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Lisa, thanks for the awesome photo expose. I bet you could present these in a gallery showing. Once blindspots become too visible they tend to magically disappear. Nice work.

In looking at your photo essay, I am wondering if the City would be well-advised to provide financial incentives, in the form of tax breaks or otherwise, to locally-owned businesses that can fill the empty locations, while not compromising the local uniqueness of Ojai.

I love that building in the second photo. It's on a large piece of land. One can only speculate that the owner is 'banking' the land, in hopes that a developer will one day come along and buy it. (And it will probably happen).

The population of California has jumped to 32 million. One thing for sure: land will always be a desired commodity.

Tax breaks can be a good thing or a bad thing. If they favor small, locally owed businesses then I think that's good. But all too often we see the big tax breaks go to the corporations, such as WAL MART.

Ojai could never sustain a Walmart, so not to worry on that one. However, I did ask the City Manager a couple of years ago to look into an EPA Brownfields grant to get that old gas station cleaned up, but I was given the brush off.

As an Ojai native of the '60's, the picture of Topa Lanes struck me. I used to go with my next door neighboor and their family and friends to bowling night and league night there all the time. I know it's hokey these days, but why can't the place be put into play in a constructive way by someone who "cares" about preserving the feel of Ojai? Considering the wealth that has migrated into our valley over the years for what is has meant to them, it only seems right that someone, or a group should help maintain that spirit. Pockets of Santa Barbara have done it. Please don't allow chain store America to destroy what has always made our valley so special.

I appreciate the effort in taking these photos. But I am sorry, this photo essay doesn't support a suggestion that being "choosey" begets dilapidation and blight. I think the reality is just the opposite. If you get out of Ojai and go to the towns that aren't so "choosey", you can see what real blight looks like. (Exit 33 at Stanley Ave. for a start.) In the case of your essay, for each photo, one could turn around and for the other 180-340 degrees, you'd have a more or less pleasant view. In real blight, that's not the case. And anyway, let's be real: Set two photographers out from the same spot in Ojai for a couple of hours, one charged with capturing an "ugly" Ojai, one with a beautiful Ojai. One is going to get a few photos capturing small spaces. (Or maybe many photos of the same thing.) The other could shoot hundreds of diverse photos capturing views big and small.

As for the bowling alley, and the whole question of east Ojai Ave., we all need to think about what is to happen there. It seems pretty clear to me that with a town our size, we can't support a bunch of high-end retail businesses stretching out to Gridley. I have doubt we can or should try to support more than our current downtown core. We would need to bring many more people - tourists and residents, in and out of Ojai proper - to support a larger buildout. Many more people will be the end of this valley as the special place that it is.

Why not instead look at adopting a program to encourage conservation easements on east Ojai Ave. properties? Those properties could become open space, community gardens, park, etc.. As a community, we could address the idea of the "look" on that side of town, without having the constant future concern and pressure to put in a new strip mall or who knows what.

Jeff, thank you so much for your thoughts. I had really hoped to get a dialogue started here and I think these photos brought an awareness that was sorely needed.