Anonymous Internet Users Angry

Also in PW this week, George Miller writes about people on anonymous Internet messageboards complaining about a Rita’s in Northern Liberties. (He doesn’t quote the word “douchebag,” though.)

People who moved in to an area and changed its character don’t want other people — or, in this case, corporations — to move into the area and change its character again. Well, duh. Chains strike fear into the hearts of the hip, and people are worried a Gap might open somewhere. Oh no! A Gap!

Rita’s stores are franchises, though, so this store has a local owner, a Ryan grad who flipped real estate and made lots of money somehow. But check out what his Rita’s is going to be like:

He bought the 900-square-foot corner unit rather than leasing it. It cost him another $30,000 to get the franchise license. And he’s dropped about $50,000 renovating the space. When it’s completed, the shop will have indoor seating—15 red, green and white barstools, and a 42-inch plasma television. There will also be outdoor tables.

“I think this adds to the neighborhood,” Thude says. “Not too many Rita’s have 15 barstools and a plasma TV.”

A 42-inch plasma TV? I thought Rita’s were just supposed to be storefronts? Now here’s something that’s actually changing for the worse.

The Water Ice Storm [PW]