OK, I’m the first to admit I hate studies…I don’t know how many times the Today Show’s Dr. Nancy Snyderman has made me think I’ll be dead by supper due to my terribly unhealthy lifestyle.

However…

THIS is the can’t miss article of the day: a pretty responsible Steven Levitt-style study by some researchers at Cornell that shows an alarmingly strong relationship between early-age TV watching and autism.

According to Whit’s End’s new blog, the store is now carrying Decatur High Spirit Wear.

“We now have Decatur High School Spirit Wear. Come in and shop when you can and help support our local high school, community, and the DHS Booster Club. You don’t have to go to a game, or school event anymore to purchase these items, stop in when you want. If you don’t live nearby, give us a call, and we can make arrangements to get items to you.”

What kind of items are we talking about here?

Though there weren’t a ton of comments attached to it, my Decatur Vehicle Traffic Declining posting has had some legs outside the old Decatur Metro atmosphere.  For one thing, Creative Loafing has now hearkened back to it twice.

Most recently, Michelle Ye Hee Lee crafted a “Add It Up: Greater Decatur” post noting the things I mentioned recently about the 315 W. Ponce traffic study and the city’s 2008 Annual Report.

Well, since there’s all this hub-bub…here’s one more piece of Decatur info I got from the city, straight out of the GA Tech emissions study (but again…this is GDOT data)…

1990:  121.19 million annual VMT (vehicle miles traveled)

2000:  108.32 million annual VMT (vehicle miles traveled)

2006:  100.11 million annual VMT (vehicle miles traveled)

OK, since I let this conversation trail off before I could reply, I’m starting a new post.

First off, thanks to everyone for all the feedback.  Both believers and doubters comments are valued.  Actually its the doubters I really want to hear from.  If we were all just a bunch of believers, we’d just nod ourselves into blind consensus.

I reiterate that I believe a downtown grocery that was both practical (“less hemp soap”) and fresh could be a real asset to the community.

My personal unpolished vision would include a focus on fresh meat and produce, along with all the essential grocery store products…though my thought would be to generally steer clear of the big name brands and take more of a “Whole Foods” approach…lots of organic brands…greater focus on local.  I believe prices could be kept relatively low, since a co-op doesn’t need to turn a profit (this is something I need to investigate further).  If there really is a widespread desire in town for this sort of establishment and we did things correctly and inline with the desires of the public, I don’t think we’d have to worry about Kroger or YDFM.  (what IS up with that worsening chemical smell at YDFM?!)

If it was indeed a co-op, it could either be patron or employee-owned.  If it was patron-owned, members would get a small discount off purchases and would be encouraged to volunteer at the store (receiving store credit for hours worked).

Obviously I really don’t have much clue what I’m talking about (except from what I read in this great little manual: How to Start a Food Co-op). We’d need people like Decaturmom’s friend and those with grocery store experience to even determine if such a concept is possible here.   But like I said before, a successful co-op downtown would not only provide a great service to the community, but also create a great gathering/meeting place for members/non-members alike.

As for next steps, here’s what the Cooperative Grocer’s Information Network says are the first two steps to creating a co-op…

1. Gather background: get information, identify needs, convene a core group of interested individuals.
2. Organize: Hold a meeting of potential members to discuss needs and options. Select a steering committee to coordinate the group.

However, there’s no way I’ll personally be able to push this initiative forward until at least 2009.  If we want progress before then, someone else will need to lead the charge.  If you choose to do so, I guarantee you’ll have my complete backing.  If not, watch for me to bring this up again come January.

Creative Loafing’s Chad Radford has a great little write up this morning on Decatur-native Adron on the eve of her album release party at the Earl this Wednesday at 9pm.

Get your $7 tickets here!

[photo courtesy of Adronmusic.com]