Remember when we told you about the turf wars going on on Solano Avenue in Berkeley? The strip is supposed to be a two and a half block stretch of upscale shops, but many of its storefronts are vacant because of expensive rents. Goodwill wanted to move into one of the vacant storefronts, and some of the local businesses threw a fit. "It's going to cause a lot of junk being left, dropped off in doorways," said Elena Palega, a Solano Avenue business owner. "It's just not fitting with the street." After much bickering and mudslinging, Goodwill has decided to to pass on the 5,000 square foot space. What's up next? Pet Food Express would like to move in. But it too might experience some opposition. "In an ideal world it would be nice to keep the businesses on Solano independently owned," said Allen Cain, director of the Solano Avenue Association. "There is a built-in aversion to corporately owned businesses, but Pet Food Express would be a good anchor."
· Solano Avenue: Keep Goodwill Out? [Curbed SF]
· Goodwill out, Pet Food Express in on Berkeley’s Solano Ave [Berkeleyside]
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