Starbucks week 20

Looking really good I'd say. Nevada Power told me that it looks like the new Starbucks could be opening in two weeks. I've looked inside their windows and it looks like they just have some fine tuning to do as all of their equipment and furniture is within.
It looks like they mostly just have some more outside signage to do (along their drive thru area) and landscaping and they should be ready to go. I already know one of the employees is a comic fan because he shops at my store (he worked at the Starbucks by Einsteins Bagels and is being transfered) so I think it's a good bet that he can help steer Starbucks customers over to my store for some fine comics.

In another new development here by my store, my neighbor, Cloth and Canvas, closed up this week after having their one year anniversary. Truthfully I knew their longevity was suspect almost right when they opened. I liked the gal who owned the place, Cyndi, and her business partner, Ricco, but I don't think they did anything in the way of research for how to get a new business off the ground. Their store was an urban clothing store with art on their walls by a different local artist each month (for which they'd do an opening / reception for on the second Friday of each month). The store was nicely designed, but it was really sparse with merchandise and I always wondered how they would make their monthly rent. I thought even if they turned over all of their product in their store four times in a month that they'd still have a hard time making their rent and their customer traffic was pretty non existant. They did no kind of advertising at all that I knew of around the university area and I'd think that would have been their prime audience. Cyndi did work at clubs doing some kind of promotion for them, but that never translated to any of that audience coming over to her store (and they had nice clothing and good prices). They started having increasingly funky hours for the store the last few months and I don't remember seeing them get much in the way of new product since they opened other than the things they'd bring in every once in a while. Cybni, Ricco, and myself would talk to each other whenever we saw each other, but they never asked me for any tips on what they could be doing so that they wouldn't have to close. I try not to meddle in other people's business unless I'm asked, but I always thought it was curious that Cyndi and Ricco didn't pick my brain for what I thought worked and didn't work pertaining to having a new business.

There's been so many businesses that have occupied that space next to me since I've had my store and the space has also been vacant for long stretches, which I see happening again. Las Vegas has too many strip malls and there is not enough unique businesses out there to fill all of them. So what happens is a business will open up close to a similar business that already exists in that area (like tattoo shops) and they'll end up canceling each other out.

Anyway, I welcome Starbucks as a neighbor, think the building looks great, and think it will be good for the center. Hell, if it increases my business even fractionally, I may go crazy and ask my landlord what kind of lease deal they'd work out for me to knock down the wall where Cloth and Canvas was and increase my store space (maybe put in a roller skating rink)!