MARY ZAK

Mary Zak has been around the block once or twice. During her California days she would have made Hugh Hefner drool. In terms of downtown's blocks, she's walked these city streets more times than she cares to remember.

"I don't complain," she says. "I keep moving forward."

She has owned and operated Joyeria Zak in front of Market Square for more than two decades.  downtown.

"I am from the school of hard knocks," she laughs. "Experience has been my teacher. Like most women, I have liked jewelry. I specialize in silver from which I create my own designs. This type of work is a no-brainer. It's like everything else. You learn to do it by doing it.

"I'm good at details. I know what fits and I know what doesn't fit. I know what looks good and I know what doesn't look good. I design for women who want one of a kind. You bring me your grandmother's earrings and I'll modernize them for you."

If the mayor asked for her input regarding downtown, how would she revitalize it?

"I would make sure that everyone was on the same page," she answers. "Listen. Do you hear that clanging sound outside the door? It is a man-hole covering that is loose and requires a little tar. I complain to the city about the problem and they tell me it's the utility company's responsibility. I complain to the utility company about the problem and they tell me it's the city's responsibility. How are we going to progress with the attitude that it's somebody else's responsibility?

"Worse, when it rains, the entire area floods. Can you imagine that!?! We are living in the oldest part of Brownsville and the municipality still hasn't resolve that problem. It's terrible after a storm. Cars pass through the water a foot deep and soak everyone on the sidewalks. I feel especially sorry for the little old ladies who are drenched. They could die of pneumonia and the city would wash its hands of responsibility in the same flood waters."

Zak never lacks for words.

"We need more pedestrian traffic. Everybody has a downtown, but we don't. It's not that downtown is stagnant...people are. Projects take forever to complete. When they switched the buses to the new transportation terminal, was the city commission prepared to develop Market Square so we retail merchants could make a living? But believe it or not, I'm not pessimistic. I have hope for downtown, but it takes time and money.

"You ask me why I'm here and how much longer I plan to stay? Brownsville is my home. I have my roots here. I love California and I visit frequently, but here I was born and here I will die. As to keeping my shop open, I will remain at my post as long as there's a strand of hair on my head."