time, the businesses would have enough of a customer base that they could expand into their own stores. Walley said they have six businesses interested in the incubator plan.One big goal the TDPOA is hoping to achieve soon is additional parking for the downtown. Walley said all the interested businesses have expressed the need for more parking in downtown and the association plans on bringing a proposal to the City Council for a lot on First Street."That would be a big plus for us," Backus said.To contact Sabra Stafford, e-mail sstafford@turlockjournal.com or call 634-9141 ext. 2002.
Conference Board: Consumer confidence jumps
Consumer confidence, which twitched up slightly in March, improved considerably in April, says the Conference Board.
Its index now stands at 39.2 (1985=100), up from 26.9 in March.
"Consumer confidence rose in April to its highest reading in 2009, driven primarily by a significant improvement in the short-term outlook,” says Lynn Franco, director of the Conference Board Consumer Research Center.
“The ‘Present Situation Index’ posted a moderate gain, a sign that conditions have not deteriorated further, and may even moderately improve, in the second quarter. The sharp increase in the ‘Expectations Index’ suggests that consumers believe the economy is nearing a bottom, however, this index still remains well below levels associated with strong economic growth," she says.
Consumers' appraisal of present-day conditions improved moderately in April, the survey says. Those claiming business conditions are "bad" declined to 45.7 percent from 51.0 percent, while those claiming business conditions are "good" increased to 7.6 percent from 6.9 percent. Consumers' assessment of the job market was somewhat mixed. The percentage of consumers stating jobs are "hard to get" decreased to 47.9 percent from 48.8 percent in March, however, those saying jobs are "plentiful" edged down to 4.5 percent from 4.7 percent.
Consumers' short-term outlook improved significantly in April, the Conference Board says. Those anticipating business conditions will worsen over the next six months declined to 25.3 percent from 37.8 percent, while those expecting conditions to improve increased to 15.6 percent from 9.6 percent in March.
The employment outlook was also considerably less pessimistic. The percentage of consumers anticipating fewer jobs in the months ahead decreased to 33.6 percent from 41.6 percent, while those expecting more jobs increased to 13.9 percent from 7.3 percent. The proportion of consumers anticipating an increase in their incomes edged up to 8.0 percent from 7.8 percent.
The monthly survey is based on a representative sample of 5,000 U.S. households conducted for the Conference Board by TNS, a custom research company. The cutoff date for April's preliminary results was April 21.
The Conference Board says it “operates as a global independent membership organization working in the public interest. It publishes information and analysis, makes economics-based forecasts and assesses trends, and facilitates learning by creating dynamic communities of interest that bring together senior executives from around the world.”
Its index now stands at 39.2 (1985=100), up from 26.9 in March.
"Consumer confidence rose in April to its highest reading in 2009, driven primarily by a significant improvement in the short-term outlook,” says Lynn Franco, director of the Conference Board Consumer Research Center.
“The ‘Present Situation Index’ posted a moderate gain, a sign that conditions have not deteriorated further, and may even moderately improve, in the second quarter. The sharp increase in the ‘Expectations Index’ suggests that consumers believe the economy is nearing a bottom, however, this index still remains well below levels associated with strong economic growth," she says.
Consumers' appraisal of present-day conditions improved moderately in April, the survey says. Those claiming business conditions are "bad" declined to 45.7 percent from 51.0 percent, while those claiming business conditions are "good" increased to 7.6 percent from 6.9 percent. Consumers' assessment of the job market was somewhat mixed. The percentage of consumers stating jobs are "hard to get" decreased to 47.9 percent from 48.8 percent in March, however, those saying jobs are "plentiful" edged down to 4.5 percent from 4.7 percent.
Consumers' short-term outlook improved significantly in April, the Conference Board says. Those anticipating business conditions will worsen over the next six months declined to 25.3 percent from 37.8 percent, while those expecting conditions to improve increased to 15.6 percent from 9.6 percent in March.
The employment outlook was also considerably less pessimistic. The percentage of consumers anticipating fewer jobs in the months ahead decreased to 33.6 percent from 41.6 percent, while those expecting more jobs increased to 13.9 percent from 7.3 percent. The proportion of consumers anticipating an increase in their incomes edged up to 8.0 percent from 7.8 percent.
The monthly survey is based on a representative sample of 5,000 U.S. households conducted for the Conference Board by TNS, a custom research company. The cutoff date for April's preliminary results was April 21.
The Conference Board says it “operates as a global independent membership organization working in the public interest. It publishes information and analysis, makes economics-based forecasts and assesses trends, and facilitates learning by creating dynamic communities of interest that bring together senior executives from around the world.”
Monday, April 6, 2009
Read what Forbes Magazine has to say about Modesto
I really wish someone would base their facts on personal experience rather than information they pull from a variety of sources. I invite you Forbes to visit our community and decide for yourself.
http://www.forbes.com/2009/04/01/cities-city-ten-lifestyle-real-estate-livable-cities.html
I really wish someone would base their facts on personal experience rather than information they pull from a variety of sources. I invite you Forbes to visit our community and decide for yourself.
http://www.forbes.com/2009/04/01/cities-city-ten-lifestyle-real-estate-livable-cities.html
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Growth to take middle ground
County reps vote against extremes of high-density, sprawl
Read an interesting article in today's Modesto Bee about "a compromise between status quo sprawl and a scenario that would double housing densities".
Take a look and read for yourself: http://www.modbee.com/local/story/650965.html
County reps vote against extremes of high-density, sprawl
Read an interesting article in today's Modesto Bee about "a compromise between status quo sprawl and a scenario that would double housing densities".
Take a look and read for yourself: http://www.modbee.com/local/story/650965.html
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