Adrienne and I went to the Hotel Galvez 98th birthday party the other day.
They were also unveiling the new spa that was totally refinished after the hurricane. (Side note: If you have never been to a Sunday brunch at the Galvez, it is well worth checking out!) As I was drinking an interesting grapefruit concoction and looking through old photos of the Galvez, I started thinking about the dedication and of course money that goes into a project like the Galvez. When George and Cynthia Mitchell bought the Hotel Galvez from a major chain who was not as historically sympathetic, they bought a hotel that was going to take more money to restore than it was going to make in 10 years of service. Luckily for us, Galveston's favorite son and his wife were more about the investment in the community than they were about the monetary return.
When we bought 2202 Mechanic, we bought it to move our business closer to Strand Ave. The amount of foot traffic there, especially on the weekends, was incentive enough to invest in a building that needs A LOT of work. We have lots of plans to make the building look its best and to add rather than detract from the fabric of the commercial neighborhood. However, this venture was primarily made to help our business succeed finacially.
What I admire most about the Mitchells' is that they work for the community and town that they love, not for financial gain but for the love itself. When Mr. Mitchell started investing in the Strand district in the early 80's, lots of people asked him why he would want to mess with a bunch of derilict vacant buildings. It is easy for all of us to see now what he saw many years ago. Without the resurrection of the Strand which was led by Mr. Mitchell, I seriously doubt that we would have any cruise ships, a railroad museum, Mardi Gras, Dicken's on the Strand, Bike Rally, or many of the downtown businesses that we love. We know for a fact that we wouldn't have the downtown tourism that we enjoy today.
Adrienne and I have the Mitchells' to thank for the tourism and foot traffic that drew us to our new location every single day.
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