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CNN Live Sunday

Interview With Julie Menin

Aired September 01, 2002 - 18:15   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN ANCHOR: The tragic aftermath of the World Trade Center attack is economic as well as personal. Restaurant owner Julie Menin founded Wall Street Rising to revive business around the ground zero area, and she joins us now from New York. Thanks for being with us.
JULIE MENIN, PRESIDENT/FOUNDER, WALL STREET RISING: Thank you.

SAVIDGE: What's the purpose of your organization? What do you really want to do?

MENIN: Well, we're focused on restoring vibrancy and vitality back to lower Manhattan. We've lost 100,000 jobs downtown. We've suffered $54 billion worth of damage. And it's very important to focus on revitalizing lower Manhattan.

SAVIDGE: Well, quickly, I mean, I was there for a month and a half, and you realize the painful impact on many, many small businesses. How do you try to bring about rebirth or a reinvigoration of the economy down there? What specifically will you do?

MENIN: Well, there are a number of different ways that Wall Street Rising has been focusing on that issue. First of all, we did a program called Do It Downtown, which helped over 250 small businesses in lower Manhattan. We did a project called Art Downtown, which was the largest public art event in the history of lower Manhattan. And all of our programs are really geared toward driving vital foot traffic back to the area.

SAVIDGE: What would you like to see done with that 16 acres? Especially as a person who lives there.

MENIN: Well, that's exactly right. I live several blocks from the area. And I really feel it's important that we have a mixed use site, one that has residential, retail and office buildings, as well, of course, as a memorial and cultural facilities.

SAVIDGE: The program that you had, I believe the Do It Downtown, involved a card and a discount. I'm wondering, is that program still active? Are you still doing that?

MENIN: Yes, it is. The program runs through December. We've disseminated over 300,000 discount cards, and they've had a tremendous impact on the small business of lower Manhattan. Already, many of the businesses have seen some improvement in their sales, but we still have a long way to go in that area. SAVIDGE: Do I have to live in New York in order to take advantage? If I was a tourist coming to your city, how could I use it?

MENIN: Absolutely. You can contact us at www.wallstreetrising.org and pick up one of these discount cards. We'd be happy to send them out. And it really is a wonderful way to support the struggling businesses of lower Manhattan.

SAVIDGE: Where did things stand economically in that area prior to September 11?

MENIN: Well, first of all, lower Manhattan prior to 9/11 was the fastest-growing residential neighborhood. Economically, we were really starting to become a true 24/seven community and a mixed-use neighborhood. And 9/11 obviously really devastated this neighborhood.

But slowly, we are starting to rebound. And in five to 10 years, lower Manhattan will be an incredible neighborhood. We have a historic opportunity to rebuild the neighborhood and to fix many of the problems that existed in the neighborhood even prior to 9/11.

SAVIDGE: Julie Menin, we wish you good luck and much success in your program. The name of it's Wall Street Rising, development in the area in and around the World Trade Center. Thanks for being with us.

MENIN: Thank you very much.

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