One block away, Hollywood Video, a resident of three weeks, has a lighted, freeway-style billboard in its parking lot to lure in cars driving by. A subtle shift in the driving habits of Americans is beginning to change the face of the neighborhood. There was a time when the pedestrian had the right of way in Dinkytown, Slokum said, but that time has passed. You used to be able to feel the surge of students on the streets between classes.
Students are still in the streets, they are just in cars now.
Today, many Dinkytown shoppers drive to shop and need a parking spot. In front of Hollywood Video sits a newly resurfaced parking lot with room for about 30 cars. Another parking lot in Dinkytown recently doubled its capacity, from 57 to 128 spaces. Irv Hersckovitz, long-time Dinkytown businessman and developer of the site now occupied by Hollywood Video, said the store is an asset to Dinkytown. Some students want it like it was back in the '60s, but you've got to update with the times.