[golfing eagles]

Originally Posted by Kup Kake

Not a good comparison unless the Panera Bread location was an unoccupied store from 2004 through 2011. Perhaps the reason for so many empty Brownwood stores is because the rents are too high and the monthly "royalty fee" to the developer is too high, also.

In that case, do you have an explanation for the 90+% occupancy in the other town squares, especially in the economy of the last 8 years?

[maureenod]

Originally Posted by Kup Kake

Not a good comparison unless the Panera Bread location was an unoccupied store from 2004 through 2011. Perhaps the reason for so many empty Brownwood stores is because the rents are too high and the monthly "royalty fee" to the developer is too high, also.

Small shops all across the country are struggling to survive. They can't compete with big business. One has to drive to Lowes to get nails. Now, with online sales, small businesses will soon be a thing of the past.

[nhenson]

I would love to see a new Curves franchise open in Brownwood as we are in the Collier village and it's an inconvenience to go to Lake Sumter.

[graciegirl]

Originally Posted by nhenson

I would love to see a new Curves franchise open in Brownwood as we are in the Collier village and it's an inconvenience to go to Lake Sumter.

I would like for Mark Harmon to hand out hugs on Brownwood square.

Hey...wish in one hand and...well you know.....

[golfing eagles]

Originally Posted by graciegirl

I would like for Mark Harmon to hand out hugs on Brownwood square.

Hey...wish in one hand and...well you know.....

Make that Kate Upton and you have a deal

2 other points:

1) to the Collier resident, how far was it to a Curves in your home town, how long did it take to get there and park in a car, and could you take a golf cart there?. It's not like it is located in Mulberry.

2) What's with all the anti-developer rhetoric lately, are all those posters unhappy with living here?
Brownwood is not fully rented---must be the developers greed
TVH changed their accepted insurance---they must be "greedy" too
No over seeding fairways this year---more greed
An earthquake hits Italy---also the developers fault
At least we can assign blame if space aliens invade Earth

All rights for everyone to express an opinion aside, I just don't get it

[OhioBuckeye]

I'm guessing a lot of the buildings are empty because possibly the rent is to high. You really have to be marketing something that everyone needs because nickle dime stuff just won't cut it. I know some people will disagree with me because some places in the U.S. where some people come from was very expensive to at too & I'm sure the Villages seems really cheap! I'm sure they'll get something in all of them eventually.

[Bonny]

Originally Posted by OhioBuckeye

I'm guessing a lot of the buildings are empty because possibly the rent is to high. You really have to be marketing something that everyone needs because nickle dime stuff just won't cut it. I know some people will disagree with me because some places in the U.S. where some people come from was very expensive to at too & I'm sure the Villages seems really cheap! I'm sure they'll get something in all of them eventually.

How much is the rent if you believe high rent might be the problem?

[jimbo2012]

it's in the mid 30.00$ a sq ft, made offer to negotiate, they declined.

it's less $$ up by Home Depot with tons more shoppers.

.

[joephlibeetz]

Originally Posted by blicata

Miles42
very poor mix of stores in all the squares. One store owner in colony plaza said the developer strickly regulates store policies. Developer regulates hours of operation & developer takes a portion of owner sales or profits. Real turnoff to open a business in the villages.

As a former manufacturer/retailer up north, when we moved to TV several years ago, we briefly considered renting a store front to sell products from the factory we left behind. The rents here in TV are extraordinarily high, plus the developer wants to participate with your sales and profits. During the interview with the developer's agent, he asked what kind of sales did we think we needed to break even...when I gave him an off the cuff estimate, he said they wanted 4% of anything over that sales figure plus our rent payment. We were in a low margin business up north and never made more than 8% net on our sales, so handing over 4% on top of our rent was a shock, and we never went through with the contract. This was several years ago, so I assume rents and the amount the developer wants to "wet his beak" are only higher now. Opening a business in TV is a real high stakes gamble for any small business. You had better be a large chain that has other stores to absorb the lower profits or even losses from a store here...or have very deep pockets.

