A retail storm in Rockport
There’s a simple reason for the clothes-wearing mannequin on the landing outside of AliKat on Bearskin Neck.
“We’ll put a $180 ladies’ jacket on the mannequin and sell four or five of those on a Saturday,” said Arthur Merry, who owns the upscale women’s boutique with his wife, Sherry.
The headless mannequin is the eye of the latest storm in downtown Rockport, as the town and its merchants try to clarify the bylaw relating to outdoor retail displays. This is an issue particularly on Bearskin Neck, where a multitude of small shops compete for customers’ attention.
Many are concerned that with goods spilling out from shops, the pedestrian mall has begun to take on the look of – as shopkeeper Leslie Asare puts it – “an urban yard sale.”
Asare was a member of the committee that brought changes to the town’s bylaws, approved at Town Meeting in 2009, intended to tighten the rules for outdoor retail displays. In simple terms, the rules prohibit the displays, except in the case where a business is granted a special permit by the Board of Selectmen.
AliKat was the first business to receive a special permit, which has put it in the center of the controversy.
