As has been the case throughout 2007, online sales have carried the day once again for retailers in what has been a disappointing holiday season. According to industry reports released the day after Christmas, online sales rose by healthy margins over the previous holiday season, depending upon the industry firms which track such figures.
SpendingPulse reported […]

Plan-B Theatre, along with the Theatre Arts Conservatory, will open 2008 with a student version of its popular “extreme” slam-styled event in which a set of five 10-minute plays is created, rehearsed, and performed in 24 hours.
The culmination of this frenetic creative process, featuring 25 actors between the ages of 14 and 19,will be presented […]

I’ve been traveling for the holidays and I’m currently staying with family members in Toledo, Ohio, my hometown. Toledo epitomizes many other midwestern cities. Long a center for rail transportation and for the auto industry, Toledo has struggled mightily with the transformational challenges of a 21st century economy.
The city houses some incredible gems including the […]

Editor’s Note: Once again, The Selective Echo welcomes Wendy Christensen, the manager/buyer of Positively 4th St. Music, who reports regularly on new music and products at the store.

The store has brought in a new supply of reggae and dubstyle on CDs and LPs. For the holidays, Positively 4th St. Music has plenty of Christmas music […]

The city’s Latino activists have it right in the ongoing controversy regarding proposed restrictions for taco-cart vendors which dot the downtown district. At the very least, city officials should engage the embattled vendors in a constructive dialogue that doesn’t lead to the disappearance of these businesses.
On face value, the proposed restrictions seem reasonable. Operators must […]

Editor’s Note: Mark Alvarez, a regular contributor, has once again shared some thoughts from Mexico City where he and his, wife, Lorena, are currently living.
Four weeks ago, the hard drive on my computer malfunctioned. I was lucky (presidential candidates might say, “blessed”) this occurred three weeks before the warranty expired. My computer just […]