[Bonny]

Originally Posted by joephlibeetz

As a former manufacturer/retailer up north, when we moved to TV several years ago, we briefly considered renting a store front to sell products from the factory we left behind. The rents here in TV are extraordinarily high, plus the developer wants to participate with your sales and profits. During the interview with the developer's agent, he asked what kind of sales did we think we needed to break even...when I gave him an off the cuff estimate, he said they wanted 4% of anything over that sales figure plus our rent payment. We were in a low margin business up north and never made more than 8% net on our sales, so handing over 4% on top of our rent was a shock, and we never went through with the contract. This was several years ago, so I assume rents and the amount the developer wants to "wet his beak" are only higher now. Opening a business in TV is a real high stakes gamble for any small business. You had better be a large chain that has other stores to absorb the lower profits or even losses from a store here...or have very deep pockets.

A lot of the businesses do very well. If you have a good product and consistent customer service, you'll do well in The Villages.

[jimbo2012]

if you have big margins or overcharge for your products/services.


If you have a 5,000 sq ft store that's about $15,000 a moth rent.

or $500 a day, do the math.

there are plenty of other choices for half that money

[RickeyD]

Originally Posted by jimbo2012

it's in the mid 30.00$ a sq ft, made offer to negotiate, they declined.



it's less $$ up by Home Depot with tons more shoppers.



.

There ya go !

[Duppa]

As with all good threads... (lots of interesting answers). Our story. Our lifestyle visit began when BW was rising... You could see the watertower in the distance, but could not approach it from the north (literally no roads there)... Over the past four years the area to the north (all TV) grew in with houses and BW itself appeared in full. As we made many additional visits (before purchasing on the other side in Osceola Hills), we adopted BW as "our TS" but, being good TVers, we went to LSL and SP as well. Our verdict? Features. SP is beautiful, charming, interesting, lovely... sitting around the square on a warm evening, wonderful. LSL, gorgeous sunsets, beautiful vistas over water, the board walk... sorry, that is tough to beat; simply amazing dining on the Lighthouse deck.... Then BW. features? No vistas, no water, no big trees, no charming (aged) architecture... We go because it's "our side of town" and we want to support our side. We do not go for the features (that are currently present). IMHO, for crowds to appear, for people to come and linger, you need more than "Rocky and the Rollers"... (but great bands do work wonders too); you need something amazing, something wonderful, something interesting to see, to walk around, to be with... A working mill with a waterfall feature into a nice pond with wildlife... perhaps misplaced on a western theme, but something. A crop of faux mesas with waterfalls. A raceway of water threading through a sliver of the property. Imagine it, build it.

[Bogie Shooter]

Or a giant water slide............................Geez!

[RickeyD]

Originally Posted by Duppa

As with all good threads... (lots of interesting answers). Our story. Our lifestyle visit began when BW was rising... You could see the watertower in the distance, but could not approach it from the north (literally no roads there)... Over the past four years the area to the north (all TV) grew in with houses and BW itself appeared in full. As we made many additional visits (before purchasing on the other side in Osceola Hills), we adopted BW as "our TS" but, being good TVers, we went to LSL and SP as well. Our verdict? Features. SP is beautiful, charming, interesting, lovely... sitting around the square on a warm evening, wonderful. LSL, gorgeous sunsets, beautiful vistas over water, the board walk... sorry, that is tough to beat; simply amazing dining on the Lighthouse deck.... Then BW. features? No vistas, no water, no big trees, no charming (aged) architecture... We go because it's "our side of town" and we want to support our side. We do not go for the features (that are currently present). IMHO, for crowds to appear, for people to come and linger, you need more than "Rocky and the Rollers"... (but great bands do work wonders too); you need something amazing, something wonderful, something interesting to see, to walk around, to be with... A working mill with a waterfall feature into a nice pond with wildlife... perhaps misplaced on a western theme, but something. A crop of faux mesas with waterfalls. A raceway of water threading through a sliver of the property. Imagine it, build it.

Too bad you weren't on the BW architectural concept committee. The water feature people were absent.