On the wall of my office sits a little green book that’s inspired me for many years. The title is transparent in its call to action, a quality I love in a book. It’s called Love Where You Live by Peter Kageyama. It belongs in a category all its own. It’s not a city planning book, it’s not another self-help book, and it’s certainly not a business manual. Instead, it exists at the convergence of topics that sit squarely in my little niche of community building.
In the book, Kageyama shares that in order to create a place that’s lovable, people need to be empowered to make a place great. He calls them co-creators. These are the people who take ownership of where they live, whether it’s an organizer of a creek cleanup or the owner of the neighborhood grocery store. What they do is as unique as the individuals who do it, and so are the stories that make your place unique.
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In this season of love, I’ve been reflecting back on the ‘co-creators’ that make our community so easy to love, and the folks who helped me fall in love with what I do.
Back in business school, I was exploring the nebulous concept of ‘networking.’ I was attempting to sell insurance at a local Farmers agency at the time, so it seemed like a good skill to learn, but I wanted to be authentic about it. Live music and the arts have always been special to me, so I looked for groups where I could meet people with common interests – then potentially sell them insurance. A noble goal, indeed.
I saw a listing for a public planning meeting for what was then the East Main Arts Festival. That was where I met Mark Joeckel, a born-and-raised Arlingtonite who had been organizing this festival for a few years. Over the years, I’ve gotten to know Mark much better, and I’ve gotten to see behind the scenes of the festival organization.
No one commissioned Mark to create this festival. There wasn’t a company that came together to make a profit off of Arlington arts patrons. This was Mark and his mission of bringing people together through the arts. He continues this mission today in Arlington with the now-moved West Main Arts Festival and his creative coworking space, Create Texas.
That’s what it looks like to love where you live. It’s the simple but powerful act of giving people a reason to come together in the same place, around the same idea. Your passion gains momentum, and in doing so, creates community connections.
Love is an interesting word to use in the context of business. I certainly wouldn’t have included the word love in an email as a young insurance agent, unless I was saying that “I’d love to show you some of our policies.” But I’ve learned that in local business, love is at the heart of what we do. It’s a love for the craft we bring to life, for the people we serve, and for the role we play in our customers’ lives.
You can certainly feel the love when you walk into The Cultures Commodities. I’ve mentioned them in a past publication, but they were the first in the growing wave of recent vintage and thrift clothing stores to open up in Downtown Arlington. The company is owned by Brandon and Ashley Avaroa, with deep connections to the community and UTA. They opened the business together in 2022, and they have since married. The hand-curated nature of their business makes their selection deeply personal, each piece a reflection of their taste, their story, and their care for the community they serve. In a space like that, you don’t just shop – you connect.
These co-creators of Arlington culture are all around Downtown Arlington. The owner of Truth Vinyl, Ric Delzell, loves the hi-fi sound of vinyl and live music. Greg Gardner at Grease Monkey loves classic cars and sourdough bun burgers. Corey Houston of Ann’s Natural Grocery and Nutrition loves health foods and natural supplements. Their passions build our collective culture.
You see it, too, in the recurring moments that bring us together – Saturday mornings at the Downtown Arlington Farmers Market, where local vendors vend handmade goods, or the shared energy of First Thursdays, when businesses partner with artists to bring the streets to life.
Neighborhoods aren’t assembled, they’re co-created. What I love about Downtown Arlington is that it is a place filled with people who are creating lovable businesses and events. And when people choose to love where they live, they don’t just build places – they build belonging.
Garret Martin is Vice President of Downtown Arlington Management Corporation.
