Geoff Merritt article
From May 14, 2008:
Article on Champaign Web site SmilePolitely.com about the success and tenacity of Geoff Merritt‘s businesses, That’s Rentertainment and Parasol Records, against a highly altered merchant landscape in Champaign-Urbana that does not favor local establishments selling products for “intelligent consumption.”
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Editor’s note: Good job by cultural man-about-town William Gillespie of putting this conundrum into perspective. Although not a local boy, I’ve lived in Champaign-Urbana long enough that I still remember when the streets of Campustown actually accomodated stores with substance. The current incarnation of Green Street resembles a sleek outdoor mall with high-priced housing shooting skyward like devil’s horns. Yeech. Maybe they should just rename the drag (in all senses of the word) Gentrification Street. The only places I ever step foot in these days are Zorba’s, Bar Giuliani, Murphy’s Pub, Art Coop, the copy shops, and my one franchised vice, Noodles & Company.
And, of course, That’s Rentertainment. Three cheers to Geoff Merritt and his merry band of music-and-movie slingers for getting the job done as the suburban-style sprawl creeps downstate in search of the almighty student dollar.
~ Jason Pankoke