[Goldwingnut]

Originally Posted by ElDiabloJoe

Normally Don, I agree with your perspective on nearly everything else. This is a rare exception. Isn't that "failure" of a business model the exact same on that was used to build The Villages? I consider The Villages fairly successful.

If you mean that they build the houses and people come and buy them, not really, a house is different from a car only in that it is not mobile. Car manufacturers build a lot of "spec" vehicles that are at the lot waiting for you to buy, just like the houses here.
They build inventory and people buy it, just like car manufacturers.

For a restaurant or retail store it is a lot different, if people have to go out of their way to buy something that they "want" there has to be a very compelling reason - uniqueness or price usually. Consider in the case of The Villages, when they build homes, they also build the amenities that people want, and present a finished/polished product - roads, greenery, etc. making it desirable to move to the new areas even when much of the supporting retail is initially less convenient.

If Publix at Magnolia plaza had opened the same time as the first homes in Fenney were being built, they would have shuttered the doors and windows within weeks of opening, instead, they delayed 3 years until there was a sizable supporting population that would recognize the convenience of the new location, driving business to it. It is an undeniable success now.