Garden Grove : Part-Time Greeter Is Sought for Main Street

A century ago, it was not unusual to find an official “greeter” at Main Street commercial areas, someone who acted as caretaker and good-will ambassador for the shop owners.

Now, the Garden Grove Main Street District, which has won an architectural award for restoration of its 19th-Century origins, is looking for a part-time greeter.

If you have a friendly face and a cheerful way of saying hello to folks and look good in a Gay ‘90s costume, you may be just the person Main Street needs. The greeter must also be handy with tools and ready to use a pushcart and broom on the cobblestone streets and around the old-fashioned lampposts and park benches.

While the primary motivation for hiring a greeter is to add to Main Street’s unique atmosphere, the idea also was born of necessity, said Public Services Director Dick Conrad.

“The area is so unique that routine maintenance is not effective,” he said. “It’s not enough to just send a street-sweeping machine down there.”

Proper maintenance requires a close watch for malfunctioning water fountains, missing bench slats, loose bricks on store fronts and other problems requiring personal inspection, Conrad said.

Main Street business owners will assess themselves a fee to pay the greeter $4 an hour. Conrad said he hopes a greeter will be working by May 24, the first day of the city’s annual Strawberry Festival.