It is sad to see the closing of Austin’s Fine Wines and Food in downtown Auburn. As developers of the Riverpark Building, we felt fortunate that Austin and Beckie Conrad’s business was the retail anchor for our building. They ran a wonderful deli and gourmet food store.

During the 1980s, there were several bars on the block with rowdy behavior during evening hours and frequent damage in the neighborhood. The police had to patrol regularly during the night shift. It seems to be a step backward in Auburn to encourage Main Street to attract after-hours drinking businesses.

Philip and Carol Rea, Auburn