Store Closing
 

I was shocked today when I went to go to The Grateful Dog in Lake Sumter Landing and they are no longer there. The store is vacant. Does anyone know why this store closed? I shopped there often and it was always very busy. It was a great place to shop for dogs and cats.

Goodness I didn't realize it was closed. I no longer have a dog so I guess I just didn't pay attention.

There is a Grateful Dog store in historic Leesburg at 717 Main Street. Here's their phone number...maybe you can find out what happened.... 352-315-0300

Their lease was up and the new rent was more than they could afford. Last Friday was there last day. The new store is on West Main St. in Leesburg.

MinnieM

Soft as a Grape is closing also. One has to sell a lot of dog food and t shirts
 

to pay the rent....in LSL
or anywhere else.

btk

It's too bad, we seem to losing all the independent, interesting and fun stores. I alway liked the Grateful Dog and Soft as a Grape.
And yes, I did shop there.
Pretty soon it will be like living in the Prime Outlets Mall.

That's very sad.
 

I used to get things for our dog fairly often at the Grateful Dog. May have to now go to Leesburg to get these.:lipsrsealed:

Just a point of clarification: when one takes a commercial lease
 

with TV it is very specific as to the rental rates then as well as each renewal to come in the future.
The Grateful Dog obviously chose not to renew. Recall they went from a large store in LSL to the current smaller store to no renewal. There is a certain reality that comes with small business ownership...

btk

Sorry if this is high-jacking the topic of this thread but I have a question on the rent.
The employees of the businesses can benefit by their kids going to the Charter Schools, so how are the schools funded? If the funding comes out of the rent then I could understand why the rent here might be a little higher than outside of TV.

Rent for commercial property here in TV, LSL specigically
 

is very competitive with commercial space(s) adjacent to TV and nearby. They are less expensive than many of the mall offerings.
Remember ALL those who sign a lease know their rental rates for the existing term (usually 3-5 with mostly 5 years) and the subsequent renewals (usually the same as the original term). So there is no mystery as to what the rental costs are from day one through 5 or 10 years.
So it is not the rent. It has to be the business(es) just did not perform to expectation....and that does happen. Good example of The Grateful Dog going from a large space to a smaller space to zero space.
Another example: the party store North of CVS off 466....went from a huge store to one half the size in a very short time.

btk

The mom and pop stores -- and restaurants-- are so much more charming, imaginative and fun. But we shop and dine the chains, we even beg them to come. Then we morn the loss of the mom and pops.
:sigh:

From what I have heard stores on the landing are required to in their lease to stay open till 9pm every night or pay a fine. For some stores who have no business that late, it can become a huge financial burden to keep the store open those extra hours.

I know of at least one store owner who leases in TV because of the school. They have young children and they can attend the schools here if their family runs a buisness out of TV.

They in particular had a hugh increase in the business when they opened the TV shop.

So I have to believe it is the type of merchant that makes it or not. Specialty shops are always at risk to failure regardless of the location. In TV some shops think they can charge way more than the market can bear and base their business plan on higher prices that can not always be charged. How many dog/cat toys can you buy per week. Most will buy pet food from Sams or other discount type businesses or grocery stores of which there are many options.

I've seen it happen time after time. Home Depot or Lowes opens and everyone forgets the local hardware store or lumberyard. It's almost like their car or pickup automatically drives to the big box stores when they need supplies or tools.
They want Italian food..."oh boy, lets head for Olive Garden". Seafood...Red Lobster is a must.
Then we whine when the private stores close. Must be the rent is to high. It can't possibly be because we no longer shop there.

Well put btk. Sometimes the tone of some posts on this forum lean toward blaming the Developer for business failures of their lessees. In reality, the lessee bit off more than they could chew.

I am not sure rent is a factor as charter schools get primary funding from the state. That is not to say the Developer has not contributed.

Maybe starting a new thread on charter school funding in general and TV's charter school in particular would yield more info of interest.

BTW, high-jacking is difficult to avoid. One subject leads to another and things can get off track. They soon get back on.