Anyone have a "How are you still open?"-type of business in your area?

[Mbroady]

In NYC on First Avenue and east 11th street there is a shop run by an old middle eastern man. He sells Fabrics and repairs sowing machines. It is a real hole in the wall but his knowledge of fabrics and old style sowing machines is impressive. I was alway surprised by the amount of people that could fit into his shop. He told me that his customer base comes from all 5 NYC Boroughs, and beyond.

And you can tell he loves what he does.

[ahorsewithnonam]

Guitar center is the opposite they are always busy but no one seems to be buying anything..

[Riverwolf]

Originally Posted by PorkPieGuy

but I don't know much of anyone who still has a clock in his/her house.

Interesting.
I don't know anyone who does not have several clocks in their house.

Yes, I am constantly amazed just driving around any town and looking at all the businesses. Wondering who actually steps inside.

[ras1500]

When I go to a mall, which is not very often, I see several jewelry stores with nobody in them. They can't possibly make all their money just on Valentines day and Christmas. Mall rent must be fairly high. I can't understand how they manage to stay open.

[Wengr]

Originally Posted by ras1500

When I go to a mall, which is not very often, I see several jewelry stores with nobody in them. They can't possibly make all their money just on Valentines day and Christmas. Mall rent must be fairly high. I can't understand how they manage to stay open.

I would surmise that the markup on what they sell is incredibly high.

[Wengr]

Originally Posted by Slothead56

How are you still open business?

Yeah...Guitar Center

No need to wonder about this one. They stay in business by amassing debt.

[TBman]

When it's a store front type of building (multi floor), commercial downstairs residential apartments upstairs, quite often the business owner owns the building and collects rent from the upstairs tenants which pays the overhead plus some on the building. This would help keep a business that barely breaks even stay open.

[architype]

There is a business called "Magnetic Tape Recorder Inc." here in Louisville in an old building on the corner of Payne St. and Baxter Ave. I have lived here for 30 years and they have always been there. It was as desolate then as it is now. I assume they repair and sell old stereo and recording equipment. I have never seen anyone in there...ever.

There are a couple apartments on the second floor. Maybe they own the building outright and don't have too many expenses, so the income from the apartments is enough.

Even 30 years ago before the digital revolution I couldn't understand how they stayed in business.

[XYRN]

Yeah I don't get it, either.

My 22k pop. college town's Main Street is 5 blocks long and now mostly little gifty shops and trendy places like an upscale kitchen devices shoppe, a used book store, specialty donut place and antique stores.

I'm not sure about the numbers but if rent is a grand or two a month and they're open 200 hrs/month and need at least 2 employees at $10/hr, the absolute bare minimum overhead per month is $5-6000.

If it's 6k, and they're open those 200 hrs, they must take in $30 every hour OVER their cost of the goods being sold just to break even.

This doesn't even take into account other business costs like insurance, taxes, utilities, interest on merchandise debt and/or the monies tied up in inventory and so on.

Some of these stores, like the used book store might go a couple hours without a sale.

So, yeah, small-business ownership has to be one of the most stressful endeavours people willingly undertake.

[guitar george]

How do you make a small fortune in a retail store? You start with a large fortune.

[H165]

Dozens. The frontrunners are the flooring stores. Must be twenty of them within 5 miles of me. Two are on routes I drive nearly every day. No customers....ever.

Then we have the furniture stores running a close second. At least ten of them nearby. Three are on routes I drive nearly every day. No customers....ever.

What really gets me is the beauty salons. Too many to count, but at least they have customers.

[Johnny K]

Originally Posted by Mbroady

In NYC on First Avenue and east 11th street there is a shop run by an old middle eastern man. He sells Fabrics and repairs sowing machines. It is a real hole in the wall but his knowledge of fabrics and old style sowing machines is impressive. I was alway surprised by the amount of people that could fit into his shop. He told me that his customer base comes from all 5 NYC Boroughs, and beyond.

And you can tell he loves what he does.

My wife would be here, a lot. I dont find it hard to believe he's still open.

For me it would be small one owner computer stores/service centers. There are still quite a few of them around. They are like the TV repairmen of the times. Most now service cell phones too.

[FolkRock Rules]

Originally Posted by Long Jon

But most times there may only be two old men and a dog in there and the dog doesn’t drink, bag o’ pork scratchings is all he buys,,,

Sometimes it’s just me and the bar person, so presumably they’d just have been there alone if I hadn’t turned up.

I do what I can to support them, but I’m gettin on a bit now and can’t sink the heroic amounts I used to !

There's a song in that; probably something country-sounding. I'm thinking of it as Hoyt Axton, Guy Clark, or John Prine-type material. Especially that first line about the two old men and the dog.

[GHS]

Oh, how could I forget this. In North Jersey, on RT46 btw the towns of West Paterson and Little Ferry there are...get this...52 ( at last count) used car lots. This is a distance of about 10 miles, and they never seem to change, ( at least it looks that way). Just crazy.

[Cabarone]

There's an electronics repair shop in a particularly rough section of town. Been there for years. A few years back our TV was acting up. I called them a couple times and left messages. The owner called back and said he's taken the shop over when his dad's health failed but he only goes in 1-2 times a week. No way he could make a living there. Then he proceeded to tell me over the phone how to fix the problem myself, free of charge...