Over the past 60 to 90 days we have had a lot of requests from individuals or businesses that are looking for a building to place their business in.
Those who are seeking a location have businesses ventures that range from a saddle and leather shop, an auction house, a resale location for a variety of items, a clothing re-seller, an ag production business, a children’s event and playground venue, and more.
The bad news is we do NOT have a lot of empty buildings that are available to those who wish to open a store in our area.
The good news is that we still have a strong desire by businesses to locate in our center of quite a lot and it is also good news that we don’t have a lot of empty buildings, which is a sign of a strong economy.
While any of us can drive down streets in the community and identify a building that is unoccupied, there are a lot of other factors that come into play in finding what a small business owner is looking for.
Here are a few of the building criteria items that we hear from those who wish to “open up” a shop in our community;
Location, location, location, high traffic counts, parking for customers, the cost to renovate or bring a building up to code, the lease terms and cost, close-o-logy or being near a competitor, the appearance or look of a building, the size of a building, having a loading dock, having an elevator, being next to the Interstate or state highway, easy access, high ceiling or clearance space. And so much more….
Not having what a prospect wants on the surface can be a worrisome concern, but instead of looking at it as a problem, possibly we can consider it a challenge and see what else can be done to find the prospect the perfect location.
So, if you see us driving around early in the morning, sometimes seemingly aimlessly or backtracking a lot, its because we are trying to find that perfect spot for that prospect who has told us they want to be here.
We know there is something out there we may have overlooked, and we want to exhaust all options before we give up.