The District

The District
An artists rendition of a part of The District by local artist Arturo Ilisástigui
Type	Designated Area
Situated in	East Bushington

The District is a designated area in East Bushington. In 2019, the local government of Pollard's Cove dictated that all available space within its city boundaries has to become a residential area. Any commercial or industrial zoning has subsequently moved to the designated area known as The District. This means that every inhabitant of Pollard's Cove will have to travel miles to access any kind of amenities. It also means that a lot of different stores and facilities got crammed onto a fairly insignificant speck of land.

The lack of space causes some weird combinations such as the landfill of the island slowly blending into the playground. The swings, made of rusted metal and rotting wood, have been known to break and send children flying into the depths of the landfill. Many have never been seen again, their screams echoing through the trash-filled wasteland. In addition to the dangerous swings, the playground is also home to a plethora of toxic waste. The ground is uneven and littered with sharp objects, making it a treacherous place for children to play. Despite these dangers, the playground remains open to the public, with city officials turning a blind eye to the potential health risks. Rumors have circulated that the playground was built by a wealthy donor with ulterior motives, using cheap materials and shoddy construction.

Commercial zoning

Two of the more notable chains on the island have their main shop in The District. One of these stores, Carlos C. Carman's Auto Shoppe, has been consistently providing islanders with hot second-hand cars for almost thirty years now. It's also where Carl X. Chicken sourced a lot of the cars used in the Car Club Invasion. Due to some shady business in their past, Carlos C. Carman still owed Carl a favor.

The other store, the 724 Market, is the first-ever inconvenience store. Inconvenient in the sense that it's only open for 7 hours every 24 days, this store was the brainchild of local entrepreneur, Bob Smith. Bob was fed up with the traditional retail model and decided to create a store that was the complete opposite of a convenient store. He wanted customers to have to work hard to find the store, and then to struggle to find what they were looking for once they were inside. The first-ever inconvenience store is open only from midnight to 7AM on the first day of every month. This meant that customers have to plan ahead and set their alarms if they wanted to shop there. The store is also located in a remote, hard-to-find location, and only has one small sign to indicate its presence.

Inside the store, customers are greeted with a disorganized and cluttered space. Products are stacked haphazardly on shelves, and there are no clear labels or signs to guide shoppers. In addition, the store only accepts cash and does not offer any refunds or exchanges. Despite these challenges, the store is a hit with a small but dedicated group of customers. They enjoy the thrill of the hunt and the challenge of finding what they are looking for. Some even claim that the inconvenience of shopping at the store adds to the overall satisfaction of their purchases. A concept that undoubtedly will go down in history as revolutionary.