I had a meeting with a commercial real estate company yesterday that owns a building here in BAX (come to find out Bob’s company has done work for them) and they think I need to get out of Fort Mill.
So next week I’ll be heading into Charlotte to scope some spaces and check out the options.
Figured I better put this little update out there in case you thought I was a quitter…and to that I ask, when have I ever quit something before? I can be unpredictable, but I’m not a quitter.
Put the cupcakes back up!!! I loved that section!
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Rest up, then, you’re going to need it
Good for you! I’m glad to hear you’re still determined.
Can’t wait to see you! I’ll trade — salads for cupcakes? Main dishes for cupcakes? Sangria for cupcakes? Hate to sound so self-indulgent, but my fingers are crossed here in Charlotte …
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Heather – new reader here… seen the blog a time or two before though and I’m an entrepreneur myself so I love following this sort of thing. I follow you on Twitter (or something) and also live (and work) in BAX.
Agreed that “what is” with BAX is a little different than the fantasy we’d want it to be. I’ve got office space on Market Street and while its a bit different than retail space I have picked up on a bit. I pay the premium on rent for the who idea of going downstairs for a bite for lunch, walking to work (though I never do), etc.
I’m sure you are aware of the Cloud 9 martini/tapas bar that’s opening. I think that will only make a cupcake shop in BAX that much tougher. To me the big issue is likely space size. You’d want to have a premium storefront (highly visible) but preferably a real small space, otherwise your rent will be too high and you’ll have to sell 1,000 cupcakes a day to break even. Sweet Treats struggled with this. Too much space for a coffee and Ice Cream shop. So they’ve been trying to redo their business to fill out their square footage. I think the other way around is probably the better idea. There is a great cupcake place in Charleston (http://www.freshcupcakes.com/) that my wife and I have gone to the two times we’ve been there in the past year or so. Nice visible spot right on King Street (or one of the main streets) but small footprint – enough room for an oven, 3-4 people behind the counter, cupcakes and 4-5 small round tables and thats it. If you open a cupcake shop in Charlotte you will get a few Fort Mill people. If you open a cupcake shop in Fort Mill I don’t see you getting any Charlotte people. If you were to open it in Fort Mill then I think Market Street in BAX is exactly where it should be, but I’m not sure it should be in Fort Mill. Reminds me of another business that just closed – Net Nerd Cafe over on Gold Hill Road. They had a number of business issues, but a chief one was just the wrong place for that sort of business to be located.
Okay this is way too long a comment. Anyhow I’ll keep following you. Personally I’d like to see a cupcake shop in Fort Mill, but professionally I’d worry that the market is too small and already too saturated with alternatives (Chocolate Boutique, Cloud 9, like 50 different ice cream shops in 2 mile radius, wine bar, etc.).
I hear what your saying, and to that I say- if I didn’t sell one cupcake a day, I could still pay my rent. So rejecting me for any reason at all was a personal choice that was made somebody. A person who is not very intune with what trends are going on now-a-days, and that doesn’t truly support their “mom and pop” business visions for the hood. Oh well!
Hey I wish you luck. I’d like to see your place open up here. Hopefully it all works out for the best though. What’s your current thinking / preference for Charlotte vs. Fort Mill (BAX) as a location?
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I don’t know yet, the realtors don’t really move to quickly getting info to someone waiting I realize…and now that my kids are out of school for the summer I don’t have time to stalk them. We’ll see what happens.