No, I wasn’t referring to sex, but now that I got your attention (and hopefully some extra hits on the website by people looking for AMPs), the “G” Word I’m referring to is Gentrification.  According to an article in the latest issue of Biscayne Times, 125th Street Rising, North Miami is the new “G Spot” in South Florida.

According to the Wikipedia definition, gentrification has an upside and a downside.  While “[g]entrification is a shift in an urban community toward wealthier residents and/or businesses and increasing property values,” this migration is “sometimes to the detriment of the poorer residents of the community.”

Wikipedia goes on to describe gentrification as “typically the result of investment in a community by local government, community activists, or business groups, and can often spur economic development, attract business, lower crime rates, and have other benefits to a community.  Despite these potential benefits, urban gentrification results in population migration, with poorer residents displaced by wealthier newcomers.  In a community undergoing gentrification, the average income increases and average family size decreases. Poorer pre-gentrification residents who are unable to pay increased rents or property taxes may be driven out. Often old industrial buildings are converted to residences and shops. New businesses, which can afford increased commercial rent, cater to a more affluent base of consumers—further increasing the appeal to higher income migrants and decreasing the accessibility to the poor.”

For better or worse, according to the Biscayne Times article, North Miami is in the process of becoming gentrified, and Northeast 125th Street is Ground Zero.

I noticed this change personally after I attended several city sponsored events there recently, starting with the Flavors of North Miami – Food, Wine & Spirits Festival in November, its annual Christmas tree lighting ceremony and last month’s Martin Luthor King, Jr. Candlelight Ceremony.  Driving west on 125th Street, I couldn’t help but notice all the art and high end furniture galleries lining the street that replaced the shabby storefronts I remembered from when I lived in North Miami pre-1989.

Although it had literally been decades since I frequented North Miami’s “Main Street,” I was still amazed at the transformation.  After reading the Biscayne Times article, I realized it shouldn’t have surprised me.  The phrase coined in the movie Field of Dreams, “If you build it, they will come,” could easily have been the pitch when North Miami’s world famous Museum of Contemporary Art, or MoCA, was conceived.  North Miami built it, and boy, did they come!

Rumors that MoCA is looking to relocate have made the folks at City Hall understandably nervous.  According to a recent article in The Art Newspaper, Turmoil at MoCA North Miami, “Trustees are considering a range of options for the institution’s future amid rumours that the building that has housed the museum since 1996 may be transformed into a cultural centre for the local Haitian community. Sources say the proposals include a possible merger with the Bass Museum of Art in Miami Beach.”

This should hardly be a surprise considering, as the article stated, “Lucie Tondreau, who was elected mayor of North Miami in June, is a native of Haiti and a strong advocate for the needs of the Haitian community—a significant part of her constituency.”

To say that a contemplated move would be a huge loss for North Miami is an understatement.  However, the Biscayne Times article claims that, “the proprietors of the furniture galleries say MOCA’s presence, while welcome and a big reason they started here, is no longer essential to their allure.”

It’s not as if all those upscale galleries would easily pack up and leave overnight.  The owners have most likely signed long term leases and have established relationships with the rich and famous customers, such as Martha Stewart, who already have made 125th Street their go-to stop for art.  Although the exhibitions and special events at MoCA draw the artsy crowd, the galleries attract the monied set.  Packing up and leaving North Miami would not be easy by a long shot.

If the galleries on 125th weren’t enough of a draw, the Luna Star Café is the place where the weary shoppers rest their Prada clad feet and sit a spell.

If the Luna Star Café is the place to see and be seen, the nearby Moca Café is, well, not so much.  As the BT article stated, owner Rodney Noel lamented that “business has been slow, very slow.”  Considering that his business received $195,000.00 in CRA funding for renovations, to Luna Star’s $15,000.00, one would think that folks would be lining up at the door to get into the Moca Café.  Unfortunately, that’s not the case.

For starters, the Moca Café has been embroiled in a complaint filed by one of its contractors who claims he never received payment for work completed in its extensive renovation, as well as a horde of permit problems (See attached Miami-Dade County RER Revocation of Certificate of Occupancy – but more about this matter in a future column.)

On top of that, the fact that former North Miami Mayor Andre Pierre has his shady hands all over this establishment (see Miami New Times article, Indict North Miami Mayor Andre Pierre) might be one reason the restaurant isn’t doing so well.

Charging ten dollars for a glass of cheap table wine at the bar might be another.

Just saying.

Why some businesses thrive and others fail miserably is not always a mystery.  If the real estate mantra, “location, location, location” is the main foundation of a successful venture, a second one is right out of show business – “know your audience.”

Martha Stewart may come to 125th Street to buy art, but when she wants to partake in some post-shopping refreshment, she might not want to snack on kibby and fried akra.  I’m no marketing expert, but if the Moca Café wants to expand its clientele, it would do well to expand its menu.

Just saying.

In any event, it certainly appears that, like neighborhoods such as SoBe, Wynwood and Downtown Miami, North Miami is becoming gentrified.  Not surprisingly, it started with the “D” Word – DEVELOPMENT.  This city’s progress was a given once MoCA came to town a little over 17 years ago.  The leaders in North Miami at the time had a vision for their city and that vision has since been realized.  Despite the fact that City Hall has been rife with off-the-charts corruption over the years, North Miami continues to grow, prosper and put itself on the map.

To my “friends” in North Miami Beach who continually complain that I “unfairly” compare our city to our neighboring town, I will say yet again that there is no comparison.  Maybe if our past city leaders had taken a page from North Miami’s playbook, NMB wouldn’t be in the condition it is today.

To our present city leaders I say, “If you build it, they WILL come.”

This column was brought to you by the letters “G” and “D.”

Stephanie Kienzle
“Spreading the Wealth”