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Mayor Shirley Dean met with area merchants Thursday to talk shop at what the Downtown Berkeley Association likes to call the bi-weekly “DBA Merchant Chat.” 

Fresh from trip to the U.S. Conference of Mayors in Chicago, Dean shared some knowledge she picked up in the windy city at the gathering at Campus Cafe, at 2074 University Ave.  

“I was amazed to see the diversity of business in downtown Chicago,” she said. 

She said that in an effort to make chain stores mix with independent stores, Chicago doesn’t allow chains to build new stores downtown, but rather occupy existing storefronts, right next to independents. 

“I don’t know if this would work for Berkeley, but its worth looking at,” she said. 

The mayor also expressed her concern that the city gives very little assistance to small businesses.  

She is encouraging a hands-on program called “Project America,” that assists small businesses with management and other concerns, to come to Berkeley and conduct a forum. 

She also said that she was considering asking local newspapers to, perhaps, run features on area business owners to help “put a (human) face on businesses.” 

Several business people brought up the parking issue, to which Dean replied that she agrees that there needs to be more parking. 

A traffic demand study will be coming out this fall. 

In an effort to keep the 3,500 Berkeley High School students from disrupting area business at lunchtime, while allowing businesses to continue reaping the revenue the students provide, Dean announced that the school district accepted a city proposition for area restaurants to provide food service on campus. 

“And only Berkeley merchants will take part,” she said. 

In the fall, the mayor plans to hold a small business symposium to address several key things to improve businesses in Berkeley. 

“We need to let business people and customers know that the downtown isn’t crime-ridden and we need to bring back a sense of excitement to downtown, Telegraph, Solano and College.”