Exchange Street
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Exchange Street is a main commercial thoroughfare in the Old Port district of Portland, Maine, U.S.. It features a number of designer clothing stores as well as several small local businesses. There are a number of restaurants in the surrounding area; however most notably on the street itself are the coffee shops. There are a variety from which to choose. Most are small, locally-owned establishments such as Breaking New Grounds, one of many cultural hubs for local youth, as well a chain-store Starbucks. For those looking for an internet coffee house, there is JavaNet. Exchange Street is also home to an independent cinema called The Movies on Exchange[1].
Exchange Street is known locally as the main hub of the Old Port. Residents of other sections of the city have been known to complain that city public works lavishes undue attention on Exchange Street and the surrounding commercial area. Before the 1970, Exchange Street and the Old Port area had become largely run down and deserted. Gentrification began in the early 1970s and continued through the 1980s and 1990s to make the area what it is today.