We left the Pegasus Books "Sale" table out overnight. There was enough money for 3 books on the table in the morning, and someone brought in .50 later in the day.
Hmmmm. Maybe I should leave it out by mistake every night!
**********
Not to pick on CACB, but since no one else has mentioned it: the stock dropped to a new low of .46 Friday...so even a stock doubling wouldn't get them to 1.00.
**********
In talking about Staccato closing, John Stearns of the Bulletin makes a pretty good case for what I call "The Beautiful Corpse" scenario.
Downtown has been "failing upward" for years now, (get it, "failing upward, not falling upward"): As rents increased only wealthier stores could move in, who would then fix up the spaces, but who would then have to pay for the improvements and startup costs and high rent at the same time.
Ultimately, when they fail, the next guy in line gets a much improved space for lower rent.
I'm beginning to think I'm the last unrenovated space in downtown; I can't afford to close and move everything out and completely redo the space. I still have my old-fashioned lights. I did replace the carpet at one point, and I've painted the walls a few times.
But whoever ends up in my space years from now is going to get a "worn out and looking it's years and he lived a full life" space. Only the good die young.
***********
So my former competitor Brad Irwin has gone from selling games, to hosting poker tournaments, to distilling "spirits." Intriguing career arc.
**********
Interesting article "Taking the Leap to Self-Employment." I have trouble agreeing with this statement, however: "At first, the actual business may be secondary because you will need to devote most of your time to marketing."
Not with a storefront, you don't. I realize they are talking about all kinds of self-employment, but this idea of 'marketing above all' is why I think the a second paragraph in the story is true:
"Half of all startups fail with the first five years."
My advice for a storefront is pick "location, location, location" as your marketing, then work your ass off to work your store and fill it with product. You know, the nuts and bolts. Start small enough with low enough overhead that you can grow your business.
Otherwise, my question is -- "Promote WHAT?"
***********
My peonies and poppies and half the other plants in my garden stubbornly refuse to bloom. They've got enormous buds -- fat, healthy looking buds -- but they won't open.
Then again, I brought my shorts and sandals out from the closest yesterday for the first time this year...
**********
For fun last night, I watched my wife Linda watching a author on Book T.V. (yes, that's fun for us, pretty pathetic.) I knew the author was extremely right wing, but he also is the most 'reasonable' sounding guy you ever heard.
I waited for it to dawn on her that the guy was saying exactly the opposite of what she believes.
When she finally realized it, I laughed. "Yeah, he sucked me in once, too."
You can say the most outrageous things, if you say them in a reasonable and measured manner...
********
H. Bruce made his usual yearly comment in the Wandering Eye blog about my usual yearly 'rant' about street closures.
Actually, I realize that I can't change any of this; so I've been pretty good at avoiding these events altogether and putting my employees in the stores on these days. That way, I don't have to be exposed.
What caught me off guard was that it was a Friday, my regularly scheduled day, and that one of my employees is on vacation making more work for the other guys and I didn't feel I could leave.
Of course, this moving into Fridays is a new thing. Cascade Criterion used to be called the 'Twilight' race, because it didn't take place until after store closing. This last Friday's race was completely new last year.
I figure I'll probably have retired by the time they start closing on Thursdays or Mondays....Tuesdays and Wednesdays...
Oh, hell. What do we need stores for? They just get in the way of all the fun...
***********
Hmmmm. Maybe I should leave it out by mistake every night!
**********
Not to pick on CACB, but since no one else has mentioned it: the stock dropped to a new low of .46 Friday...so even a stock doubling wouldn't get them to 1.00.
**********
In talking about Staccato closing, John Stearns of the Bulletin makes a pretty good case for what I call "The Beautiful Corpse" scenario.
Downtown has been "failing upward" for years now, (get it, "failing upward, not falling upward"): As rents increased only wealthier stores could move in, who would then fix up the spaces, but who would then have to pay for the improvements and startup costs and high rent at the same time.
Ultimately, when they fail, the next guy in line gets a much improved space for lower rent.
I'm beginning to think I'm the last unrenovated space in downtown; I can't afford to close and move everything out and completely redo the space. I still have my old-fashioned lights. I did replace the carpet at one point, and I've painted the walls a few times.
But whoever ends up in my space years from now is going to get a "worn out and looking it's years and he lived a full life" space. Only the good die young.
***********
So my former competitor Brad Irwin has gone from selling games, to hosting poker tournaments, to distilling "spirits." Intriguing career arc.
**********
Interesting article "Taking the Leap to Self-Employment." I have trouble agreeing with this statement, however: "At first, the actual business may be secondary because you will need to devote most of your time to marketing."
Not with a storefront, you don't. I realize they are talking about all kinds of self-employment, but this idea of 'marketing above all' is why I think the a second paragraph in the story is true:
"Half of all startups fail with the first five years."
My advice for a storefront is pick "location, location, location" as your marketing, then work your ass off to work your store and fill it with product. You know, the nuts and bolts. Start small enough with low enough overhead that you can grow your business.
Otherwise, my question is -- "Promote WHAT?"
***********
My peonies and poppies and half the other plants in my garden stubbornly refuse to bloom. They've got enormous buds -- fat, healthy looking buds -- but they won't open.
Then again, I brought my shorts and sandals out from the closest yesterday for the first time this year...
**********
For fun last night, I watched my wife Linda watching a author on Book T.V. (yes, that's fun for us, pretty pathetic.) I knew the author was extremely right wing, but he also is the most 'reasonable' sounding guy you ever heard.
I waited for it to dawn on her that the guy was saying exactly the opposite of what she believes.
When she finally realized it, I laughed. "Yeah, he sucked me in once, too."
You can say the most outrageous things, if you say them in a reasonable and measured manner...
********
H. Bruce made his usual yearly comment in the Wandering Eye blog about my usual yearly 'rant' about street closures.
Actually, I realize that I can't change any of this; so I've been pretty good at avoiding these events altogether and putting my employees in the stores on these days. That way, I don't have to be exposed.
What caught me off guard was that it was a Friday, my regularly scheduled day, and that one of my employees is on vacation making more work for the other guys and I didn't feel I could leave.
Of course, this moving into Fridays is a new thing. Cascade Criterion used to be called the 'Twilight' race, because it didn't take place until after store closing. This last Friday's race was completely new last year.
I figure I'll probably have retired by the time they start closing on Thursdays or Mondays....Tuesdays and Wednesdays...
Oh, hell. What do we need stores for? They just get in the way of all the fun...
***********