Little Saigon, Speak City Heights

>> >>: THE BUSINESS OUTSIDE OF OUR APARTMENT AT THE TIME IN 1990, A COUPLE YEARS LATER MY MOM SAVED UP ENOUGH MONEY TO START THE BUSINESS A LITTLE TINY RESTAURANT. SERVING VIETNAMESE FOOD. >> >>: THE LITTLE SAIGON DISTRICT, A RATHER NEW INITIATIVE WHAT MAKES IT UNIQUE IS BETWEEN HIGHLAND AND EUCLID, THERE'S ABOUT 120 BUSINESSES AND 90% OR SO ARE VIETNAMESE OWNED. EL CAJON BOULEVARD BETWEEN PARK AND 54TH IS FOUR MILES. YOU HAVE TO RECOGNIZE IN THAT BUSINESS DISTRICT THERE ARE A CLUSTER OF BUSINESSES AND ADDRESS THEIR NEEDS IN THERE, BECAUSE THOSE ARE THE PLACES THERE ARE PEOPLE EXISTING, AND THEY ARE MORE APT TO USE PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION. >> >>: FIXING IT UP WILL SHOW YOU CARE AND BRING PEOPLE IN BECAUSE IT'S THE FIRST PEOPLE SEE. AT THE OLD LOCATION WE DID HAVE ONE TREE. IT HURT OUR BUSINESS F.IT DIDN'T LOOK AS APPEALING TO THE OUTSIDE PUBLIC BECAUSE IT CREATED MORE OF AN INDUSTRIAL LOOK. WHAT YOU WANT IS A FRIENDLY, INVITING AREA, LIKE A PARK. >> >>: OUTSIDE HERE, WE HAVE A VERY SLOPED, CRACKED SIDE WALK, SO IT MAKES IT HARD AS WE'RE WORKING TO GET A PUBLIC RIGHT OF WAY TO DO OUT DOOR SEATING, MAKES IT HARD TO PLACE THOSE ITEMS OUT THERE AND REALLY TAKE OVER AND EXPAND ON TO THE SIDE WALK. EL CAJON BOULEVARD REALLY IS IN CITY HIGHWAY. >> >>PEGGY: BUSINESSES THAT ARE NOT ON A STOP LIGHT OFTEN HAVE TROUBLE WITH PEOPLE IF THEY'RE ON THE OTHER SIDE THE STREET, HOW DO I GET OVER THERE. >> >>: SAY SOMEONE NEEDS TO PARK ACROSS THE STREET. THEY HAVE TO CROSS SEVERAL LANES OF FAST MOVING TRAFFIC, THERE'S NO SAFE CROSS WALKS THEY MIGHT HAVE TO STOP IN THE MIDDLE, AND PEOPLE GET HIT BY CARS CROSSING THIS AREA. IT IS NOT SAFE. IT'S THE STREET JUST WITH MORE AESTHETICALLY WELCOMING, MORE PLEASANT TO WALK UP AND DOWN, THAT PEOPLE WOULD BE MORE LIKELY TO THINK OF EL CAJON BOULEVARD WHEN THEY THINK OF GOING TO DO THEIR DRY CLEANING OR BUY THEIR FOOD OR BUY THEIR MATTRESSES OR TAKE A YOGA CLASS. >> >>: THIS AREA'S VERY RICH IN CULTURE. ALL IT REALLY NEEDS IS A LITTLE WORK ON INFRASTRUCTURE AND FUNDING TO MAKE IT WHAT IT SHOULD BE.