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‘Au Naturel Capital’ Idea is a Transparent Scheme |
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Written by Gary Moffat
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Auburn is in desperate need of fresh ideas to help drive economic development. I’ve been giving some thought to this and what we have, in essence, is a basic marketing problem of positioning and promoting our community. The rub comes in trying to get everyone on the same page, at the same time.
What would really simplify this exercise is if we could finally isolate a “silver bullet” – you know, come up with the “big idea” that will solve all of our problems. I am happy to report that while spending last Sunday off the grid at a friend’s home in Yankee Jim’s, I was struck with an epiphany. Actually, it was more like being hit in the frontal lobe by a lightning bolt.
For years, Auburn has worked tirelessly to foster a reputation as the “Endurance Capital of the World,” taking advantage of the river canyon and all of our natural resources to attract the world’s greatest athletes. This past weekend, as an example, more than 500 hard bodies rallied in the Auburn area for three very successful endurance events.
The problem is, while most of these people are fabulous human specimens with 2% body fat, they don’t spend much money while they are here ... principally because they are young and their disposable income has been lavished on $6,000 mountain bikes and personal trainers. If we’re lucky, they may purchase a few cans of Red Bull and some energy bars at the Valero gas station before they jump into their Subarus and head back to the Bay Area.
There is another group of regular visitors to Auburn, however, who represent a potential bonanza for our local economy — if only we embrace them and welcome them to our community. This group also descends on Auburn because of a love for the great out-of-doors and the irresistible, mystical draw of our river canyons.
I’m referring to the nude bathers who for years have quietly worshiped the sun and frolicked in the cool jetties of the American River, mostly in isolated sections of the waterway only recently seeing a higher level of kayaking traffic now that a reclamation project has been finished. My understanding from reading published newspaper reports is that many of these visitors are gay.
I’m not the smartest guy in Auburn (a fact to which many of my neighbors will whole heartedly confirm), but I made it through Marketing 101 which says, “Find out what the people want and give it to them.” If you listen carefully to the market and react swiftly, success almost always follows.
My “big idea” is actually a simple one. Instead of continuing to chase the financially underperforming endurance market, let’s segue into becoming the “Au Naturel Capital of the World,” and reach out to nudists of all persuasions, gay or straight. Who cares, as long as they have wallets full of cash and plastic? Break it down, and the economic impact potential is astounding.
Let’s face the facts: when endurance people finish their events, they are smelly, dirty and sweaty. They don’t go out to eat ... they chow down on the brown rice and fava beans they brought from home.
Nude sunbathers, on the other hand, are refreshed and relaxed and ready to enjoy themselves in Auburn after a long day on the beach. And, excuse me for making a generalization, but they understand and appreciate the good life. These are people who will relish the amenities our town has to offer.
If Auburn has the good sense to seek the title of the “Au Naturel Capital of the World,” our hotels will always be at full occupancy, restaurants will be jammed and the cash registers of Downtown and Old Town merchants will bulge with Benjamins. And if California’s recent gay marriage ruling sticks, I can see a huge growth industry in same-sex weddings. In a heartbeat, Auburn could become the new Maui, and the Powers Mansion Inn would be booked solid from now until the sun burns out.
There is but a single, insidious threat to this significant economic development opportunity. It could all unravel if a Republican is elected as the next Representative of the Fourth Congressional District. I attended the Chamber’s Eggs & Issues breakfast last week featuring all four Republican candidates, each of whom advocates the moribund notion of constructing the Auburn Dam. With John Doolittle’s demise, I was certain this pork barrel project would go away, but Messrs. Ose and McClintock persist in beating the drum.
Remarkably, Mr. Ose extolled the recreational benefits construction of the dam would afford to the region. He either must be a committed boating enthusiast or totally unaware of the irreparable damage a dam would cause to Auburn’s endurance mantra. Auburn City Council member Bob Snyder, a rabid kayaker and promoter of the sport on the American river, sat at my table, but he did not seem offended by Ose’s position. Like most everyone else in the room, he knows the dam is a dead issue except on the stump.
What also may be a dead issue is any development scheme for Baltimore Ravine, which heightens the need to consider alternate economic development programs such as “Au Naturel.” The City’s administration is snuggled up in bed with Stephen Des Jardines, a real estate developer who just filed bankruptcy in an effort to avert Umpqua Bank from foreclosing on his flagship deal, Diamond Creek in Roseville. This project is upside down to the tune of nearly $27 million.
Des Jardins was supposed to be the brains and money behind a plan to pack the ravine’s 294 acres with new homes and commercial space. City officials say Des Jardins’ debacle in Roseville will have no impact on the Auburn project, but I just can’t imagine any lenders stepping up right now with blank checks ... bailing out Winchester Country Club would involve less risk.
What to do, to do, to do ... I know ... I’ll go to the river, strip down to my thinking cap and figure it all out.
Gary Moffat is a journalist and owns Carpe Vino in Old Town Auburn. He can be reached at
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