If you've ever opened your eyes in Austin, you've probably seen the famous "Keep Austin Weird" logo. According to the KAW Web site, this movement prides itself on the "collaborative fission of coordinated individualism." KAW strives to accentuate Austin's weirdness, promote local businesses, and represent the general attitude of Austinites.
But what happens when this "collaborative fission of coordinated individualism" is threatened to become an argumentative fusion of disoriented collectivism?
This seemingly encompassing ideal does not represent the views and beliefs of at least one Austinite. Andrew Allemann, a recent University of Texas Business Honors graduate, flirted with the notion of opposition. He and that opposition went out for a couple of drinks, and after a drunken night of passionate lovemaking, Allemann gave birth to a countering movement - one to reflect his thoughts concerning the Austin community and where it should be headed.
The movement, called Make Austin Normal, serves the purpose of getting Austinites to talk and debate about what actually makes Austin unique. Allemann was inspired to spearhead the initiative after experiencing ironic and borderline hypocritical scenarios, such as an extremely expensive local boutique shop on South Congress or a gas-guzzling SUV in suburbia displaying the "Keep Austin Weird" bumper sticker.
I had the privilege of interviewing Alleman who said he created MAN as a response to how "trite" KAW has become. He believes that KAW no longer stands for what it was originally coined for, as evidenced by the fact that since October 2003, Outhouse Designs, a screen printing company, owns the trademarks for the "Keep Austin Weird" logo. Allemann feels that "Keep Austin Weird is abused to help a few select companies and people trying to promote the environment." The few select companies he was referring to include many Austin favorites, such as Waterloo Records and BookPeople.
Allemann further justified his views by saying that he is not against local businesses and that he is not against environmental groups, he is simply against being protectionist and isolationist.
Ironically, Allemann has his own small business in Austin.
"Austin is growing," says Allemann, "And I am against keeping out chain stores, so that we have to spend $100 any time we simply want some simple clothes."
The MAN Web site offers a politically charged blog through which Allemann comments on critical events affecting Austin. The site also sells merchandise including T-shirts and coffee mugs with the logo "Make Austin Normal" and even more simply, "Normal."
Even though Allemann himself realizes that MAN is a minority, it has garnered much attention. MAN has been featured in media venues such as ABC, The Austin-American Statesman, The Financial Times, Austin Monthly and Texas Cable News.
However, not all of the attention has been positive. In a recent phone survey conducted by me, no one working at Waterloo Records had even heard of MAN. The KAW Web site had this to say about Allemann: "This guy actually sells crap that says 'I Love Big Box Stores' and 'Buy from Chain Stores.'"
When I interviewed Mark Finn, a floor manager at BookPeople, he stated that MAN was just "one guy with a Cafe Press store." Finn was not threatened by the claim that BookPeople had close ties with KAW, and replied, "Anytime you set up a catchphrase or movement [Keep Austin Weird], you invite some wisecracker to create an opposite [Make Austin Normal]."
Finn also commented that the purpose MAN was merely "illegitimate reactionary spin created by someone who thinks the problem with Austin is that there aren't enough Chili's or Starbucks." Furthermore, Finn called into question why Allemann had moved to Austin in the first place, and was happy to refer Allemann to "some developing communities in the Dallas/Fort Worth area that would be perfect for him."
Finn recalled that he himself moved here to get away from "Generica" and experience the weirdness that is Austin.
Finn admits that a company (Outhouse Designs) owning the rights to the "Keep Austin Weird" logo is ironic, but he believes that this does not mean it will make people dislike local businesses. "We're all working together to provide a model of an economic alternative, but we still have to compete in a corporate world," he said. "The element of irony doesn't turn people off."
A slightly less fiery and more agreeable testimony came from my interview with John Kunz, the owner of Waterloo Records. Kunz flat out said that he was not opposed to chain stores and that he was a proponent of the free market. However, he was opposed to any business, big or small, gaining an unfair advantage through venues such as local government money.
Kunz was reminded of such a fiasco involving Borders Bookstore. In 2002, Schlosser Development Corp. tried to create an "urban village" with a Borders in the area where Sixth and Lamar Streets intersect near Whole Foods, BookPeople and Waterloo Records. Schlosser was awarded more than $2.1 million by the Austin City Council in tax waivers and fee abatements as an incentive package.
A case study by Civic Economics, a strategic planning consulting firm, found that "local merchants generate substantially greater economic impact than chain retailers." The study revealed that if someone was to spend $100 at a chain like Border's, only $13 would be funneled back into the Austin economy. However, if you spent $100 at a local business such as Waterloo Records, about $45 would go back to fuel the Austin economy.
Kunz made a point to show the distinction that he was not against chain stores, but was against tax money as an incentive for a business. He also stated that as a result, "BookPeople and Waterloo joined forces to rally local businesses and Austinites in the biggest e-mail protest campaign the Austin City Council had ever seen." The effect of the KAW movement resulted in Border's withdrawal to build in the Sixth and Lamar location in April 2003.
The owner of Waterloo Records closed with, "Keep Austin Weird saved Austin $2.1 million. I'd like to see Make Austin Normal do that."
Kumar is a pre-med and business honors sophomore.
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