I was walking the dog through our neighborhood today - we have a very small, quaint strip of storefronts that are really within the neighborhood. The strip currently hosts an adorable coffee shop, a pizza shop, a pilates/yoga place, a tailor/upscale women’s second hand shop, and another business or two. One of the storefronts is currently empty - it got me thinking - given the chance, what type of small business would be fun to open AND to have a chance of succeeding at??? This is largely neighborhood traffic after all…
So just curious, if you are just dreaming, what type of product could you imagine opening a buisiness with? A bike shop? An ice cream store?
My first thoughts go to a coffee/tea/light food shop - which unfortunately is already there! I actually had a dream once that when H and I retired we would get a storefront with two entrances - one for his antique business, one for my coffee/tea/bake shop which I would name “Popovers” - I love making popovers and they are a unique baked good! I love the idea of people coming in for morning coffee, reading the paper, having a short business meeting, enjoying a light meal - just a couple of breakfast items, soup and salad - that’s it.
A book store would also be cool - but, clearly, independent book stores have a hard go these days.
So what could be your dream? You don’t have to be practical. Come on, DREAM!!!
My dream would be a coffee shop also. If I was going to really open a business I think the best product to sell is knowledge. That way you do not have to worry about the cost of carrying inventory.
What a fun thread, a basket. I’ll gladly play along as an empty store front is like an empty canvas. Just waiting to become something.
And it is with that, that I declare my store to be …an art gallery for everyone. I would have all the lighting, displays, walls, frames etc so that anyone could then have their own show complete with opening! Wine, champagne,cheese…the whole artisan experience for each and every artist. Oh and an area for a small ensemble for just the right background notes.
We would advertise the artist of the week and have local media coverage of the event.
The public would get to experience their local artists and musicians and maybe even some local food fare and wine.
Maybe someone would supply their tea and popovers for a price.
I suppose I would charge just enough to get by as it would be GREAT just to be part of!
I would do the planters and plantings for neighborhood shops.
Too often they look like crap, if they have any at all.
It adds so much to the appeal of a business by having inviting looking pots of flowers, or the strip in front of the store cared for.
My parents owned their own business, no way would I want a shop front business. People suck. Self employed hours are 25 hours a day 8 days a week. The public suck the living breath out of you.
@sax, could you occasionally set aside a tiny corner of your shop for children’s art? That would be SOO sweet!
Emerald, we have a summer place in Canada - the towns are extremely rural but the small downtowns are the heart of the people - though they may be small, they SO embrace the warmer weather with amazing overflowing flower boxes and planters that are stunning to look at - every single town! And in the winter, I see pictures that show they highlight Christmas lights and pine boughs with as much enthusiasm! So welcoming!
Abasket, i would never leave out the kids. Sometimes they have the greatest creations! But we will need mini popovers for their shows. Just saying.
I will get ek to fix up the front of the store and dress my tables with thumpers linens. We coul probably create individual artist prints and sell them in garlands book store.
A beachfront surf shop/coffee shop/ice cream shop combo. Being able to look at the waves and the surfers all day would be a great fringe benefit. And I would display local artists work on the walls for sale.
Service business. I would never ever want a retail storefront. Very difficult to make a profit. I want a business where I have some control over my client base and love to work with them. I like reading these posts and thinking about great little independent shops though. It just seems so difficult in these economic times, at least it is in my state.
@abasket, your neighborhood center sounds a lot like my small town’s center. Very similar mix of businesses. Our local espresso bar/cafe is connected to a bakery (both owned by the same people.) Right next door to that is our local book store. They have been in business at least 15 years or so and quite successful. The children’s section is particularly nice and gets a lot of business from mom’s needing to buy birthday presents for their kids to take to b’day parties. People in my community really like to support our local businesses.
A gift shop with a seasonal inventory. Winter might be the hardest but would have to try and figure out what people would buy in the winter. Probably fire and warmth related. Spring,summer and fall would be easier. It would be fun to try and find unique affordable gifts.
Way back in 1980, when a woman who became a good friend of mine and I were unhappy first-year associates together at a large New York law firm, we used to talk about our fantasy of opening a combination bookstore-cafe. We were going to call it TriBookCa, and it was going to be located in the appropriate neighborhood downtown. I was going to be primarily responsible for the books, and my friend for the cafe. Of course we never did anything about it, and she died at much too young an age in 1991. But I remember our fantasy very fondly.
Currently, we are on my company’s fourth product line. All are different products on different delivery and distribution platforms. I just saw opportunities where consumers were interested in a new “thing” and hired people with the expertise to build my ideas into actual saleable products.
Now, if making money was not the objective, then I would design and sell an airplane, an 8 to 10-seater jet. But making money there is too far in the out years for my tastes.
I am just the reverse of atomon above, as I could never work for someone else. Therefore, if I wanted to do something I had no choice, but to start a company.
Come on, DREAM!!!