It Begins
It has now become public knowledge that four of my neighboring businesses will be closing. A furniture store, an antique store, a glass gallery and a kitchen remodeling store. This is the first time in recent memory that so many different businesses are closing for the same reason. The economy. When you are trying to stay in your house, you do not buy new furniture or kitchen counters or antiques. Fine art and fine craft are both extras in an economy that has become all about the most basic of needs. Food, clothing, shelter.
And yet, there is opportunity here. Four empty storefronts, in a variety of sizes and locations. What business will find that spot to be just the perfect place?
We all have our personal wish lists: a bookstore, a hardware store, an Apple computer store, more galleries, a custom jeweler or some kind of specialty store that we can't even imagine since it has never existed before. There is always someone who has been thinking "Wouldn't it be nice if I could: be my own boss; run my own business; set my own hours; make my store into the kind of place I would like to shop in?" And this is the right time to do it. Rents are a bit more negotiable, which gives the entrepreneur a bit more room for experimentation. Two of the soon to be empty storefronts are in the middle part of the district. If I were opening a gallery at this time, that is where I would be. Or even farther north, where it is a bit edgier.
And, the newest news is that the most far north storefront has been rented. It will be a women's plus size resale boutique. Huh. I would not have thought of that. But someone did. Someone with vision and a business plan.
And I will probably be one of the first people through the door!
