Tough Times on E. 11th St.

When Brenda McGowan, proprietor of Ms. B’s on Mesa was lured over to the new E. 11th St. retail center several years ago, she was told by the non-profit Austin Revitalization Authority that she would anchor what would become a booming revival of what had once been a rundown and generally decrepit area.

Two years later, Brenda is less than enthused with the way things have worked out. Her neighbor restaurateurs and retailers are apparently disgruntled as well.

The ARA, formed ten years ago by the city of Austin to rejuvenate the 11th and 12th street areas, made big development and traffic promises to Brenda. But according to her, those promises have not been kept. On top of that, her restaurant, as well as other merchants in the development have been getting huge bills for past rent. The auditing procedures used to calculate these fees appear to be somewhat questionable. In the case of Ms. B’s, the restaurant was hit with a bill of over $19,000. That type of unanticipated expense can be a back-breaker for a small business. Add in gas at $4.00 a gallon and you have the makings for an economic disaster.

I’ve known Brenda and Billy McGowan for many years. They are good people. And both Ms. B’s locations offer up terrific Cajun fare. But they are under the gun at this moment. The city keeps talking about its proactive stance toward small businesses. That does not seem to be apparent in this instance.

I was pleased to see the blush on Brenda’s cheeks when she first showed me around after her opening. The place looked great. She was genuinely excited. Yet, in a phone conversation several days ago, I caught an entirely different tone in her voice: one of resignation and disappointment. If Ms. B’s becomes a casualty to the indifference of the Austin Revitalization Authority, it will send shock waves through the local restaurant community, further straining what is already a difficult relationship between restaurant owner/operators and the city.

I truly hope the ARA will get off its monstrously bureaucratic derriere and do something right here.