The next winner of the Keep it Klassy, Salem award is clear. The award has to go to Shirley Walker and her fellow Derby Lofts minions. These mental midgets have succeeded in hampering a new "DOWNTOWN" business because these "DOWNTOWN" residents failed to notice that they were purchasing overpriced lofts in the center of a "DOWNTOWN" even though they were heavily marketed as such.
Viewing the Derby Lofts website, you'll see the follow quotes, ostensibly from Derby Lofts residents.
"We liked the feeling of being downtown in the middle of everything."
"I can remember when Salem was a sleepy little town. There's a lot happening right now, so I'm glad to be a part of it."
So which is it? Do you want to be in the middle of everything, or did you not notice that your concrete behemoth is at one of Salem's busiest intersections, with a bar on one side, and a FIRE STATION on the other? Gee, do you think it might be loud there? Naw, and if it is, we'll just make the DOWNTOWN not a downtown. Everyone will go along, right? These freaks are so out of whack that they've even videotaped many citizens without their consent, whose only crime was going to a bar and having fun, and then daring to leave the bar.
The only silver lining to the Derby Lofts idiocy is that they are all losing their shirts. A review of recent sales even shows one resident who sold two years after they purchased at a loss of over $144,000. No wonder these are such angry individuals.
Back to Ms. Walker for a second. She is apparently a serial nightlife terrorist. You see, Shirley Walker used to live in Quincy. More specifically, she lived at Marina Bay, a designed mixed use area that features nightlife and retail, and touts itself as "Boston's premier waterfront entertainment destination." Care to guess which Marina Bay resident made an utter nuisance of herself complaining about the fact that the place was successful in realizing its mission? Of course it was Shirley Walker. She formed a "community organization" there to lead her complaints, much as she did here with the supposed "Downtown Neighborhood Association," which seems to only truly be open to Derby Lofts residents. Unfortunately even they seem fed up with her, as rumor has it that she has recently resigned as their leader.
So what could possess this woman, after her previous experience, to move here, into the middle of downtown? My guess is either she's starved for attention, or she's completely insane. You'd think that she'd move to a quiet, suburban neighborhood. But who would listen to her there? What's even better is that Shirley made her $428,700 mistake on 12/29/2005. I consider myself a newcomer to town, who hasn't really earned the right to complain about the way things have been since before I chose to move here, and I've lived here longer than that.
I've never been to Murphy's, the target of Shirley's vitriol, but I'll be sure to become a customer now. I suggest that we all honk every time we pass Derby Lofts, just so that Shirley has something new to complain about. Who knows what she'd do otherwise. Maybe try to silence the fire trucks.
Here is a picture, from the Derby Lofts
website, of one of the units.
Notice a few things about this "loft." First, it faces BUSY, DOWNTOWN Derby Street. Second, as klassy as they claim to be, the lofts are in sight of the Point, arguably Salem's most uber-klassy neighborhood. Yup, that's the Point out the window. Finally, lets look at this unit. Wood floors, huge windows, and a concrete ceiling. Yup, lots to deaden noise, right? No wonder they're so quiet.
What ever happened to buyer beware?